![\"Dozens](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/193_Florida_Legislation_Session_2026_MJO.jpg\" "\\"Dozens")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Dozens of Miami-Dade candidates from both parties are running in the Aug. 18 primaries for the state Legislature.<\/p>\n
Photo by Matias J. Ocner<\/p>\n
mocner@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
READ MORE<\/p>\n
Editorial Board\u2019s endorsements for primary elections<\/p>\n
\n Registered voters in Florida will be able to cast ballots in the Aug. 18 primary election through vote-by-mail, early voting or voting on Election Day. Voters will decide races for judges, the school board, the county commission, state Legislature, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and governor.\n <\/p>\n
\n Read the Miami Herald Editorial Board\u2019s endorsements.\n <\/p>\n
Expand All<\/p>\n
When the Herald Editorial Board interviewed candidates running in August\u2019s legislative primaries in Miami-Dade, we made sure to ask about the Live Local Act, the state law passed in 2023 to address Florida\u2019s housing shortage.<\/p>\n
Many voters dislike Live Local because it allows developers to build faster and more easily by skirting local zoning limits on density and height. Developments qualify under the law if at least 40% of their projects are designated as workforce housing rentals \u2014 units affordable to people making up to 120% of the Area Median Income (roughly $104,000 annually for one person in Miami-Dade).<\/p>\n
Will Live Local lower rents in South Florida? The jury is still out on that, but most of the candidates we spoke to made it clear that some tweaks to the law may be necessary. Our endorsements in legislative races have not yet been published. Here\u2019s a recap of what the candidates said:<\/p>\n
Senate District 34 Democratic primary<\/p>\n
Ashley Gantt: Voted against<\/a> Live Local in 2023 when the Florida House, where she currently serves, passed it. She didn\u2019t like the loss of local control. \u201cI don\u2019t think cutting corners makes sense when we live in a peninsula, and when we are actually experiencing climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n Christine Sanon-Jules Olivo: Supports Live Local because it cuts red tape to advance workforce housing, but “with restrictions.\u201d She wants more concessions from developers on infrastructure and hiring local: \u201c… Fine, we\u2019re going to cut a few red tapes, but I need you to give back to our community.\u201d<\/p>\n Candidate Shannan Ighodaro did not attend the Editorial Board interview.<\/p>\n House District 106 Democratic primary<\/p>\n Lucia Baez-Geller: Wants to repeal or significantly change the law to address development in Miami Beach and on other environmentally sensitive barrier islands. Live Local is a \u201cone-size-fits-all solution that does not take into consideration the unique character of all the different parts of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Ashley Litwin Diego: Wants major reforms to Live Local and would repeal it if it can\u2019t be fixed. \u201cI think it came from a good place but, in the end, the way that it\u2019s been done is not working.\u201d<\/p>\n House District 108 Democratic primary<\/p>\n Daphne Campbell: Would amend Live Local \u201cto better target truly affordable housing, while protecting our neighborhoods and limiting urban sprawl. We need smart growth that expands affordable housing, preserves green space and invests in infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n Dinah Escarment: Is against it. Although she supports the goal of building more affordable housing, Live Local is \u201ctrying to override local laws… There should be certain places where properties are placed, and no one should be able to override the zoning and local ordinances.\u201d<\/p>\n Peter Walsh: Supports the law but said he would \u201creach out to the best experts in the country, put together a think tank… to come up with a real solution that really works for local housing, not jamming people into high-rise buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n House District 109 Democratic primary<\/p>\n Satin Fye: Said Live Local \u201cneeds more oversight,\u201d and she\u2019s concerned about farmland in rural parts of Miami-Dade being converted into housing. In urban areas, \u201cwhen you develop this sort of workforce housing, I would like to make sure that… we\u2019re also not pushing folks that have already been in the community out.\u201d<\/p>\n Broadway Harewood: Supports the law as it\u2019s written because there is too \u201cmuch red tape\u201d in development approvals, which are delayed by reviews by local government departments.<\/p>\n John Taylor: Supports the creation of affordable housing but would repeal Live Local because it \u201ctook away local government\u2019s input, and we\u2019re the ones on the ground. We know what our communities need.\u201d (Taylor is the mayor of Opa-Locka.)