Jesse Scheckner
Two leading candidates for Miami Mayor — Emilio González and Eileen Higgins — are condemning the city’s continued effort to delay the November 2025 election to 2026, despite two court rulings declaring the move unconstitutional.
In sharply worded statements, both criticized the city of Miami’s latest legal maneuver: an en banc motion filed in the 3rd District Court of Appeal seeking reconsideration of a three-Judge panel’s unanimous decision late last month to uphold a lower court’s ruling striking down the city’s ordinance to postpone the election.
González, a Republican and former City Manager, blasted the appeal as a deliberate attempt to obstruct the democratic process.
“This is not about legal nuance — it’s about an out-of-control government trying to steal an election from the people of Miami,” he said in a statement, calling the city’s actions “reprehensible” and a “coordinated assault on the democratic rights of our citizens.”
González sued Miami in late June over the Miami Commission’s narrow approval of an ordinance to reschedule the election, a move proponents said would align races with federal contests, reducing costs and boosting voter participation.
Two courts have since ruled that the city violated its charter and the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter by attempting to extend elected officials’ terms without voter approval.
On Thursday, González warned the latest appeal risks derailing the candidate qualifying period, which must begin by Sept. 5 for the election to remain scheduled for Nov. 5.
Higgins, a Democrat and sitting Miami-Dade County Commissioner, echoed González’s rebuke in a statement her campaign released after his.
“Enough is enough,” she said. “Voters have spoken clearly. The courts have ruled — twice. Yet City leaders are once again wasting time and taxpayer dollars by appealing court decisions that rightly restored our 2025 election.”
She pledged, if elected, to place election reform on the 2026 ballot through voter referendum.
The city’s appeal, authored by attorney Dwayne Robinson, argues the appellate panel failed to properly weigh state laws that allow municipalities to change election dates by ordinance, citing prior court rulings such as City of Hialeah v. Martinez.
Legal experts say the latest appeal is a long shot. Elections lawyer and former Rep. J.C. Planas told the Miami Herald that the vast majority of en banc rehearing requests are denied, and Miami’s would likely be denied too.
He called Miami’s request “kind of underhanded.”
The Miami Commission voted 3-2 on June 27 to delay the city’s election, with Christine King, Damian Pardo and Ralph Rosado voting “yes” and Joe Carollo and Miguel Gabela voting “no.”
Critics, including every major mayoral candidate, called it an unconstitutional power grab, and public sentiment backs that view. Recent polling Higgins’ campaign commissioned found 79% of likely voters oppose changing election dates without a public vote.
The same poll found Higgins leading the mayoral race with 36% support, followed by González at 15%. Nine others running — including Carollo, former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez and former City Commissioner Ken Russell — trailed with 12% support or less.
The results suggest a likely runoff between González and Higgins, as no candidate currently appears positioned to win outright in November.
