Esteban Bovo Jr.
Prior offices
Florida House of Representatives District 110
Miami-Dade County Commission District 13
Mayor of Hialeah
Elections and appointments
Contact
Esteban Bovo Jr. (also known as Steve) was the Mayor of Hialeah in Florida. He assumed office on November 5, 2021. He left office on May 27, 2025.
Bovo won election for Mayor of Hialeah in Florida outright in the primary on November 2, 2021, after the general election was canceled.
In 2020, Bovo ran for election for mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Bovo was a member of the Miami-Dade County Commission from 2011 to 2020, representing District 13. From 2008 to 2011, he was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 110. He served on the Hialeah City Council from 1998 to 2008.
Biography
Bovo was born in Queens, New York. He received an associate’s degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1983 and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida International University in 1987. Bovo's career experience includes running a consulting business.[1][2][3][4]
2021 battleground election
- See also: Mayoral election in Hialeah, Florida (2021)
Esteban Bovo Jr. defeated Isis Garcia-Martinez, Fernando Godo, Julio Martinez, and Juan Santana in a nonpartisan primary election for mayor of Hialeah, Florida, on November 2, 2021. Bovo received 59 percent of the vote, meaning he won the primary outright. If no candidate had received a majority of the votes, the top-two candidates would have competed in a general election on November 16, 2021.
Media attention focused on Bovo and Garcia-Martinez, who also led in fundraising.[5][6][7] After winning a seat on the Hialeah City Council in 1998, Bovo was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2008 in District 110 and served on the Miami-Dade county commission from 2011 to 2020. Bovo ran for mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida, in 2020, coming in first in the primary but losing the general election. Garcia-Martinez served on the Hialeah City Council from 1991 to 1997 and again from 2007 to 2019.[8]
Infrastructure, traffic, pandemic response measures, and housing and utility costs were major issues in the race.[9] The Miami Herald's Aaron Leibowitz wrote, "The front-runners, Bovo and Isis Garcia-Martinez, have to distinguish themselves: They’re both conservatives, both of Cuban descent, and both staples on the Hialeah political scene...On key issues, Bovo and Garcia-Martinez have similar platforms: keep taxes low, promote new development, support small businesses, address high water rates, and work to keep and attract young people to the majority-Cuban, working class city."[10]
Bovo and Garcia-Martinez disagreed on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bovo agreed with DeSantis on a rule issued by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo that prevented school districts from enforcing mask mandates and making quarantine decisions, saying “I’m not in favor of mandates on anything." Garcia-Martinez did not explicitly support mask mandates, but said DeSantis should do more to encourage mask wearing. "I’ve always been a Republican, but I totally disagree with this governor,” she said. “We don’t want to just mandate something, but the reality is, you don’t want to lose families to this virus."[11] Click here to read more about the candidates' platforms.
Bovo and Garcia-Martinez criticized each other's records in campaign materials. A mailer from Garcia-Martinez's campaign said Hialeah “deserves better than a career politician like Bovo,” while Bovo's campaign distributed mailers saying the city “can’t trust Isis to run Hialeah’s finances” because of her votes on taxes during her time as a city council member.[12]
Although the elections for and position of the mayor are officially nonpartisan, the candidates running are affiliated with political parties. Both Bovo and Garcia-Martinez are affiliated with the Republican Party.[13][14]
The mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national and international levels. The incumbent Mayor Carlos Hernandez was term-limited.
Elections
2021
See also: Mayoral election in Hialeah, Florida (2021)
Nonpartisan primary election
Campaign finance
The following campaign finance information was last updated on October 27, 2021, and does not include candidates who dropped out of the race or did not file reports.
