Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins has submitted more than enough petition signatures to qualify for the Miami Mayor’s race, according to her campaign.
She also plans to quit her County Hall job the day after this year’s election “as required by law.”
Higgins’ camp says it submitted more than 3,000 petition signatures from Miami residents to the Miami Clerk’s Office, well over the 2,048 signatures needed.
In a statement, Higgins said that qualifying by petition, rather than by paying a fee, demonstrates undeniable support for her candidacy.
“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.
“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.”
The Miami-Dade Commission’s longest-serving current member, Higgins is a former Director of the Peace Corps in Belize and foreign services officer for the U.S. Department of State. She has represented District 5, which includes Miami, since June 2018.
She entered the Miami Mayor’s race in April, vowing to tackle vital issues like affordable housing, transportation, flood mitigation and public safety. As of Monday, she is one of 11 active mayoral candidates. Recent internal polling shows she and former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez are likely to compete in a runoff.
Higgins, 61, is a Democrat. Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 68, is a Republican. Miami’s elections are nonpartisan, but party affiliation still impacts voting.
Florida’s resign-to-run law requires that sitting office holders, like Higgins, submit an irrevocable resignation at least 10 days before the first day of qualifying for another office whose term overlaps with their current one.
The qualifying period for Miami candidates this year begins Sept. 5, 11 days from Monday, when Higgins’ campaign says she tendered her resignation. The resignation is effective Nov. 5. Miami’s election is Nov. 4.
Higgins, who has two more years left in her current four-year Miami-Dade Commission term, said it’s been a “privilege” to serve county residents in Miami and Miami Beach for nearly eight years.
“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,” she said.
“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 District 5.”
Others running for Mayor include Laura Anderson, Christian Cevallos, Alyssa Crocker, Ijamyn Gray, Michael Hepburn, Max Martinez, Ken Russell, June Savage and Xavier Suarez.
Russell is a former Miami Commissioner. Suarez is a former Miami Mayor and the father of outgoing Mayor Francis Suarez, whom Martinez placed second against in 2021.
If Higgins, Anderson, Crocker or Savage wins, it will mark the first time Miami voters elected a woman as Mayor.
