In a decisive win, a state circuit court judge ruled that the City of Miami violated its own governing laws when it attempted to cancel this year’s mayoral and city commission elections. The decision restores the November 2025 election and sharply rebukes the city’s legal defense.
City attorneys argued that the ordinance passed earlier this year didn’t alter the City Charter but merely adjusted city code. The judge rejected that argument outright, writing in her order:
“Our Constitution deals with the substance of matters, not mere semantics. The city’s contention that its ordinance did not ‘amend’ its City Charter is nothing more than semantic sleight of hand.”
The court sided with mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former City Manager, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of voters to stop what he described as an unconstitutional power grab. The ordinance would have given sitting commissioners and term-limited Mayor Francis Suarez an extra year in office—without voter approval.
The ruling was quickly celebrated across the state.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who weeks earlier had told an NBC 6 reporter in Miami that “suspensions” of local officials were tools “on the table,” publicly praised the decision as a win for Florida’s Constitution and for Miami voters. Attorney General James Uthmeier echoed the sentiment, calling the ruling a victory for the rule of law.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia also weighed in, writing on X: “Miami voters were right to be outraged, and the city was wrong in its actions.”
Conservative firebrand Laura Loomer went further, calling on DeSantis to suspend or remove the city officials responsible for the attempted election cancellation.
But instead of accepting the court’s ruling, the City of Miami has chosen to double down. Officials filed a notice of appeal almost immediately, sending the case to Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. With the November election approaching, legal proceedings are expected to move quickly.
“The City tried to cancel democracy. They got caught,” said one resident outside City Hall. “And now they’re wasting more taxpayer money trying to cancel it again in court.”
For now, Miami’s 2025 election is back on—and with it, the people’s right to choose their leaders. Whether the city’s appeal will succeed remains to be seen, but this week’s decision sent a clear message: in Florida, the rule of law still matters.
DeSantis called the City commission's move as being "Shady."
