Xavier Suarez
Xavier Suarez was a member of the Miami-Dade County Commission in Florida, representing District 7. Suarez assumed office in 2011. Suarez left office on November 17, 2020.
Suarez ran for election for Mayor of Miami in Florida. Suarez lost in the general election on November 4, 2025.
2025 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the November 4 general election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election here
Eileen Higgins and Emilio Gonzalez advanced from the nonpartisan election for mayor of Miami, Florida, to a runoff election on Dec. 9, 2025. Thirteen candidates ran in the nonpartisan election for mayor of the city of Miami, Florida, on Nov. 4, 2025. Incumbent Mayor Francis Suarez was term-limited. Five candidates led in media attention, fundraising, and polling: Joe Carollo, Gonzalez, Higgins, Ken Russell, and Xavier Suarez.
On June 26, 2025, the Miami City Commission voted to postpone this election until 2026 in order to move city elections to even years.[1] On July 21, 2025, Circuit Court Judge Valerie R. Manno Schurr ruled that the ordinance conflicted with the Miami-Dade County charter because changing the city's election date would require a voter referendum. The ruling meant that the election took place on November 4.[2][3]
Joe Carollo, a city commissioner and former mayor, entered the race hours before the filing deadline.[4] Carollo and Xavier Suarez were mayoral candidates in 1997. Suarez was declared the winner until a Florida appeals court overturned his win on March 11, 1998, due to ballot fraud.[5][6] He campaigned on his past experience as mayor and said he served "[during] the worst financial crisis in the history of Miami… and Joe Corollo was the mayor who looked for the solutions and led this city out of it."[7] Carollo was affiliated with the Republican Party.[8]
Gonzalez was a Florida Treasury Investment Council member and a former Miami city manager.[9] He campaigned on reducing taxes and said, "We can eliminate property taxes for homestead property owners while protecting vital services like public safety and infrastructure."[10] He also campaigned on reducing city work regulations, and said he would "build a workforce to overhaul permitting and licensing—sparking opportunity and empowering residents and entrepreneurs, not just the well-connected."[11] Gonzalez was affiliated with the Republican Party.[12]
Higgins was a commissioner for District 5 on the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners.[13] She campaigned on affordability, and her website said she would support "cutting through red tape and ending corruption so that our city’s government can get to work creating a prosperous and affordable future for all residents."[14] Higgins also campaigned on improving the city's resilience to environmental disasters. Her website said she would "protect Biscayne Bay, invest in flood mitigations, and secure a resilient future for our city."[14] Higgins was affiliated with the Democratic Party.[12]
Russell was a former commissioner for the city of Miami.[13] Russell campaigned on affordable housing and said, "The government has to step in and create the right atmosphere and incentives for the world of development to provide the product that we want."[13] Russell also campaigned on expanding the city commission from five seats to seven, and said it would "really help increase accountability and local representation."[13] Russell was affiliated with the Democratic Party.[12]
Suarez served as mayor of Miami from 1985 to 1993 and from 1997 to 1998, and is the father of incumbent Francis Suarez.[15] He campaigned on his experience in government and as a private citizen, writing in an opinion piece that he would bring "perspective, steadiness and an even deeper sense of purpose. I can still think, handle public speaking and take decisive action."[15] Suarez also campaigned on public transportation and writes that he is "pushing to extend free public transit countywide."[15] Suarez was not affiliated with a party.[16]
The changing of election dates became an issue in the race. Gonzalez sued the city over the ordinance and said, "If we want to move our election, we should ask the voters."[17] Higgins proposed a new referendum to move election years, saying she supported "shortening the next Mayor’s term and putting the question on the 2026 ballot to modernize our democracy without undermining it."[18] Russell opposed the move, calling it a "slippery slope of bad government — where you have good intentions, but you start bending the rules to get there," and supported letting voters weigh in on the issue.[19][20] Suarez supported both moving elections to even years and Gonzalez's lawsuit. Suarez said that he was "directly involved in the selection of counsel and contributed significantly to the strategic approach."[21]
Laura Anderson, Elijah Bowdre, Christian Cevallos, Alyssa Crocker, Kenneth DeSantis, Alex Díaz de la Portilla, Michael A. Hepburn, and June Savage are also running.
As of 2025, Miami has term limits for the position of mayor. Mayors can serve two consecutive four-year terms and can run again after a four year break.
