Miami-Dade County commissioners voted on Tuesday to cancel the scheduled November 2025 election, transferring all countywide races to 2026 to align native elections with federal and state contests, in keeping with studies.
The 8–3 vote implies that elections for Miami-Dade mayor and three open fee seats will now happen in August and November of 2026 as a substitute of this yr. In consequence, incumbents in these seats will serve an extra yr in workplace with out going through voters on the initially scheduled time.
Florida Lawyer Basic James Uthmeier issued a written opinion saying town can’t legally reschedule the election date with out voter approval in a poll referendum.
Nonetheless, Metropolis Lawyer George Wysong has mentioned in any other case.
“We consider we’re in good standing with the Florida Structure,” Wysong mentioned earlier than the fee. “We consider it’s authorized and in step with Florida legislation,” Wysong mentioned, referring to a precedent wherein town modified its elections to even years.
He continued: “Irrespective of the way you slice it, for those who transfer the dates of the election, any person is gonna get an additional yr,” Wysong mentioned. “This doesn’t essentially profit anyone.”
Some commissioners really feel the transfer is only a energy seize and is occurring for the incorrect causes.
“This fee is doing the appropriate factor for the incorrect causes,” mentioned Rammel Guzman, who, in keeping with the Miami Herald, mentioned the transfer is paying homage to the autocratic rule that drove him to immigrate to america from his house nation. “I used to be born in Venezuela, and in 1999 the structure was reformed by Chávez, and even he put it to a vote — we have to do higher than that.”
Miami’s elected officers will solely be capable to serve two phrases as mayor and two phrases as commissioner of their lifetimes if voters approve the lifetime time period limits proposal. Those that need to preserve time period limits as they’re will combat towards the measure, regardless of some right-leaning commissioners’ claims that it has broad help.