Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has again qualified to run for her office by petition.
Supervisor of Elections Christina White confirmed that Levine Cava passed the 15,294-petition signature threshold, representing 1% of the county’s total registered voters, to forgo having to pay a qualifying fee for the Mayor’s race.
It’s the second time in a row Levine Cava has qualified by petition. She remains the only person in Miami-Dade history to do so for an elected countywide post.
“Today’s historic milestone is a testament to the incredible support and dedication of our grassroots volunteers and supporters,” she said in a statement Tuesday.
“By qualifying for the ballot through petition collection, we’ve once again demonstrated the power of community-driven change, for and by the people of Miami-Dade. I’m deeply grateful to every individual and volunteer who has become a part of our campaign and helped us make history two times over as the only countywide campaign to ever qualify by petition.”
Levine Cava’s campaign reported that it submitted more than 19,000 petition signatures this cycle. White’s Office certified 15,584 of those signatures between Oct. 13, 2023, and April 18, 2024.
The Miami-Dade Elections Department marked the count “received” Thursday.
Levine Cava, a Democrat who made history in 2020 by becoming the first-ever Miami-Dade mayoral candidate to qualify for the race by petition, is now the second candidate in this year’s race to qualify. Republican Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid paid a $2,300 qualifying fee on May 14.
Ex-Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger, actor Carlos Garín and social media influencer Alex Otaola — all Republicans — are also running. So are Democratic trapeze artist Miguel “el Skipper” Quintero and independent transportation executive Eddy Rojas.
The race is technically nonpartisan, meaning all candidates will face one another in the Aug. 20 Primary. To win outright, a candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote.
If none does so, the two candidates with the most Primary votes will compete in a runoff culminating in the General Election on Nov. 5.
