Eileen Higgins (left) and Emilio González
Facebook photos
Sure, our elections might not have been as exciting as some of the more high-profile races in New York, California, and Virginia. But today, voters across Miami-Dade County turned out for a handful of key local races.
The cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Surfside, and Homestead all hosted municipal elections, with voters choosing new mayors, vice mayors, commissioners, and weighing in on several ballot measures.
The big news: City of Miami voters said farewell to the old elected guard at city hall. The mayoral race has boiled down to a runoff between Eileen Higgins, a downtown resident who has been serving on the Miami-Dade County Commission, and Emilio González, a former city manager. Veteran elected officials Joe Carollo, Alex de la Portilla, Xavier Suarez, and Ken Russell all missed the cut.
Here’s who (and what) won South Florida’s 2025 municipal elections (asterisk [*] denotes winner; not all candidates who received votes are represented here):
Miami
Mayor
*Eileen Higgins (35.96 percent)
*Emilio González (19.47 percent)
Ken Russell (17.58 percent)
Joe Carollo (11.48 percent)
Alex de la Portilla (5.14 percent)
Xavier Suarez (4.94 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
City Commission
District 3
*Frank Carollo (37.78 percent)
*Rolando Escalona (17.37 percent)
Oscar Alejandro (11.96 percent)
Rob Piper (10.96 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
District 5
*Christine King (84.41 percent)
Marion K. Brown (8.14 percent)
Frederick Bryant (7.45 percent)
Referendum 1
Would establish a citizen charter review commission
*Yes 76.20 percent
No 23.8 percent
Referendum 2
Would loosen restrictions on selling non-waterfront city property
Yes 40.63 percent
*No 59.37 percent
Referendum 3
Would expand commission to 7 or 9 districts
*Yes 77.46 percent
No 22.54 percent
Referendum 4
Would establish lifetime term limits for elected officials
*Yes 79.11 percent
No 20.89 percent
Miami Beach
Mayor
*Steven Meiner (51.20 percent)
Kristen Rosen Gonzalez (48.80 percent)
City Commission
Group I
*Monica Matteo-Salinas (23.25 percent)
*Monique Pardo Pope (20.15 percent)
Daniel Ciraldo (17.65 percent)
Brian Ehrlich (19.31 percent)
Ava Frankel (12.61 percent)
Omar Jimenez (7.03 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
Group II
*Laura Dominguez (60.99 percent)
Fred Karlton (39.01 percent)
Group III
*Alex Fernandez (84.07 percent)
Luidgi Mary (15.93 percent)
Surfside
Referendum 1
Would continue the town’s project to bury overhead electric and communication (estimated cost $80 million)
Yes (42.12 percent)
*No (57.88 percent)
Referendum 2
Yes (34.68 percent)
*No (65.32 percent)
Referendum 3
Would require unanimous commissioner approval for spending over $2 million (except in emergencies)
*Yes (53.02 percent)
No (46.98 percent)
Referendum 4
Would require 60 percent voter approval before spending 20 percent or more of previous year’s tax revenue on a single project
*Yes (64.04 percent)
No 935.96 percent)
Hialeah
Mayor
*Bryan Calvo (52.93 percent)
Jesus Tundidor (20.68 percent)
Jackie Garcia-Roves (19.05 percent)
Marc Anthony Salvat (6.47 percent)
City Council
Group III
*Gelien Perez (40.50 percent)
*Jessica Castillo (36.02 percent)
Kassandra Y. Montandon (23.48 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
Group IV
*William “Willy” Marrero (24.89 percent)
*Javier Morejon (23.35 percent)
Mariana V. Chavez (22.04 percent)
Juan Santana (19.05 percent)
Phillip Kennedy (10.66 percent)
*Top two finishers headed to December 9 runoff
Group VI
*Melinda De La Vega (60.54 percent)
Juan F. Junco (39.46 percent)
Group VII
*Luis Rodriguez (56.96 percent)
Abdel Jimenez (43.04 percent)
Homestead
Vice Mayor
*Jenifer N. Bailey (55.44 percent)
Thomas Davis (44.56 percent)
City Council
Seat 1
*Kimberly Konsky (55.87 percent)
Thomas Davis (44.13 percent)
Seat 5
*Erica G. Avila (58.12 percent)
Sonia M. Castro (41.88 percent)
Referendum 1
Would extend the mayor’s consecutive term limit from 8 to 12 years (matching city council limits)
Yes (22.82 percent)
*No (77.18 percent)
Referendum 2
Would require a runoff election in a special election to fill a city council vacancy (with more than a year remaining) if no candidate wins a majority
*Yes (67.75 percent)
No (32.25 percent)
Referendum 3
Would allow the city to borrow up to $36.4 million in property tax-funded bonds to build and upgrade parks
For Bonds (46.48 percent)
*Against Bonds (53.52 percent)
Referendum 4
Would let the city borrow up to $39.6 million in property tax–backed bonds to fund road construction and improvements
*For Bonds (53.25 percent)
Against Bonds (46.75 percent)