Reflecting on female representation in politics, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recalled a Zoom meeting at the height of COVID-19 pandemic, when a Girl Scout asked how it felt to be Miami-Dade County’s first “girl mayor.”
“It feels great to be the first ‘girl’ mayor,” she said.
In the same Zoom call, a mother told her daughter, “Maybe one day you’ll be mayor.”
“No — president,” the girl replied.
It's the kind of story that brings hope to Levine Cava, who in 2020 became the first woman elected mayor of Miami-Dade County, as she spoke about Women's History Month and her time in office. But, in an interview with WLRN, she also warned that hard-earned progress was now under attack.
After Levine Cava made history in 2020, she was re-elected in August 2024 in a crowded field of five challengers, to continue leading one of the nation’s most populous and most diverse counties. In December 2025, former city commissioner Eileen Higgins was elected mayor of the City of Miami — the first woman to hold the role and the first Democrat in nearly 30 years. Meanwhile, Rosie Cordero Stutz became the first sheriff in county history.
Women are breaking through years of political underrepresentation in Miami. And as Levine Cava approaches the halfway point of her term —barred from running again by term limits — she reflected on her path to leadership at a Women’s History Month event on Friday at Florida International University's Biscayne Bay Campus. The conversation with the mayor was organized by the Lee Caplin School of Journalism and moderated by WLRN's Natalie La Roche Pietri.
At first, she didn’t run for office because she felt she wasn’t prepared. Instead, she focused on making an impact from outside the government — organizing petitions and advocating for policy changes. But she was encouraged that it was a critical moment for her to run.
“I believe that if there's something that needs to be done," she said, "and you can do it, [then] you have a responsibility to do it.”
But, once elected, she said earning respect in her role was a challenge.
“People were not expecting a woman mayor,” she said. “They undermined my positions on things. They didn't treat me seriously, and it took a lot to change that.”
When Levine Cava first took office, gender disparities in Miami-Dade County were stark. According to the Status of Women in Miami-Dade County 2020 Report, an annual study the mayor introduced during her first year in office, women’s poverty rate was 17.6% compared with 14.2% for men. There was a nearly 12 percentage point gap in labor force participation, while median earnings for men were 19 percentage points higher than women’s.
In 2025, the county reported more women are still afflicted by poverty than men and the labor force participation gap is similar. But some progress had been made on closing the gap on median earnings.
“I was really encouraged in this report to see that the gap has actually shrunk,” she said.
But Levine Cava said she was uncertain why the improvement has occurred.
She noted that during the COVID-19 era, many women left jobs or gave up businesses to take on caregiving responsibilities, which actually set progress back. Now, with a very low unemployment rate, there is a strong demand for workers — creating opportunities for people who might not otherwise be in the labor market.
According to studies, nearly 80% of the gender wage gap is linked to factors associated with motherhood, and racial and economic disparities further deepen the impact. In Florida, 72% of Black parents, 62% of Hispanic parents and 57% of white parents reported that childcare challenges limited their workforce participation or career advancement.
Looking ahead
Now, as she’s halfway through her final term, Levine Cava emphasized the importance of mentoring the next generation of women leaders.
“Leadership starts at the local level,” she said. “It's really critically important that we do more to mentor girls and women, to prepare them for leadership roles.”
But she remains concerned that her successor may not address gender equality or the challenges women face in leadership.
“We're backtracking, and I'm afraid that — this country especially — has created a space for even hate to be acceptable,” she said. “It's very, very dangerous and I think we need to change the narrative.”
She stressed the need to equip the next generation to challenge the rise in anti-women ideology and hurdles to gender equality.
“It is important that we teach young people to speak up, to stand up, to organize,” she said. “And I hope that this is just a spiral. We have taken steps forward, now a couple back, and that will continue to ascend with a greater approach to equality of opportunity across the board.”
Asked about her intentions to run for Florida governor in the current race, Levine Cava said, “I'm hoping that my health and my staff's stamina will be sufficient for me to take on an important role in the future.”
