Former Hialeah Councilman Bryan Calvo (left), who won the mayoral race outright last week, and interim Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves, who finished third.
Pedro Portal
pportal@miamiherald.com
Days after finishing a distant third in Hialeah’s mayoral election last week, Hialeah Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves has moved to restrict communication between city employees and the mayor-elect, Bryan Calvo, a step that threatens to complicate the city’s first extended transition of power.
An email Garcia-Roves sent Monday afternoon to department heads, assistant directors, union employees, administrative staff, City Hall personnel, fire command staff and police officers, instructed them to “restrict communication with the Mayor-Elect effective immediately.”
The email added: “No employee, director, or staff member is authorized to meet with, provide information to, or communicate with the Mayor-Elect or their representatives regarding any city business, operations, or matters related to the City of Hialeah without my express written approval.”
The directive, which took effect immediately, warned that doing otherwise “will be considered a violation of administrative procedure and will be addressed accordingly.”
Garcia-Roves framed the move as necessary to “ensure a smooth and orderly transition,” even as critics, including Calvo, call it an attempt to block the incoming administration.
“My priority is ensuring a smooth and professional transition,” Garcia-Roves said in a written statement to the Miami Herald. “Until Jan. 12, my administration remains responsible for all city business, and all communication with the Mayor-elect will go through my office to maintain order and accountability.”
Calvo, who won the Nov. 4 election outright, rejected that explanation, calling the directive a blatant attempt to control the transition process.
“No outgoing mayor should try to silence employees or block communication with the incoming administration,” he said in a statement. “Voters chose new leadership, and that decision deserves respect, not obstruction.”
Newly elected Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo speaks with the media after defeating Interim Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves during his election night party at Hialeah Park Casino on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Hialeah, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
The standoff comes during Hialeah’s first 12-week transition period, a process approved by voters in 2022 under then-Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo. Previously, the mayor would take office just three days after winning election.
Back in April 2022, when the administration introduced the transition measure to the City Council, Bovo explained his rationale:
“I believe we can create more efficiency with a structured transition from an outgoing administration to a new one… to create a transition process that would allow, I think, a more seamless transition of government”
Despite being designed to facilitate smoother handoffs of power, no formal transition protocols were ever established by the Bovo administration, which ended eight months before last week’s election and 10 months before the new mayor’s swearing-in, when Bovo stepped down to become a lobbyist. City records reviewed by the Herald show no written guidance on how the process should unfold.
Interim Mayor Jackie Garcia-Roves is hugged by former Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo after losing the Hialeah mayoral race to Bryan Calvo on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Hialeah, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Garcia-Roves, who served as city council president before becoming interim mayor, told the Herald last week that the transition would not begin until Calvo’s swearing-in on Jan. 12, 2026. When asked about Bovo’s 2022 comments on creating a smoother transition process during the two-month gap, Garcia-Roves said she would “analyze” the situation on whether to establish any formal transition protocols.
The lack of clarity, and the new restrictions on communication, have turned what was supposed to be a period of cooperation into one of confrontation. As Hialeah enters an unprecedented transfer of power, questions remain over who truly controls the process: the outgoing administration, or the voters who decided it was time for change.
According to official results, Calvo won the election with 52.9%, avoiding a runoff. Councilman Jesus Tundidor finished second with 20.7% of the vote, while Garcia-Roves came in third with 19%.
el Nuevo Herald
Verónica Egui Brito ha profundizado en temas sociales apremiantes y de derechos humanos. Cubre noticias dentro de la vibrante ciudad de Hialeah y sus alrededores para el Nuevo Herald y el Miami Herald. Se unió al Herald en 2022. Verónica Egui Brito has delved into pressing social, and human rights issues. She covers news within the vibrant city of Hialeah, and its surrounding areas for el Nuevo Herald, and the Miami Herald. Joined the Herald in 2022.