We all knew it was coming, but Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava made it official Wednesday, wading into the Miami mayoral election, backing her political BFF, County Commissioner Eileen Higgins among the 13 candidates.
Nobody is surprised. But the timing might be key: It comes 12 hours after a less-than-lackluster performance by Higgins at a mayoral debate hosted by the Downtown Neighbors Alliance.
Read related: One-liners and other memorable moments from Miami mayoral debate
La Alcadesa’s press shop put out a glowing endorsement calling La Gringa “ethical” and “results-driven” and listed off Levine Higgins’ greatest hits: affordable housing, smarter transit, small-business grants, tree planting, plastic-cutting, fertilizer bans. It was as if she was checking boxes. Echoing the candidate’s first video ad, Higgins “has a clear plan” to get it done, the mayor said.
“Eileen Higgins delivers for people — plain and simple,” Levine Cava gushed.
Ladra has been watching these two walk in lockstep for years. Higgins has been one of Levine Cava’s most reliable allies on the dais, backing her housing plans and climate measures and showing up for the photo-ops. They’ve practically co-hosted groundbreakings together. And they share a brain in political consultant and former Democratic Party operative Christian Ulvert.
So of course Daniella was going to bless her campaign for Miami mayor. Who else was she going to endorse? Joe Carollo? Xavier Suárez?
For her part, Higgins said she’s “honored,” for the mayor’s support. “We share a commitment to restoring trust in government and putting residents first,” she said in a statement. There was nothing about sharing the blame for a $400-million budget shortfall that caused much handwringing last month and a $93 million hole that still exists in the county coffers (more on that later). But Higgins did promise to cut red tape, bring transparency, and make City Hall “a partner, not a roadblock.”
Sounds nice, though Ladra will believe it when she sees it. City Hall has a way of swallowing reformers whole. Two words: Damian Pardo.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
Higgins is running for the seat vacated by the termed-out Mayor Francis Suarez against 12 other wannabes that include Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Mayor Sir Xavier Suárez.
A poll weeks ago had her heading into a runoff with Gonzalez, but Russell — who came in third — inched up a few notches after Tuesday’s debate, since he was more willing than Higgins to go toe to toe with ADLP and Carollo, and not afraid of throwing the dynamite.
Reached by Political Cortadito, Gonzalez told Ladra that he was not surprised that Levine Cava would support her ally.
“The same commissioner who voted for a budget that left taxpayers with a $400 million hole despite record property values,” said Gonzalez, who last week announced a bunch of law enforcement endorsements. “Where did the money go? Into waste, perks and giveaways, not into solving the real crises families are facing.”
To be fair, the county mayor and commission closed shortened the gap to about $93 million that needs to be found by midyear.
Still, Levine Cava’s endorsement gives Higgins a little extra boost as she tries to separate herself from the crowded field. She’s already got labor unions, EMILY’s List, Equality Florida and Ruth’s List in her corner, not to mention bragging rights for being the only candidate who qualified by petition signatures. And now she’s got the county mayor’s seal of approval, which comes built-in donor networks, ground game machinery and establishment clout.
But Ladra can’t help but wonder if it also comes with some baggage. Miami voters don’t exactly swoon over County Hall meddling in city business. Levine Cava has her own critics who accuse her of being too cozy with developers, too involved in the non-profit industrial complex, too slow on housing affordability, or too eager to chase headlines. If Higgins becomes “Daniella’s candidate,” she risks carrying those grievances into the city race.
That’s probably someone polled DLC’s pull in the city this last week, before making the nod public.
Read related: Partisan divide is strong in Miami mayoral race, Gonzalez vs Higgins
And let’s not forget — in Miami politics, endorsements don’t always translate to ballots. Sometimes they just remind voters of the backroom club they don’t belong to. And let’s not pretend this was some bold, game-changing move. This was expected. Levine Cava and Higgins are cut from the same cloth — progressive, policy-heavy, coalition-friendly.
Daniella just made it official with a big, warm abrazo.
The real question is whether Miami voters — who have been burned again and again by promises of “integrity” and “accountability” — are willing to believe it again.

For more independent coverage of the Miami elections, support the watchdog journalism on Political Cortadito with a contribution. Every little bit helps keep Ladra’s bark loud and her bite sharp.

