Miami mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez is criticizing his opponent, Eileen Higgins, for remaining silent as Miami-Dade County considers appointing a replacement for her District 5 commissioner seat instead of holding an election to let voters decide.
“Higgins was reelected just last year, then immediately turned her back on voters to chase another office and left her seat vacant,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “She waited until the last possible moment to resign, blocking District 5 residents from choosing their own representative on Election Day. That deliberate timing undermined the democratic process and handed county commissioners the power to fill her seat. Now they must decide whether to install another insider or let the people vote for themselves.”
Notably, Gonzalez was integral in Miami having a mayoral election in the first place, as city leaders, including Mayor Francis Suarez, tried several times to cancel the election and move it to November 2026 without voter approval.
Originally, Miami Commissioners voted 3-2 to cancel the city's election, setting off a firestorm by Gonzalez to keep the election in place. A Florida appeals court rejected the City's final attempt to cancel the election and move it to next year back in July.
“Higgins is silent, just as she was when the Miami City Commission tried to cancel this year’s election," Gonzalez added. "It would be abhorrent for county commissioners to likewise cancel an election and appoint a replacement instead of trusting the voters of District 5. The people deserve a choice, not another backroom deal engineered to protect an insider."
Both Higgins and Gonzalez will once again face off on Dec. 9 in a runoff for mayor after finishing first and second. Neither candidate received enough votes to pass the 50% threshold to win outright, in last week's mayoral election.
Higgins has been endorsed by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, while Gonzalez holds several endorsements, including from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
