When it comes to elections, Key Biscayne is a bit quirky.
According to the Miami-Dade Elections Department, there are exactly 7,929 people registered to cast ballots for this election in Key Biscayne, where in addition to control of Congress and a governor, voters will pick three council members and decide a major local ballot question that could affect millions in flood control spending.
About 28% of island voters have already cast mail or early voting ballots — total of 2,193 as of Thursday night.
Two years ago, the wealthy, educated suburb swung hard for Donald Trump. But before that, residents here chose Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
VOTING INFO: Early Voting runs through Sunday at 7 p.m., at 28 locations across the county. A full list of locations is here www.votemiamidade.gov.
One reason: the island has way more independents, percentage-wise, than the rest of Miami-Dade County. In fact, if “NPA” —- no party affiliation — were a political party, it would be the #1 party in Key Biscayne.
Council Member Oscar Sardiñas points to a motorist as he campaigns in Key Biscayne, Oct. 28, 2026 (KBI Photo/Tony Winton)
Independent/NPA voters in Key Biscayne stand at 43% of the electorate, compared to 30% countywide.
More interestingly, the island’s independent streak is led by Hispanic voters. Hispanic voters account for 4,529 registrants (57%) , including 2,042 NPA, 1,582 Republican and 798 Democratic voters. Indeed, nationally, analysts have said Hispanic voters are the “swing” voters that will likely decide contests in many communities, a New York Times analysis found last month.
Here are some other interesting demographics among registered voters in Key Biscayne:
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Age: Key Biscayne exhibits a “valley” in early adulthood/mid-30s (ages 26–40), with voter concentration spiking among youngest adults (18–25) and older demographics (51+).
Race: Key Biscayne stands out for its lack of black voters. It is a two-group electorate (91.6% are either Hispanic or White). Compare that to the fact Black voters represent over 13% of the broader County electorate.
Partisanship: In Miami, Hispanic voters skew strongly Republican (43.07% Rep / 31.53% NPA / 22.60% Dem). But in Key Biscayne, as mentioned, Hispanics are more likely to be Independent.
Municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, but in Miami-Dade, parties regularly promote County, city, and village candidates. In Key Biscayne, candidates Oscar Sardiñas and Silvia Tarfa are registered Republicans. Fernando Vazquez and Luis de la Cruz have no party affiliation. Claire London — who said she was quitting, then withdrew — is the lone Democrat.
But while campaigns and candidates have historically eyed the island for wealthy donors for statewide and federal races, the local Democratic club did not endorse any Council candidates, a sharp contrast with other Miami localities where both parties publish “voter cards” to guide voters and take to the polls that often include local races.
The local Democratic club did recommend a “no” vote on the stormwater ballot question.
A question to the County GOP about Key Biscayne local endorsements was not responded to.
NEXT: Who are KB residents giving money to?
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Editor-in-Chief
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.