Jesse Scheckner
For organized workers in Miami-Dade with a hankering for morning grub and democracy, there’s no better place to be Saturday than the kickoff for the South Florida AFL-CIO’s 2024 Get Out the Vote (GOTV) campaign.
The ticketed event, open to union members and the press, includes a who’s who of elected state and local officials from both sides of the political aisle — and a slew of candidates hoping to either join them in public service or supplant them.
And it’s supporting a good cause. Event proceeds will pay for the South Florida AFL-CIO’s electioneering efforts behind candidates the organization believes will strengthen the rights and protection of unions and workers throughout the county.
“It’s our biggest fundraising event for the electoral season,” Political Director Deborah Dion told Florida Politics. “The South Florida AFL-CIO is putting boots on the ground, flyering and helping endorsed candidates. All that takes a lot of resources. That’s why we’re doing this event.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, whose re-election campaign secured a nod from the group back in September, will be the event’s keynote speaker. County Commission Chair Oliver Gilbert will also deliver an address.
Confirmed attendees include Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia; Democratic Reps. Ashley Gantt and Dotie Joseph; Republican Rep. Vicki Lopez; Miami-Dade Commissioners Eileen Higgins, René García, Micky Steinberg and Marliene Bastien; Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin; Miami-Dade School Board member Luisa Santos; Miami Commission Chair Christine King; Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen-Gonzalez; and former county Transit Director Rosevelt Bradley.
Dozens running for countywide offices — including some of the 17 people seeking Miami-Dade’s returning Sheriff job — will be in attendance too, as will other state and local candidates.
“(As) we kick-off our 2024 GOTV campaign we must commit to working and coordinating together, pooling our resources, and putting boots on the ground to help our endorsed candidates win their elections,” said South Florida AFL-CIO President Jeffrey Mitchell, who also leads the county transit union. “Unions can be the game-changers in race after race if we get our members and their families to the polls to vote.”
The South Florida AFL-CIO and its affiliate organizations represent 239,000 union members across, according to materials shared with Florida Politics.
The 2024 GOTV kickoff breakfast — open to union members who bought tickets and credentialed press — begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at IBEW Local 349 Hall, 1657 NW 17th Ave.