Noteworthy endorsements
- See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2020)
General election
Nonpartisan primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2010
- See also: Florida House of Representatives elections, 2010
Bovo ran for re-election to the 110th District seat in 2010. He did not have any opposition in the August 24 primary or in the general election, which took place on November 2, 2010.[28]
2008
On November 4, 2008, Bovo won election to the Florida House of Representatives from Florida's 110th District, defeating Nancy Stander (D). Bovo received 22,985 votes in the election while Stander received 14,785 votes.[29] Bovo raised $252,656 for his campaign; Stander raised $10,475.[30]
| Florida House of Representatives, District 110
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| Candidates
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Votes
|
Percent
|
 Esteban Bovo, Jr. (R)
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22,985
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60.9%
|
| Nancy Stander (D)
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14,785
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39.1%
|
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Esteban Bovo Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Bovo’s campaign website stated the following:
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Steve Bovo’s platform to move Hialeah forward.
- Fiscal Responsibility & Quality of Life
- Ensure Hialeah excels at its fundamental responsibilities of proper water management and garbage collection services.
- Improve funding and programs for our Parks & Recreation Department
- Oppose and veto any effort that increases property taxes and/or seeks to raise the millage rate.
- Protect the health and well-being of our aging populations.
- Govern with integrity by keeping the promises made to our residents.
- Public Safety
- Support our police officers to keep our neighborhoods and schools safe.
- Develop or expand police body cameras practices.
- Invite Federal, State, City, and School Board officials to the table to provide the best and safest education for our students.
- Stimulate Economy & Small Business
- Repeal burdensome city regulations that negatively impact small businesses.
- Create rotating satellite permitting services to expedite the permitting process for small businesses throughout the City.
- Provide incentives to develop the Hialeah Park & Casino property, create jobs, and housing options young families.
Bovo’s Proven Record
- PROTECT TAXPAYERS
- Consistent voting record of cutting taxes in Hialeah, Miami-Dade County, and the State of Florida.
- GOOD GOVERNMENT & VALUES
- Led the effort to place term limits on County Commissioners.
- Authored and passed legislation that would prohibit the opening of the Cuban Embassy in Miami-Dade County.
- Authored legislation creating the Cuban Exile museum.
- PUBLIC SAFETY
- Supported use of county police body cameras to protect officers and the public.
- Opposed all efforts at the county to defund the police department.
- TRANSPORTATION
- Authored and passed legislation to bring Uber and Lyft to Miami Dade.
- Supported the State Legislature’s effort to eliminate and replace MDX.
- Sponsored county resolution asking the Florida Legislature to eliminate toll roads on 826 (the Palmetto).[31]
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”
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| —Esteban Bovo’s campaign website (2021)[32]
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2020
Esteban Bovo Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Bovo Jr.’s campaign website stated the following:
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- Improve Residents' Quality of Life
- Identify solutions for our existing services and infrastructure before problems arise.
- Ensure Miami-Dade County excels at its fundamental responsibilities of proper water management and protecting our water resources.
- Invest in new infrastructure to make our community resilient to sea-level rise.
- Protect the health and well-being of our aging populations.
- All elected officials are responsible with improving the quality of life for our residents. How to achieve that objective is debated every day, in every office at County Hall. I believe you must first take care of the fundamental responsibilities of county government before grappling the bigger issues. We continuously place increased stresses on our existing services and infrastructure as Miami-Dade County continues to grow. Under my leadership, we will strive to identify solutions before problems arise.
- Proper water management and protection of our water resources are vital to the health and long-term success of our community. As Mayor, I will work alongside all stakeholders in making fiscally responsible decisions to make our County more resilient. Under my leadership as Chair of the Board, Miami-Dade County entered into a joint participation agreement with FPL for the development of a resilient County. As Mayor, Miami-Dade County will continue its partnership with FPL in restoring the Turkey Point Cooling Canal System to a healthy environmental state and developing additional resilient practices. In a coordinated effort, we will work with state and local municipalities on the Miami-Dade County Canal Clean Up. As Mayor, I will continue to support seaweed remediation at our County parks and tourism centers, and to develop mangroves and ecologically sensitive seawalls to protect our shorelines. I will also fight for funding on all State or Federal mandates that will fulfill our goal of providing safe and clean water resources for all Miami-Dade residents.
