Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and his colleagues on the City Commission will get an extra year in office, and the Olympia Theater remains in government hands — for now.
Commissioners passed a controversial ordinance on Thursday that will shift the city's elections from an odd-year cycle to even years, despite a stark warning from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier that this would be a "violation of the law."
The vote means elections for the positions of mayor and commissioners for District 3 and 5 will no longer take place this November, and will instead happen in 2026 at the same time as national midterm elections.
The commission also voted to defer a surprise item that sought to deed the historic Olympia Theater in downtown to Sports Leadership and Management or SLAM, a charter school founded by musical artist Pitbull.
Elections
The election change was put forth as a way to increase voter turnout, which is historically low in local races occurring in odd years.
"It's pro-turnout, it gets more folks out there, it gets people excited and interested in the democratic process and it also saves taxpayer dollars," said freshman Commissioner Ralph Rosado from the dais on Thursday.
Rosado was one of three commissioners who voted in favor of the ordinance, along with Commission Chairwoman Christine King and the item's sponsor, Commissioner Damian Pardo.
READ MORE: Florida Attorney General bluntly warns Miami commissioners to not change election dates
Commissioners Joe Carollo and Miguel Gabela voted against the change. Gabela said he thought the ordinance was made with good intentions, but he did not think it was the elected officials' place to make the decision in place of the residents.
"I think the voter should participate. I'm just not comfortable," he said.
Speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting were split on the election issue. Some spoke in support of the item to get more people involved in the city's voting process. Others felt the commission was overstepping its authority by giving elected officials another year in office, and that the issue should be put to voters by referendum.
With the election moving to 2026, Commissioners Carollo and King along with Mayor Suarez will no longer end their current terms in a few months — barring any legal challenges.
Attorney General
The election date change came under intense scrutiny by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who issued two separate legal opinions against the city's proposal.
Uthmeier argued the city cannot change its elections by ordinance because it is subject to the Miami-Dade County charter, which requires that voters decide on changes to the city charter.
Uthmeier warned the City of Miami that if they moved forward with this, his office may take action.
"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," he wrote in a letter on June 25.
Miami's City Attorney, George Wysong, disagreed with Uthmeier's opinion, and counseled the commission that they could in fact change the election by ordinance. Wysong argues that state statutes supersede the county charter, and that state laws allow municipal governments to do this.
Emilio Gonzalez, who is running to replace Suarez as Miami Mayor, issued a statement after the commission's vote calling the action "illegal" and disenfranchising to voters.
"We are outraged by the City of Miami elected officials who, despite warnings from the Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier that canceling the November 2025 Miami election would violate the law, persist in this action," Gonzalez wrote.
Olympia Theater
Also on the agenda was an item to deed the Olympia Theater, which the city owns, to the SLAM charter school. The proposal came as a surprise to many in attendance at City Hall, including the commissioners.
"I didn't get a briefing on it," said Chairwoman King.
City Manager Art Noriega said repairs on the nearly century-old building would cost $40 million, a sum the city is not willing to put down.
"Unfortunately the city’s never had the resources to maintain this building. It will never have the resources. It needs a good steward," Noriega said.
Noriega said the city was approached with the offer and the agreement was placed on the agenda urgently to get a deal done in time before the school year begins in August. The proposal would convey the property to SLAM so the charter school owners could renovate the theater and turn it into a public educational facility.
Members of the community told commissioners during public comment that they felt rushed into this agreement, with little time to consider the consequences of the city giving up a historic cultural property.
Denise Galvez Turros, a former member of the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation (HEP) Board, said her colleagues on the board received no notification about this proposed sale, despite the theater being a historic property on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984.
“It’s so sad because it’s just yet another example of how the city seems to not care about historic preservation. They don’t see the value of these properties,” Galvez Turros told WLRN.
What’s more, even the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) — a government-adjacent agency that rents space out of the Olympia Theater for a permitting clinic — didn’t know about this proposed sale.
Noriega offered to amend the proposal so that he could begin negotiations with SLAM to draw up a full agreement without actually signing the deal — but commissioners didn't go for it. They voted instead to defer the item entirely until July 24. They instructed the city administration to hold public hearings to inform residents about the potential sale.