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Six of the 13 candidates in the Nov. 4 Miami mayoral race will face off on stage at the Hyatt Regency downtown for a real, bonafide debate starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
They are: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez, the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami in 1985, wanting a comeback 40 years later.
For those of us who are watching from home — it will be broadcast live on CBS News Miami — there’s something we can do to make it more, um, soportable. This is the first Political Cortadito-sanctioned drinking game and everyone is urged to be responsible and stay put. Don’t pull a Pepe Diaz and get arrested for DUI.
Read related: Miami mayoral hopefuls face off — but only the “top six” make debate cut
Since there are a few expected quips, zingers and BS lines to come out of the candidates’ mouths Tuesday night, why don’t we play along? The rules are real simple. Take a bottle of your choice of alcohol. And then follow these instructions, carefully.
Take a sip or a shot when:

Joe Carollo interrupts someone before they finish their sentence.
Alex Díaz de la Portilla blames the media, the feds, or “political enemies.”
Emilio González says “manager” or “efficient government.”
Eileen Higgins mentions transparency or accountability.
Ken Russell tries to play the peacemaker.
Xavier Suárez references his experience or calls back to the “old days.”

Take two sips or two shots when:

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At least eight of the 13 people who want to be the next Miami mayor candidates will be on stage Saturday at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex on Saturday to talk about “the issues that matter most” to voters.
Or at least that’s the promise from the long list of progressive groups hosting it: Florida Student Power, Florida Rising, Engage Miami, Catalyst Miami, SAVE, Equality Florida, the Miami Workers Center, the CLEO Institute, and more.
That’s a lot of logos.
The event begins at 6 p.m., which is also the deadline for any lingering candidates to qualify. Confirmed are:

Laura Anderson – The Socialist Workers Party candidate who doesn’t have a single union endorsement.
Christian Cevallos – The former local zoning czar trying to break into the big leagues — think training wheels, but with campaign signs.
Alyssa Crocker – A GOP newcomer who’s still mostly an unknown outside her own circle, but hey, everybody has to start somewhere.
Ijamyn Gray – A young Democrat trying to tap into the “new generation” lane, but still has to prove he can hang with Miami’s political sharks.
Michael Hepburn – Perennial candidate with progressive cred who never seems to give up on running, no matter how many times the voters tell him “not yet.”
Eileen Higgins – The “petition queen,” who comes from County Hall and loves to remind everyone she qualified the old-fashioned way, clipboard and all.
Ken Russell – The paddleboard-and-yoga-mat commissioner trying to make another comeback after failing to surf his way to Congress.
Xavier Suárez – The comeback king, Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor, and dad of Francis — which is either a blessing or a curse, depending on who you ask.

Noticeably missing? Former City Manager Emilio González, the retired colonel who sued the city to get the election back on and has been polling in the top tier ever since. He told Ladra he got the invitation three days before the forum and had already committed to two other events. But, really, this is not his ambiente, anyway.
Read related: Miami election surprise: A Ron DeSantis relative files to run for mayor
At least he got an invite. June Savage, a real estate agent, says she’s going to crash the party. Ladra hopes they let her in — this isn’t middle school, and the more voices, the better.
“I didn’t get an email, but I plan on attending,” Savage told Political Cortadito. “Leaving me out is not letting people know what their options are.”
Savage has run for office twice before — once for the special election in Miami’s District 2 and once for Miami Beach Mayor against Dan Gelber, and was also left out of a lot of events, she said. “So this political game is nothing new for me.”
And it is a shame that former Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla — suspended from office in 2023 after an arrest on public corruption charges that were dismissed a year later — isn’t going, because that would have made it súper entertaining.
The forum will be moderated by former Democrat State Sen. Dwight Bullard, a progressive veteran with Florida Rising, and Michi Ceard of Florida Student Power. While it’s a non-partisan race, Republicans on that stage might feel as comfortable as vegans at a churrasqueria.
Organizers say the goal is to “center the voices of residents from all generations and backgrounds.” Translation: the candidates are going to get questions that don’t usually make it into City Hall’s echo chamber.
The Downtown Neighbors Association has scheduled a forum or debate for Sept. 30 (more on that later), but there are not going to be a lot more of these opportunities for voters to size these wannabes up side by side.
Expect some olive branches, some awkward dodges, and maybe even a jab or two — because, come on, it’s Miami.
This mayoral candidate forum begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terrace.