- As residents leave septic tanks behind and link to the County’s sewer system, I have sought ways to reduce the price tag of this potentially costly endeavor. We are currently working on bringing the main County sewer lines closer to residents; while also educating property owners on how to take advantage of State subsidies and incentives from the PACE Program to dramatically lower costs. As County Mayor, I will continue working on bringing tangible solutions for our residents that will help our County achieve its resilient infrastructure goals.
- I also pledge to protect the health and well-being of our aging populations through properly managed programs for medical care and assistance to those on fixed incomes. I will work alongside our State officials to keep funding for programs our seniors desperately rely on, such as Meals on Wheels as well as other meal programs. Protecting our senior’s hard-earned savings by keeping property taxes low and expanding housing options are critical.
- Repeal burdensome regulations that negatively impact small businesses.
- Create rotating satellite permitting services to expedite the permitting process for small businesses throughout the County.
- Invest in affordable and workforce housing to attract and retain young and talented workers.
- Support signature events and attractions that will give us a strong and robust economy for businesses and jobs.
- Small business entrepreneurs are the backbone of any strong economy. Many times, the best way for a governing body to help stimulate business is to get out of the way. As Mayor of Miami-Dade County, I will remove red tape by repealing burdensome regulations that negatively impact small businesses. In addition to repealing regulations at the County level, I would explore granting temporary approvals to streamline the permitting process by removing layers of bureaucracy.
- I have spoken with many business owners during my time on the County Commission and the bottleneck often lies with the local government permitting process. As County Mayor, I will implement a pilot program that will create rotating satellite permitting offices staffed by County employees from the requisite departments. The satellite permitting offices would set up at County owned facilities or parks to assist the business community throughout the County with expediting their permitting issues.
- We must retain and attract a talented workforce to have a strong economy and grow our small businesses. The high cost of living in Miami-Dade County pushes our workforce further away from job centers. As Mayor, I will collaborate with the private sector to create programs to best equip the next generation of our County’s workforce. Providing investments and incentives to develop affordable and workforce housing along our transit corridors is also key to maintaining a balanced workforce. Encourage affordable and workforce housing developers to build by providing easier access to incentives and rebate programs. I will also work with the State Legislature to preserve the purpose of the Sadowski (Housing) Trust Fund, which will create additional opportunities to develop affordable and workforce housing. Investing in housing options for our local colleges and universities will also help attract and retain young talented workers to our County. We are blessed in this community to have research universities that attract students from all over the world to study in our backyard. I will continue to pursue affordable housing in the transit corridor adjacent to the North Campus of Miami Dade College. Florida International University also deserves an opportunity to expand its footprint by developing housing onto the Youth Fair Grounds. Through proper investment in our infrastructure, creating the right regulatory environments, and supporting small businesses and startups we can promote a county that everyone wants to work in.
- Supporting signature events and attractions that enhance our tourism industry will give us a strong and robust economy. Attracting and keeping existing events in Miami-Dade County is a top priority of mine. These economic engines are job creators and produce tremendous economic opportunities for many of our local small businesses. In the past, I have fought to keep the Miami Open Tennis Tournament, bring Formula 1 Racing to Miami-Dade, and to develop American Dream Miami Mall in Northwest Miami-Dade. I will continue to support events and attractions like these to help grow our economy.
- Focus our efforts on building bridges between residents and those who are sworn to protect and serve.
- Support municipalities to develop or expand their police body cameras practices.
- Research, assess, and implement new crime-fighting technologies to assist law enforcement.
- Invite Federal, State, County, and School Board officials to the table to provide the best and safest education for our students.
- The most effective way to increase public safety and reduce crime is bringing together the professionalism and resources of law enforcement, with the institutional knowledge of the communities they are policing. In this current climate, it is imperative that we focus our efforts on building bridges between residents and those who are sworn to protect and serve. I will continue working with community organizations that help and assist neighborhoods impacted by gun violence.
- As County Mayor, I will continue to support and expand collaborative initiatives between the Miami-Dade Police Department and local municipal police departments. With the success of “Operation Blue and Brown,” which increased patrolling and community policing strategies in Liberty City, I see an opportunity to expand this program to other areas of the County that are interested in partnering with the County Police Department. This program was not just successful in coordinating law enforcement agencies, but also allowed the community to participate and have a voice in how they are policed.
