Miami-Dade County commissioners appointed Rep. Vicki Lopez (R-Miami) in a 7-5 vote to fill a vacant seat on the commission this week. The representative takes over in District 5 for Eileen Higgins, a Democrat, who resigned from the seat earlier this month.
District 5 includes parts of Miami and Miami Beach, as well as the neighborhoods of Brickell, Downtown Miami, The Roads, Shenandoah, Little Havana, West Flagler, and others.
"Congratulations Representative @vickillopez on her appointment to the Miami Dade County Commission," the Florida GOP wrote. "She has served her constituents in HD 113 diligently, and we have full faith she will continue to do so in her new position!"
Lopez takes over on the commission after serving House District 113 since 2022. That year, Lopez won the district by 2 points (51% to 49%) over Democrat Alessandro D'Amico before expanding her margin by nine points in the subsequent election against Democrat Jackie Gross-Kellogg.
Outside of politics, Lopez is a consultant. She also graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from the University of Notre Dame.
Lopez's term will run into the next countywide election next August. She joins 12 other members on the board, including Chairman Anthony Rodriguez and Vice Chairman Kionne L. McGhee.
Eileen Higgins resigned from the seat because she is currently running for mayor of Miami. In that race, her challenger, Emilio Gonzalez, criticized Higgins for remaining silent about her old seat, saying earlier this month that voters should decide her replacement instead of an appointment.
The Miami-Dade Commission clearly thought otherwise.
“Higgins was reelected just last year, then immediately turned her back on voters to chase another office and left her seat vacant,” Gonzalez said. “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."