<\/p>\n Candidate James Bush III did not attend the Editorial Board interview.<\/p>\n House District 113 Republican primary<\/p>\n Bruno Barreiro: Said Live Local has \u201cgood intentions\u201d but was a \u201cknee\u2011jerk reaction\u201d to the housing crisis and needs to be \u201cat least minimally fine-tuned, if not substantially redone.\u201d Development \u201chas to be in places where the infrastructure is proper to deal with, you know, substantial increases in density.\u201d<\/p>\n Tony Diaz: Called the law the \u201cLive Local Scam\u201d because, he said, developers don\u2019t have to do their fair share to support local infrastructure. \u201cI want to repeal it, or I want to amend it to the point that it becomes useless.\u201d<\/p>\n Frank Lago: Said the law is creating more rentals, but he believes those new units will rent at market rates, not at truly affordable prices. He wants incentives for homeownership and the construction of housing targeting people making 60-80% of the Area Median Income (up to $75,000 annually for one person in Miami-Dade) and a special consideration for barrier islands.<\/p>\n House District 113 Democratic primary<\/p>\n Gloria Romero Roses: Supports reforming Live Local with incentives for housing construction for families making under $75,000, state financing so developers can include more affordable units in their projects, state building code reforms to facilitate the development of small \u201cthrowaway lots\u201d and a gradual return to local control when communities meet housing goals.<\/p>\n Justin Mendoza Routt: Said the law isn\u2019t working as intended and would reform it because he sees \u201ctremendous overdevelopment\u201d and luxury condos that only \u201csqueeze in\u201d cheaper units. He wants to lower the income threshold for workforce housing to 100% of the Area Median Income instead of 120%, and wants to calculate it based on the median income at a particular ZIP code instead of a city or county. \u201cI\u2019d like to see a reform that requires developers to work with the local community.\u201d<\/p>\n House District 118 Republican primary<\/p>\n Marco Insua: Supports Live Local but did not elaborate.<\/p>\n Mike Redondo (incumbent): Sponsored the latest update to the law<\/a>, which expanded eligibility for Live Local projects to land owned by a government, school district or religious institution. He said the need for more housing is \u201cacute\u201d and \u201cthe solution has to be a greater supply of housing.\u201d<\/p>\n BEHIND THE STORY MORE <\/a> What’s an editorial? <\/p>\n Editorials<\/a> are opinion pieces that reflect the views of the Miami Herald Editorial Board, a group of opinion journalists that operates separately from the Miami Herald newsroom. Miami Herald Editorial Board<\/a> members are: opinion editor Amy Driscoll and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.<\/p>\n What’s the difference between an op-ed and a column? <\/p>\n Op-Eds<\/a>, short for \u201copposite the editorial page,\u201d are opinion pieces written by contributors who are not affiliated with our Editorial Board. <\/p>\n Columns<\/a> are recurring opinion pieces that represent the views of staff columnists that regularly appear on the op-ed page. <\/p>\n How does the Miami Herald Editorial Board decide what to write about? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board, made up of experienced opinion journalists, primarily addresses local and state issues that affect South Florida residents. Each board member has an area of focus, such as education, COVID or local government policy. Board members meet daily and bring up an array of topics for discussion. Once a topic is fully discussed, board members will further report the issue, interviewing stakeholders and others involved and affected, so that the board can present the most informed opinion possible. We strive to provide our community with thought leadership that advocates for policies and priorities that strengthen our communities. Our editorials promote social justice, fairness in economic, educational and social opportunities and an end to systemic racism and inequality. The Editorial Board is separate from the reporters and editors of the Miami Herald newsroom.<\/p>\n How can I contribute to the Miami Herald Opinion section? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board accepts op-ed submissions of 650-700 words from community members who want to argue a specific viewpoint or idea that is relevant to our area. You can email an op-ed submission to oped@miamiherald.com. We also accept 150-word letters to the editor from readers who want to offer their points of view on current issues. For more information on how to submit a letter, go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 1:41 PM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dozens of Miami-Dade candidates from both parties are running in the Aug. 18 primaries for the state Legislature.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-339929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}