- In all of my decisions, I focus on increasing government transparency and improving the public’s trust of the government. As a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, I supported bringing police body cameras to the Miami-Dade Police Department, and this technology is now prevalent across the entire County’s Police Department. Equipping officers with body cameras not only enhances the overall trust and safety of the public, but also equally protects law enforcement from unrest and falsehoods. As Mayor of Miami-Dade County, I will seek to expand the use of police body cameras throughout the County by supporting municipalities to adopt or expand their practice. In addition to expanding police body cameras technologies, my County administration will seek-out, assess, and implement new crime-fighting technologies while adhering to my guiding principle of remaining fiscally responsible with public funds. I would explore technologies like ShotSpotter, which assists law enforcement in detecting gunshots in real-time. In a County as large and populous as ours, new and emerging law enforcement tools will allow our officers to do more.
- Our officers must also be mentally equipped to serve our growing population. Our first responders are faced with difficult situations on a day-to-day basis, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. Under my administration, I will strive to provide our first responders expanded mental health options.
- As we look to equip our officers with the latest technologies, we must also pursue new and innovative rehabilitation methods for those in the system while also finding efficiencies within our detention facilities. To truly make our communities safe, we cannot simply focus on arresting and prosecuting criminals. A number of the individuals in our county detention system will eventually be released back into our community upon evaluation of their record. We must provide modern rehabilitation training for anyone who truly wants to make a positive change in their life. I demonstrated my dedication to finding rehabilitative solutions when I established the Opioid Addiction Task Force to adopt best practices and national standards in partnership with the Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue to curtail the opioid epidemic our residents, as well as first responders, are facing.
- I will work in concert with the State Legislature to make sure the funds allocated to school safety go towards protecting our students through preventively hardening all schools. I would also like to increase communication between all law enforcement agencies to prevent school shootings. I will work with the Miami-Dade School Board and local law enforcement to provide a practical resource for reporting suspicious activities. I will make sure the School Board is invited to all discussions on legislative priorities, such as school choice and District Cost Differentials. State, County, and School Board officials should be at the table to provide the best and safest education for our students.
- Implement Effective Transportation Initiatives
- Ensure public dollars generated for transportation infrastructure improvements are utilized towards their intended purpose.
- Fight against unnecessary toll increases while working to reduce or eliminate tolls.
- Promote development along the SMART Plan transit corridors and away from the Urban Development Boundary (UDB).
- Work to properly link the County’s major transportation centers while seeking investment through Public Private Partnerships.
- As an elected official, I have dedicated considerable amounts of time and energy towards planning and implementing projects aimed at alleviating many of the transportation woes in Miami-Dade County. During my time on the County Commission, I have fought to allocate approximately $8 billion over the next 40 years for transportation infrastructure, creating a long-term foundation for future mobility within our county. I believe we have made strides in creating a dynamic transportation system that is well suited to move us forward. However, we are not where we should be.
- Many of the large transportation projects have a hefty price tag and decade long timelines. I will always fight for transparency and fiscal responsibility when addressing transportation projects in Miami-Dade County. Public dollars generated for infrastructure improvements must go towards their intended use. As County Commissioner, I redirected nearly $1 billion of misused funds towards transit solutions. Additionally, I created a Transportation Infrastructure Improvement District that will generate $1.8 billion over the next 30 years for transportation projects.
- As your County Mayor, I will fight against unnecessary toll increases while working to reduce or eliminate tolls wherever possible. The tolls collected should be reinvested back into the system from which they were charged. The money should not go towards bloated administrative costs or siphoned away to endeavors that have no impact in creating a superior transportation system. I cannot continue to watch our residents pay hundreds of dollars each year to simply move across our County in the course of their daily lives. Tolled lanes should be an option, not a necessity.
