On the eve of a major vote to change the City of Miami's election dates, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told the city leaders in no uncertain terms that if they move forward with the move, they may face repercussions with his office.
Uthmeier on Wednesday issued a legal opinion in response to the Miami City Attorney's argument that the city is allowed to move the date of its election from 2025 to 2026 by commission ordinance. He rebutted the city's opinion, arguing that moving the election date will invite potential legal action.
"You should immediately cease the process of enacting the ordinance to move the date of municipal elections and change the terms of office for elected officials in the City of Miami," Uthmeier wrote. "If you nevertheless move forward with the proposed ordinance, my office reserves the right to consider all available actions to prevent this violation of law from occurring."
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Miami commissioners are scheduled to meet Thursday for a final vote on a proposal to move local elections in the city to even-numbered years.
The idea is to increase voter participation in local politics by aligning municipal elections with federal ones. The change would also save the city money because it would not have to pay to send out ballots and set up voting sites for odd-year elections.
Others are also opposed to the proposal because they contend it would cancel this November's election and give incumbent commissioners and Mayor Francis Suarez an extra year in office.
Some city residents have spoken at public meetings to say this question should be decided by voters in a ballot question — not by the elected officials it stands to benefit.
The ordinance was passed on first reading with a 3-2 vote at the last commission meeting. Commissioners will have a final say on the item this Thursday.
