Only hours after Miami voters overwhelmingly approved new lifetime term limits through Referendum 4, a group of voters filed an emergency injunction to ensure the measure is applied immediately, potentially impacting the runoff election.
City of Miami voters Oscar Elio Alejandro, Victor Milanes, and Alex Almirola filed the legal action, demanding the "term limits reform overwhelmingly approved by voters through Referendum 4" be enforced "immediately and without exception."
The legal challenge rests on the referendum's retroactive application, which was explicitly stated on the ballot.
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The voting group argues the provision bars any politician who has already served the maximum number of terms from continuing in office or participating in any subsequent elections, including the upcoming runoff.
"Miami voters spoke clearly when they passed Referendum 4: they want to end the revolving door of politicians cycling through office and set clear lifetime limits on elected office applied retroactively as stated on the ballot measure," they said in a statement.
The latest results show city of Miami voters approved the measure, 79% to 21%.
They said allowing a candidate who has already served two full terms to participate in the runoff "would directly undermine that mandate and risk nullifying the very reform voters just enacted."
They framed the legal move as a defense of the democratic process. "As residents, we are taking immediate action to ensure the will of voters is followed clearly and without prejudice," the group stated. The injunction is deemed "essential to ensure that the voters’ mandate for reform is both respected and enforced."
It is unclear how the ballot measure on term limits could affect Frank Carollo, who is entering into a runoff against political newcomer Rolando Escalona. Frank Carollo, who previously served two terms as city commissioner, won about 37% of votes versus Escalona, who got 17% of votes, in an 8-candidate race.