Elections
2025
See also: Mayoral election in Miami, Florida (2025)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Mayor of Miami
Emilio Gonzalez and Eileen Higgins are running in the general runoff election for Mayor of Miami on December 9, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Emilio Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Eileen Higgins (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for Mayor of Miami
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Miami on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eileen Higgins (Nonpartisan) | 36.0 | 13,325 |
| ✔ | | Emilio Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 19.5 | 7,214 |
 | Ken Russell (Nonpartisan) | 17.6 | 6,514 | |
 | Joe Carollo (Nonpartisan) | 11.5 | 4,253 | |
 | Alex Díaz de la Portilla (Nonpartisan) | 5.1 | 1,905 | |
 | Xavier Suarez (Nonpartisan) | 4.9 | 1,830 | |
 | Michael Hepburn (Nonpartisan) | 1.9 | 687 | |
 | Laura Anderson (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 411 | |
| Christian Cevallos (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 287 | ||
| Kenneth DeSantis (Nonpartisan) | 0.6 | 219 | ||
| Elijah Bowdre (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 180 | ||
 | Alyssa Crocker (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 147 | |
| June Savage (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 84 | ||
| Total votes: 37,056 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ijamyn Gray (Nonpartisan)
- Max Martinez (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2020)
General election
General election for Mayor of Miami-Dade County
Daniella Levine Cava defeated Esteban Bovo Jr. in the general election for Mayor of Miami-Dade County on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Daniella Levine Cava (Nonpartisan) | 54.0 | 576,970 |
 | Esteban Bovo Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 46.0 | 492,053 | |
| Total votes: 1,069,023 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Miami-Dade County
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Miami-Dade County on August 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Esteban Bovo Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 29.3 | 122,135 |
| ✔ | | Daniella Levine Cava (Nonpartisan) | 28.8 | 120,089 |
 | Alexander Penelas (Nonpartisan) | 24.5 | 102,338 | |
| Xavier Suarez (Nonpartisan) | 10.5 | 43,831 | |
| Monique Barley (Nonpartisan) | 5.5 | 22,823 | ||
| Ludmilla Domond (Nonpartisan) | 1.3 | 5,230 | ||
| Carlos De Armas (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 715 | ||
| Total votes: 417,161 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert Ingram Burke (Nonpartisan)
- Williams Armbrister Sr. (Nonpartisan)
- Jean Monestime (Nonpartisan)
- Juan Zapata (Nonpartisan)
2016
| Miami-Dade County Commission, District 7 Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Xavier Suarez Incumbent |
72.06% | 18,442 |
| Michael Castro | 27.94% | 7,149 |
| Total Votes | 25,591 | |
| Source: Miami-Dade County Elections, "August 30, 2016 Primary Election," accessed September 8, 2016 | ||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Xavier Suarez did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Xavier Suarez did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ NBC 6 South Florida, "Miami commissioners vote to move elections to even years, despite AG's warning," June 26, 2025
- ↑ The New York Times, "Miami Can’t Delay Its Election by a Year, Judge Rules," July 21, 2025
- ↑ CBS News, "Miami's decision to postpone 2025 election without voter approval unconstitutional, judge rules," July 21, 2025
- ↑ WSVN, "Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo enters city’s mayoral race, says it’s his last public office bid," September 21, 2025
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Xavier Suarez, Miami’s first Cuban-born mayor, plans to run for mayor again," July 21, 2025
- ↑ CNN, "Court Reinstates Carollo As Miami's Mayor," March 11, 1998
- ↑ Political Cortadito, "Commisioner Joe Carollo files initial paperwork to run for Miami mayor," September 19, 2025
- ↑ NBC Miami, "Joe Carollo Wins Miami Commission District 3 Seat in Run-Off," November 21, 2017
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Emilio Gonzalez," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Floridian Press, "Gonzalez Pitches Eliminating Property Taxes for Homestead Residents in 'Second Pillar' of Miami Mayoral Campaign," August 18, 2025
- ↑ Emilio Gonzalez 2025 campaign website, "Emilio T. Gonzalez’s Plan to Fix What’s Broken in Miami," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Florida Politics, "Poll: Eileen Higgins leads race for Miami Mayor, but not enough to avoid a runoff," August 7, 2025
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Caplin News, "Meet the 2025 City of Miami mayoral candidates," June 23, 2025
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Eileen Higgins 2025 campaign website, "Homepage," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Miami Herald, "Some think I’m too old to be the mayor of Miami. Here’s why they’re wrong | Opinion," July 29, 2025
- ↑ Miami Times Online, "Days from deadline, just 5 of 13 active candidates have qualified for Miami Mayor’s race," September 18, 2025
- ↑ CBS News, "Mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez sues City of Miami over postponed 2025 election," July 8, 2025
- ↑ Florida Politics, "‘Reprehensible’: Emilio González, Eileen Higgins slam Miami’s ongoing bid to delay election," August 7, 2025
- ↑ Miami Herald, "It’s official: Miami cancels November election, postpones it to 2026," June 26, 2025
- ↑ Miami Herald, "Outrage followed Miami’s vote to move election. Now some are trying to reverse it," July 4, 2025
- ↑ Political Cortadito, "Former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez to file for crowded city mayoral race," July 22, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Miami-Dade County Commission District 7 2011-2020 |
Succeeded by Raquel Regalado |
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