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Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins made it official at City Hall this week, dropping off her final paperwork and dropping a shiny new campaign video at the same time. The spot, called “Clear Plan,” is full of feel-good promises about safe neighborhoods, affordable housing, clean parks, and a government that people can actually trust — you know, all the things Miami hasn’t had in years.
“I’m Eileen Higgins and I’m running to serve as your next Miami mayor, but with a clear plan,” Higgins says in the 30 second spot, before rattling off her checklist: housing people can afford, cops on the beat, clean parks for families, and — wait for it — transparency at City Hall.
The ad is all positive vibes. No shade thrown. No names named. Which is almost cute, really. Because in Miami politics, that kind of kumbaya never lasts.
Read related: Eileen Higgins officially resigns Miami-Dade seat to run for Miami mayor
In a statement, Higgins said she’ll bring the same focus she’s had for seven years on the county dais — affordable housing, public safety, small business initiatives — to the mayor’s office on Dinner Key.
“I’m running to serve as your next Miami mayor, but with a clear plan,” she says in the video, which has already racked up more than 5,000 views in three days. “As your mayor, we’ll get things done. Miami, this is our time.”
Higgins also scored a bragging right that none of her opponents can claim: she’s the only one to qualify by petition. That means volunteers actually went out and got more than 2,048 valid voters to sign her onto the ballot. Those same folks will be the first targets for votes come November.
“Qualifying by petition takes people — volunteers, neighbors, and supporters across Miami — who believe in our vision and are willing to act on it,” she said, touting the campaign as a “movement of residents determined to restore trust, deliver results, and make Miami work for all of us.”
That “restore trust” line isn’t an accident. The stench of corruption and dysfunction hanging over City Hall is going to be front and center in this race. Higgins knows it. And so does everybody else.
She already has some practice taking on the city’s political dinosaurs. Higgins won her District 5 commission seat in 2018 after beating both former Sen. Alex Díaz de la Portilla and Zoraida Barreiro, the wife of her predecessor Bruno. In 2020, she trounced ADLP’s brother Renier. And she coasted to reelection last year without an opponent.
Read related: Commisioner Joe Carollo files initial paperwork to run for Miami mayor
In this race, a recent poll shows Higgins and former Miami City Manager Emilio González leading the pack, with the rest of the field fighting for scraps. That field includes former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez (Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor, back for another lap), Community Council Member Christian Cevallos, Socialist Workers candidate Laura Anderson, Alyssa Crocker, Michael Hepburn and June Savage. They’ve all qualified.
On the sidelines — for now — are Ijamyn Joseph Gray, Elijah John Bowdre, Kenneth James DeSantis (yes, a cousin of that DeSantis), and ADLP himself, who’s huddling in the dugout with termed-out Commissioner Joe Carollo, who just filed the initial paperwork Friday. They’ve got until 6 p.m. Saturday to get in the game.
And then there’s software millionaire and tech bro Fred Voccola, who’s spent a fortune spamming voters with texts, a slick website, and digital ads. Problem is, he hasn’t even bothered to open a campaign bank account. No paperwork. No nothing. Big talk, no walk.
If Díaz de la Portilla does decide to jump in before the deadline, it could set up a spicy rematch with Higgins. And let’s be honest — in this circus of a city, Ladra is here for it.

Help Ladra cover the Miami city election for mayor and two city commissioners. Make a contribution to Political Cortadito today. Thank you for supporting independent, grassroots watchdog journalism.

