Tuesday night's municipal elections brought a mix of continuity and change to South Florida, with a close mayoral race in Miami Beach and an upset in a Homestead council race. In the Florida Keys, two incumbents got re-elected to the city council in Marathon.
Miami Beach: Meiner narrowly re-elected mayor
In a tightly contested race, incumbent Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner was re-elected, defeating Miami Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.
Meiner secured a narrow victory with approximately 51% of the vote against Rosen Gonzalez's 49%, according to the latest results. Less than 15,000 voters — 33% of registered voters — went to the polls.
The victory grants Meiner a second two-year term. He campaigned on public safety and managing nightlife regulations in the South Beach.
The race for the Group I Commission seat appears headed to a runoff, as no candidate secured over 50% of the vote among the field of contenders.
In Group II, incumbent Commissioner Laura Dominguez crushed her opponent, Fred Karlton. In Group III, incumbent Commissioner Alex Fernandez won the Group III Commissioner seat.
Homestead: Incumbent unseated
Homestead saw a split decision for its City Council seats, where turnout was low at less than 11% of registered voters. In all, less than 3,300 voters cast ballots, according Miami-Dade County election results.
Challenger Kimberly Konsky successfully unseated incumbent Tom Davis for Seat 1, taking about 56% of the vote.
Incumbent Council Member Erica Ávila secured re-election, besting her opponent with about 58% of the vote.
Vice Mayor Jennifer Bailey also won her race, collecting 55% of the vote.
Voters also weighed in on several referendums, with a measure to authorize roadway improvement bonds passing, while a proposed park construction bond failed.
Quality of life and housing were among the key issues in Homestead, one of the fastest growing municipalities in Miami-Dade County.
“My biggest concern right now is not having a lot to do in Homestead and not having enough housing or enough better [jobs],” Shaniya Taylor, a 21-year-old Miami Dade College student told WLRN. She voted for Konsky for Council Seat 1.
One of the most talked about ballot initiatives was Referendum 1, which asked voters whether the consecutive term limit for mayor should be increased from eight years to twelve, to align with the councilmember limit. It was soundly rejected.
Jake Leon, who moved to Homestead this year, said he opposed the referendum.
“I don't agree with increasing term limits for [any politician] in this country,” the 29-year-old told WLRN. “It allows for a lot of complacency.”
Surfside: All about referendums
Surfside voters primarily decided on a handful of significant referendums, which drew less than 1,000 voters to the polls.
- Underground Utility Project: A critical referendum on whether to continue with the $80 million project to place overhead utility lines underground was defeated by voters.
- Gated Community Concept: A non-binding referendum on the concept of creating a gated community in the residential district was rejected.
- Financial Control: A measure to require a unanimous vote from the Town Commission to spend town funds exceeding $2 million passed.
See full results here.
Marathon: A new council member and 2 incumbents return
In the Florida Keys, the race for three at-large council seats for the city of Marathon drew seven candidates on Tuesday night.
Challenger Debra Tyner Struyf garnered the most votes, with 939. She also spent more than 23,000 during her campaign, topping her opponents, according to city campaign records.
She was followed by incumbent Robyn Still with 761 votes. The third top candidate was another incumbent, Lynn Landry, with 719.
Overall turnout was about 30% of the city's 5,628 voters.
