Miami Prepares to Elect New Mayor as Suarez Hits Term Limit

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner is also seeking reelection.

A parking lot adjacent to the Freedom Tower was voted by Florida officials to be donated as the potential site for President Donald Trump’s future presidential library, in Miami, Fla., on Sept. 30, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The voters of Miami will choose their next mayor on Nov. 4 in an election that is officially nonpartisan but could indicate how much more or less conservative the South Florida hub has become since flipping red for President Donald Trump a year ago.

With Republican Francis Suarez reaching his term limit, 13 candidates have stepped up to claim or reclaim his seat atop the Magic City for themselves and their party. Multiple hopefuls have already served as mayor before, and several others are looking to reinvigorate the Democratic Party’s foothold despite an overall surge in registered GOP voters in Miami-Dade County and beyond.

Cost of living, public safety, and eliminating corruption appeared to be key points of focus for every candidate, though their ways of addressing them vary.

Here’s a look at some of the candidates, including the four who earned the minimum 10 percent polling support required for the latest debate on Oct. 16.

Xavier Suarez

Francis Suarez’s father, Xavier, held the mayorship twice, from 1985 to 1993 and from 1997 to 1998. He last served as a county commissioner from 2011 to 2020.

His priorities include combating housing affordability by freezing property taxes for homes valued under $575,000 and having the state take over the catastrophic insurance for new affordable housing.

“The city has made commendable progress in maintaining public order, stimulating significant private-sector economic growth, and reducing the millage rate,” Xavier said on his campaign website. “But property tax relief is of the essence.”

He also supports free public transit and seeks to expand the city’s trolley network as a means to decrease city residents’ transportation expenses.

Xavier is not the only former mayor attempting to secure an encore. Joe Carollo, who was previously Miami’s mayor in 1996 and 1997 and again from 1998 to 2001, is also running. Carollo is Miami’s sitting city commissioner, and several other candidates have experience as either a city or county commissioner.

But that opportunity could be brought to an end.

Along with having the opportunity to elect former mayors, Miami residents will have the opportunity to vote on a referendum that would amend the current term limits so that “no person who has been elected or appointed two (2) times, excluding times when elected to fill a vacancy, to the office of Mayor or Commissioner shall be eligible for reelection to that office during their lifetime.”

Emilio Gonzalez

Another candidate with Miami government experience is former city manager Emilio Gonzalez, who heads into the election with Gov. Ron DeSantis’s endorsement.

Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Tampa, Gonzalez began a 26-year military career as a part of the University of South Florida’s first-ever Reserve Officers’ Training Corps class and rose to the rank of Army Colonel. He served at the Defense Intelligence Agency, and in 2024, served as part of Trump’s Department of Homeland Security transition team.

His priorities include eliminating corruption, eliminating property taxes, overhauling permitting and licensing to further empower entrepreneurs, curbing spending, increasing the number of police officers, and optimizing capital investment in a way that puts Miami residents first.

“Every commitment in this campaign is built on one principle: Miami must work for its residents first,” Gonzalez said on his campaign website. “That means no more cronyism, no more wasteful spending on pet projects, and no more ignoring the needs of our neighborhoods. The days of City Hall serving the well-connected at everyone else’s expense are over. It’s time for leadership that delivers real results for the people who live, work, and raise families here.”

He has also spoken out against the rise of socialist and communist candidates across the country, like Zohran Mamdani in New York City.

“In Miami, a communist and a silent socialist are on the ballot,” Gonzalez said on X. “We must protect our city and VOTE November 4 to end corruption and stop these failed politicians from taking control.”

Laura Anderson

Standing in contrast to Gonzalez is Laura Anderson. A member of the Socialist Workers Party, the Illinois native openly expressed admiration for Cuba’s communist dictator, Fidel Castro, and admitted to visiting the island nation three times.

“Working people need a voice. Too many promises with Democrats, Republicans—all capitalist parties—have people been waiting for promises. We can’t wait any more,” Anderson told local media. “We need to break from the capitalist politicians and organize all workers.”

She failed to garner the minimum 10 percent in two polls that were required to participate in a televised debate on Oct. 16.

The region is home to thousands of Cuban and Venezuelan people who fled communism and socialism.

Eileen Higgins

Considered the favorite Democratic candidate in the race, Higgins gained her candidacy by petition and also looks to prioritize the city’s permitting process, upgrade the trolley system, and invest in the city’s resilience.

As a county commissioner, she spearheaded the creation of nearly 7,000 affordable and workforce housing units, and sees an increase in housing as a means to increase the city’s affordability.

Ken Russell

Ken Russell was the second Democratic candidate who earned the 10 percent polling result needed for the Oct. 16 debate. He seeks a return to local government after stepping down as Miami commissioner in 2022 to pursue two failed attempts to run for Congress.

Unlike Higgins, he took a more overt stance against Trump during the debate, criticizing the president’s immigration policy, which he said made it inappropriate for his presidential library to be built next door to the Freedom Tower, once used to process Cuban refugees.

His priorities include fighting corruption, expanding the commission from five to seven members, and reallocating Miami Forever bond money as part of his efforts to improve the city’s affordability.

“We can’t keep electing the same people from the same political dynasties,” his website states. “It’s time for change. Ken will clean up City Hall, and it starts with lifetime term limits to remove ‘forever’ politicians.”

Miami Beach Mayor Seeks Reelection

Meanwhile, just across Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach’s law-and-order mayor, Steven Meiner, seeks reelection. He’s challenged by Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who raised more than $50 million more than him.

Noted for cracking down hard on Spring Break in 2023, Meiner touted his administration’s success with being tough on crime, sharing stats from the Miami Beach Police Department that from Oct. 5, 2024, through Oct. 5, 2025, major crime was down 19 percent. Homicides decreased by 67 percent, auto thefts dropped by 40 percent, robberies were down 29 percent, and burglaries were down 25 percent.

“Residents tell me every day that Miami Beach is safer and cleaner than ever, and the real data backs it up,” he said in a campaign email.

At the same time, he boasted that the city’s general fund reserves reached $117 million, a historic high, and the resort tax reserves were fully funded at $38 million, while also lowering taxes.

“Our Commission also agreed to return $11 million in surplus funds to our residents, the first such refund in almost 20 years,” he said.

Kristen Rosen Gonzalez rejected the idea that the city was safer and flourishing. She said that more needed to be done to curb homelessness through mental health services. She also wants to streamline permitting and give people a reason to come back to Miami Beach after cracking down on spring break. Tourist tax revenue, she said, was down $4 million year over year.

“We need a leader that can focus us on our priorities—the economy, water quality, public safety, transit,” she said to local media. “Instead, we’re attacking each other all the time. I think I can do a better job of that.”