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County commissioner wants to qualify by petition
For everyone still whispering that Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins might blink at giving up three safe years on the county dais for a risky run at Miami’s top job — stop. It’s done. There’s no room for doubts now.
Higgins submitted her resignation letter as a county elected, as required by law, effective Nov. 5. Which means she’s officially burned the lifeboats.
“I am deeply humbled and honored by the opportunity to run for Mayor of the City of Miami at a time when our community stands at a crossroads and residents are yearning for meaningful reform and real results,” Higgins wrote in the letter sent Monday to Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Juan Fernandez-Barquin and Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, knowing that it would be quoted in stories like this.
“For nearly eight years, it has been my privilege to serve the residents of Miami-Dade County’s District 5, representing the communities of Miami and Miami Beach,” Higgins wrote. “I am profoundly grateful for the trust and confidence that my constituents have placed in me throughout my service, and I will always treasure the opportunity to have served as their county commissioner.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
“While it is with mixed emotions that I resign my post, I do so with immense gratitude for the honor of serving the residents of D District 5,” Higgins added. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the residents of the City of Miami as their next Mayor. I bring with me a proven track record of accomplishments, a deep commitment to our community, and a readiness to deliver real results for all who call Miami home.”
Higgins, who Little Havana seniors lovingly call “La Gringa” since she first ran in 2018, also announced that she will qualify for the Miami mayoral ballot the hard way: by petition. Her campaign turned in more than 3,000 signed petitions, topping the 2,048 needed, and making a big show of “grassroots momentum” in the process.
“Qualifying by petition takes people — volunteers, neighbors, and supporters across Miami — who believe in our vision and are willing to act on it,” Higgins said. “That’s exactly what this campaign represents: a movement of residents determined to restore trust, deliver results, and make Miami work for all of us.”
Translation: She wants voters to see her as the anti-Carollo, the antidote to dysfunction at City Hall. The clean, ethical alternative who actually gets stuff done. Her press shop even mentioned her record on affordable housing, small businesses, transit and Biscayne Bay — all of which sound a lot better than what the circus clowns over on Flagler Street are doing right now.
Read related: Miami-Dade’s Eileen Higgins gets $250K for new Miami mayoral race PAC
But let’s be clear: She is abandoning her constituency three years before the end of her term and during a financial crisis with a looming budget shortfall and the consequences of that (fewer services, more fees), which she is going to vote on in the next couple of months — and then disappear. The county will likely have a special election to replace her — three years is too long for an appointee — which will cost the county more. Work that into your budget, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Still, this is a gamble. Higgins had three more guaranteed years in office as the county commission’s senior member. Now she’s chasing history as Miami’s first woman mayor, with fewer than 75 days to make her case citywide.
The field is crowded. But she’s an immediate favorite. A recent poll indicated that the election, if held today, would end in a runoff between Higgins and former City Manager Emilio González, who has been hailed a hero for saving the election with his lawsuit. Gonzalez sued the city to stop the change, by ordinance, of election dates from odd-numbered to even-numbered years, which would have effectively cancelled this year’s mayoral race. He was the only one who took the challenge to court. But that hasn’t stopped Higgins from fundraising off the court’s decision to find the change unconstitutional because there wasn’t a public vote, as required by city and county charter.
There is a clusterbunch of other hopefuls gunning for the certain runoff that includes former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and former Miami Commissioner and onetime Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez. Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who was suspended after his arrest on public corruption charges in 2023 (charges were dropped last year) — have threatened to run.
The others who have indicated they are running are Laura Anderson, Christian Cevallos, Alyssa Crocker, Ijamyn Gray, Michael Hepburn, Max Martinez and June Savage. But qualification doesn’t start until Sept. 5. It ends Sept. 20. And then we’ll really know how crowded this party is.
Higgins, 61, will need more than good government talking points to survive Miami’s trench warfare politics — where money, mailers and whisper campaigns can flip a race overnight.
Read related: Eileen Higgins pressures Sierra Club and Ken Russell resigns as lobbyist
Still, qualifying by petition instead of checkbook is a smart optic. It gives Higgins her “people-powered” storyline and undercuts critics who call her the establishment choice.
“I am proud to say that the community is behind me and I am ready to get to work,” Higgins said in an Instagram post earlier this month.
Now the question becomes: Can she turn that petition energy into votes come November? Or will she be remembered as the commissioner who left a safe seat for a shot at City Hall glory — and came up short?
Stay tuned. Miami loves a political novela, and this one just turned the page.
The post Eileen Higgins officially resigns Miami-Dade seat to run for Miami mayor appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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A new political action committee for the Eileen Higgins campaign for Miami mayor raised $250,000 in its first quarter, showing heavy support from real estate developers, engineering firms, lobbyists — and a political committee that tried to elect James Reyes to Miami-Dade sheriff.
Ethical Leadership for Miami filed its first paperwork on March 24, a little more than a week before Higgins filed paperwork for the mayoral race in April. Its chairman is Christian Ulvert, Higgins’ campaign manager. The total contributions through the end of June was $250,700. Her mayoral campaign picked up another $88,325, for a total of just under $340K. The reports combined show that Higgins had also spent $132,000 as of June 30.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
The top donors to her PAC so far are:

$50,000 through four different entities that gave $12,500 each from the real estate developer Related Companies, will need the county’s green light for its plan to build two towers with affordable and workforce housing, a hotel and shops in front of Jackson Memorial Hospital in the city’s health district.
$40,000 (in three separate contributions) from Miami-Dade Safe & Secure PC, a PAC that Ulvert used last year for the James Reyes campaign for sheriff
$25,000 from pharmaceutical heiress, Coral Gables resident and super blue donor Barbara Stiefel
$15,000 from real estate development firm PWV Group 1 Holdings, LLC, which manages the Miami Worldcenter site
$10,000 from developer Morgan Sirlin, vice president at Adler Development
$10,000 from LSN partners, a heavy hitting lobbying firm headed by Alex Heckler and Michael Llorente
$8,000 from four firms with the same address tied to Terra Development CEO David Martin
$5,000 from Alex Heckler as an individual
$5,000 from lobbyist Manuel “Manny” Prieguez, a former state rep
$5,000 from Alfonso Costa, COO of Falcone Group, which develops and manages mixed use projects

The bulk of expenditures have been $51,000 for consulting, production of campaign materials, outreach and staffing through Ulvert’s firms, $31,980 for direct mail, campaign materials and a digital buy through MDW Communications, or Michael Worley — who also conducted a poll last month — and $17,112 for fundraising and events.
The report also shows a reimbursement of $2,568 to Higgins and Maggie Fernandez, her chief of staff at the county, for airfare and accommodations and transportation for the Democratic Party’s Blue Gala. But it was at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, so they could have driven.
There are ten other candidates who have filed paperwork to run for mayor Nov. 4 election, including, most notably, former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez. Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who was arrested in 2023 on public corruption charges that were dropped last year — are both threatening to run but haven’t filed anything And Congressman Carlos Gimenez and Miami-Dade Commission Raquel Regalado are rumored to be interested but playing possum.
Qualifying isn’t over until Sept. 20. But it’s enough a clown car already.

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