At a whirlwind public meeting with multiple high-profile agenda items, the City of Miami Commission made crucial steps toward shifting city elections to even-numbered years and instituting lifetime term limits for elected officials.
Both initiatives, championed by City Commissioner Damian Pardo, received favorable votes at a Tuesday commission meeting.
An ordinance to align local elections with federal and statewide elections passed 3-2 on first reading, with Commissioners Miguel Gabela and Joe Carollo voting against it. The item will come back for a second reading on June 26 when it must be voted up again to become law.
"The biggest impact is our [voter participation] which will go from between 10-15% to between 65-70%," Pardo said during the meeting.
A resolution to limit city commissioners and mayors to two total terms in office also passed by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Carollo and Christine King opposing it. With its passage, the City Attorney's office must now draft ballot language for a citywide referendum. If the commission approves the ballot language, voters will be asked if they want to impose lifetime term limits during the next election.
Pardo touts these items as election reforms to change the political landscape of Miami into the future.
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The commission chambers were packed with dozens of public commenters on Tuesday. Though the majority were there to speak against another commission agenda item — a resolution to partner the Miami Police Department with federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement — some did speak on the proposed changes to city elections.
Though some spoke in support of moving elections to even years to increase participation, they took issue with the fact that this change would give incumbent commissioners and Mayor Francis Suarez an extra year in office by moving this year's election to 2026.
"On the proposed shift on the even year elections, we do support change ... aligning with local election and state elections would make the democratic process more accessible, especially to young voters," said speaker Crystal Rodriguez. "However, the way the Miami commission is approaching this reform is deeply concerning. Canceling elections and extending your own terms without voter input kind of feels like a power grab, not a policy grounded with democratic values."
The idea of moving the election to 2026 has sparked intense debate and scrutiny from even the state level.
At the request of Miami Commissioner Gabela, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an opinion on the proposed matter last week. He said any amendment to the city's charter to shift elections would have to be decided by ballot initiative.
"If the City of Miami is to amend its charter, either to move the date of municipal elections or to change the terms of office for elected officials, then the change may only proceed by a vote of the elector,” Uthmeier wrote.
The Miami City Attorney's office issued a dissenting opinion, pointing to precedents where other municipalities have changed the dates of their election by ordinance.
The City of North Miami moved its elections to even years in 2022. Former North Miami City Councilman Scott Galvin appeared before the Miami commission on Tuesday and espoused the value of having local and federal elections at the same time.
"In the very first election after we moved it, our municipal turnout which normally was in the 12% range jumped to 68% and the cost of elections dropped because we weren't fronting the cost," said Galvin during the public comment period.
Galvin noted that putting municipal elections on the same ballot as statewide and federal elections can make it hard for local candidates down the ballot to get attention. He stressed, however, that in his view this is still worthwhile.
Though she voted in favor of the election item on first reading, Commission Chairwoman King said she may not vote the same way during the next go-round. She is currently campaigning for reelection to her seat as District 5 commissioner, and said she does not want to give herself an extra year in office.
Commissioner Carollo gave a preview of the next meeting by offering a friendly amendment to Pardo's item that would require the City Mayor role be a full-time paid position, and that the mayor cannot have outside employment.
"If we’re going to extend another year people did not vote for then we need to make changes that should have been made a long time ago," Carollo said.
Mayor Suarez came under scrutiny in 2023 for listing 15 outside consulting jobs on his financial disclosures, on top of his work for the city.
Lifetime term limits
Ijamyn Gray, a city resident who is running for Mayor this year, spoke in favor of instituting lifetime term limits in order to curtail the power of political dynasty families in the city.
"Of course we are tired of seeing the same family names and politicians representing our communities. I think that they've had a hold on power for the last 40 years and it's time to release that power and allow us as people to join them," said Gray said during the public comment period.
Chairwoman King voted against the item because, in her view, this takes power away from the voters to decide who represents them.
"It’s not my place to decide who serves. The community should decide who their elected is," King said.
The city has an existing term limit that requires anyone who has served two four-year terms on the commission to wait a full four years before they can run again for a commission seat. Likewise anyone who has served two terms as mayor must wait four years to run for mayor.
Pardo's item would make it so past commissioners, namely former District 3 Commissioner Frank Carollo, cannot run for office again. Frank, brother to Joe, previously served eight years as District 3 Commissioner from 2009 to 2017, and has filed to run for his old seat.
