![\"Placeholder\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/placeholder.png\")
<\/p>\nMore than 120 years after Miami was founded by a woman, the city has elected its first female mayor.<\/p>\n
Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins won a runoff election Tuesday night by a nearly 20-point margin against former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Courtesy of Eileen Higgins Campaign\n <\/p>\n
\n Eileen Higgins will be Miami’s first female mayor.\n <\/p>\n
The outcome was somewhat expected after Higgins gained 36% of the vote in a crowded general election last month. Gonzalez came in second place with\u00a020%, triggering the city’s first runoff in more than 20 years.\u00a0Higgins will be the first registered Democrat to hold the officially nonpartisan office in three decades.<\/p>\n
“As Mayor, I will lead a government that works for everyone \u2014 one that listens, acts, and delivers,” Higgins said in a statement. “From safe neighborhoods and affordable housing to clean parks, thriving small businesses, and a City Hall that finally earns the public\u2019s trust, we\u2019re ready to get to work.”<\/p>\n
Higgins had become a favorite among<\/a> the real estate community,\u00a0from which she pulled in\u00a0nearly 10 times more campaign donations than her opponent.<\/p>\n Following Election Day and leading up to Tuesday, Higgins had received more than $170K, including from developers Terra Group, Related Group<\/a>, Swerdlow Group<\/a>, Pinnacle Housing founder and President David Deutch, Housing Trust Group<\/a>\u00a0and Rilea Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gonzalez had only received roughly $25K from individuals and entities that listed their occupations as real estate, including contributions from six entities tied to Little Havana developers Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla.<\/p>\n However, he received endorsements from Florida Gov.\u00a0Ron DeSantis<\/a> and President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>, who posted on his social media to rally voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n Higgins\u00a0will be inaugurated next month as the 44th mayor of Miami, succeeding Mayor Francis Suarez<\/a>, the son of former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez and a Republican real estate lawyer, who couldn’t run again after serving two terms in City Hall.<\/p>\n Higgins centered a large part of her campaign\u00a0around fighting corruption \u2014 a reputation Miami politicians have\u00a0started to collect<\/a> in recent years, including investigations into Suarez<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Tonight, the people of Miami made history,” Higgins said in a statement. “Together, we turned the page on years of chaos and corruption and opened the door to a new era for our city \u2014 one defined by ethical, accountable leadership that delivers real results for the people.”<\/p>\n She has also criticized\u00a0Miami\u2019s permitting process<\/a>\u00a0for taking too\u00a0long to approve applications and for\u00a0low workplace morale for the employees of the city, though she hasn\u2019t detailed how she plans to\u00a0reform it.<\/p>\n Higgins has said she plans to use city-owned land to build new housing<\/a> for working families to combat the shortage in affordable housing.<\/p>\n Miami\u2019s mayor is a part-time job with limited power compared to other major hubs. Higgins\u00a0will have no commission vote but can veto legislation and hire and fire the city manager, who runs day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n Her election came in a race that was politicized and nationalized more than any other in the city’s recent memory, the Miami Herald reported<\/a>. After Trump won Miami-Dade County in the 2024 election, Higgins’ victory is being framed by some Democrats<\/a>\u00a0as another example of voter backlash against his policies, although state political insiders have downplayed its broader significance<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never been prouder to be a Democrat,\u201d Higgins\u00a0told The Associated Press<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re living in the state of Florida, where we have people that are building cages for our residents rather than affordable housing for them.\u201d<\/p>\n