- The population of Miami-Dade County will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. Managing where the growth develops will play a vital role in managing the mobility of our residents. Directing our growth towards established transportation corridors will result in cost savings for the taxpayer as well as help alleviate future transportation and transit issues. As Miami-Dade County Mayor, I will continue to promote development along the SMART Plan transit corridors and away from the Urban Development Boundary (UDB). I have already launched 11 SMART Plan demonstration projects that will help enhance current and future transit service throughout Miami-Dade County. I worked to prioritize the North and South corridors of the SMART Plan for development and construction of new transit options for our residents. As a County Commissioner, I sponsored legislation to remove 20th century bureaucratic roadblocks by revising county regulations to promote new and innovative transit solutions, such as Uber, Lyft, and Freebee. These transit options help address the first/last mile issue for our transit system users. I will also bring the conversation of connecting unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County through services such as Freebee.
- Our Metrobus system is one of the largest bus networks in the United States, with 2/3’s of our transit riders using a bus, yet over time the system has become inefficient. Bus routes traveling cross county are weaving and meandering through neighborhoods rather than staying on the major thoroughfares. Our bus system is unreliable and fails to attract new riders. There is little coordination between municipal trolleys and the County’s bus routes. Couple these facts with the reality that our system has lost riders over time and our County has created a bloated inefficient network, I launched a Bus Network Redesign with the Transit Alliance that plans to streamline our bus routes to create the best and most cost-effective system for our community.
- I will work tirelessly to properly link the County’s major transportation centers while also seeking investment through Public Private Partnerships to develop our transportation corridors. I will continue working towards bringing Tri-Rail into Downtown Miami and holding Brightline accountable on the Aventura and PortMiami stations. Both Tri-Rail and Brightline need to work in tandem to provide our residents effective and efficient commuting options. I will continue to work with private partners to develop our East/West Corridor, eventually linking to the Beach Corridor. Redesigning the County’s transit system to link areas throughout Miami-Dade that are not directly connected by the SMART Plan is the ultimate goal.[31]
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”
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| —Esteban Bovo Jr.’s campaign website (2020)[33]
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Campaign finance summary
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State legislative tenure
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Bovo served on these committees:
- Economic Affairs
- Subcommittee on Business and Consumer Affairs, Chair
- Subcommittee on Federal Affairs
- Subcommittee on Government Operations (Appropriations)
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Bovo served on these committees:
Prior to leaving the house, Bovo served on the following committees:
See also
External links
- ↑ Florida House of Representatives, "Esteban L. Bovo, Jr.," accessed January 2, 2022
- ↑ Miami-Dade County, "About Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo, Jr.," archived September 21, 2020
- ↑ South Florida Media Network, "Esteban 'Steve' Bovo: From city councilman to mayoral candidate," October 30, 2020
- ↑ The Miami Times, "Candidates Bovo and Levine Cava square off," October 7, 2020
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Hialeah mayoral, city council race kicks off as deadline to qualify for the ballot passes," July 27, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Steve Bovo Jr. officially running for Hialeah Mayor," July 7, 2021
- ↑ CBS Miami, "Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo Officially Running For Mayor Of Hialeah," July 8, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ South Florida Media Network, "Hialeah’s future will be in the hands of a new mayor soon," April 9, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Donald Trump endorses Esteban ‘Steve’ Bovo for Hialeah Mayor," October 8, 2021
- ↑ Cuban Studies Institute, "Esteban L. Bovo, Jr," accessed October 18, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Miami Herald, "In ‘civil war’ for Hialeah mayor’s seat, familiar faces battle over a powerful job," September 29, 2021
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Donald Trump endorses Esteban ‘Steve’ Bovo for Hialeah Mayor, October 8, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Steve Bovo, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ [https://veteransforamericafirst.org/endorsements/ Veterans for America First, "Endorsements," accessed October 11, 2021
- ↑ Florida Election Watch, "2010 Election results," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ Florida Department of Elections, "Florida House Official Election Results," November 4, 2008
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 Contributions," accessed December 17, 2014
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Esteban "Steve" Bovo, “Platform,” accessed October 10, 2021
- ↑ Esteban Bovo Jr.’s 2020 campaign website, “Bovo on the Issues,” accessed October 22, 2020
