Miami-Dade County Commissioners have chosen a representative for the county's District 5, choosing a Republican state representative with ties to local leadership.
On Tuesday, the commission appointed state Rep. Vicki Lopez, R-Miami, to replace ex-commissioner Eileen Higgins, who left her seat to run for mayor in the City of Miami.
Lopez currently represents Florida House District 113, which matches much of the borders of county commission District 5 — including the cities of Miami and Miami Beach.
Lopez could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, who sponsored the resolution to appoint Lopez, said calling a special election would be too costly for the county, and the voter turnout would be too low to justify having someone serve for the next three years. Lopez will serve only until the next countywide election in August.
" I had an opportunity to hear her [Lopez] talk recently on issues that aren't completely dissimilar from the ones that we consider. So when you talk about what the people of District 5 actually wanted, we know that they like her some because they elected her," Gilbert said.
Lopez has been seen as having close ties with County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, with Levine Cava speaking positively about collaborating with Lopez despite the two being on opposite sides of the political aisle. Though county positions are nonpartisan, Levine Cava has positioned herself as a progressive Democrat.
Last July, investigative news outlet The Florida Bulldog reported that Levine Cava and her political consultant, Christian Ulvert, dissuaded the mayor's employee JennyLee Molina from running against Lopez in that November's election. Molina filed to run for the State seat, then swiftly withdrew. Ulvert and Levine Cava both deny this claim.
The county commission was split on the decision between appointing someone to the District 5 seat or calling for a special election, with the motion to appoint passing 7-5.
"Democracy is something sacred. The people's voice should be sacred," said Miami-Dade Commissioner René García, a former Republican state senator. "This is why I cannot support the motion to vote for Representative Vicki Lopez, who I think is a great person, but I think we can do better. And our residents of Miami-Dade County and the district deserve for their voices to be heard."
Those who voted in favor of the appointment echoed Gilbert's sentiment that voter turnout would be too low if a special election were called.
Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez said the projected turnout for a special election would be between 12% and 13% of the electorate, while the next countywide election in August would bring out closer to 50%. He said the voters of District 5 will have more of a voice in August, when Lopez's appointment is up, than in a special election in the next few months.
District 5 is home to some of the county's main economic drivers for tourism, including South Beach, Calle Ocho and PortMiami.
