Miami’s city commission passed an ordinance to move the city’s general municipal election from November 2025 to November 2026.
Miami officials tried unsuccessfully to cancel this year’s election and move it to next year, but an outsider GOP candidate looking to become the city’s next mayor stopped the push in its tracks.
Earlier this year, Miami’s city commission passed an ordinance to move the city’s general municipal election from November 2025 to November 2026 when national and state level midterms are taking place. By doing so, Miami’s commissioners moved all subsequent elections to even years and extended the terms of elected officials.
Proponents of the change argue it will increase voter turnout and lower costs, but opponents consider it a power grab that would allow Democrats to capitalize on their base’s anger at the Trump administration during next year’s midterms. Two Democratic commissioners and one Republican voted for it, and Mayor Francis Suarez (R) signed the ordinance.
Most impacted by the scheme was GOP candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a businessman, former Bush administration official, and 26-year Army veteran running for mayor with the backing of Governor Ron DeSantis (R). He was previously Miami’s city manager under Suarez. Gonzalez is the most viable conservative candidate in what is a nonpartisan local race.
The fight against Miami’s attempt to cancel the election solidified Gonzalez’s case that he is the anti-establishment outsider candidate challenging the city’s entrenched political class.
“When elected officials try to cancel an election, they’re not just breaking the law — they’re breaking faith with the people they swore to serve. I’ve worn our nation’s uniform, and I’ve seen what happens in countries where people lose the right to vote,” Gonzalez said in a statement to NR.
“I wasn’t about to let that happen in my own city. That’s why I stood up, won in court five times, and made sure Miami kept its election.”
Gonzalez led the successful legal fight to prevent the city commission’s ordinance from taking effect. He argued that Miami was violating its own city charter and the Florida constitution by attempting to move its election to next year.
Gonzalez is running on a standard conservative platform of increasing police, cutting taxes, promoting deregulation, reining in spending, and using technology to improve city services. He challenged the ordinance in June, days after the city passed it, with the goal of stopping it from coming into effect.
“Emilio has shown his commitment to our nation and Miami. When local officials tried to cancel the election and extend their own terms, a clear violation of term limits, Emilio stepped up and stopped them in court five times. Emilio is committed to providing property tax relief, strengthening public safety, and reducing government red tape,” DeSantis said when he endorsed Gonzalez last month.
DeSantis-aligned state Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) issued an opinion in June opposing Miami’s ordinance ahead of its passage. The AG asserted that Miami’s ordinance had to be submitted to the voters as is required in the county’s home rule charter and the state constitution.
The Third District Court of Appeals upheld a trial court decision and sided with Gonzalez in July. The appellate court rejected in August an attempt from Miami to rehear the case before the entire court rather than a three-judge panel.
“In this appeal, we are tasked with deciding whether the City’s enactment of an ordinance (‘Ordinance’) changing its general municipal elections to even-numbered years—effectively canceling its upcoming November 2025 election and extending the terms of its elected officials beyond their established term limits—without submission to the voters for approval by referendum is constitutionally impermissible,” the court said in its opinion.
“We hold the trial court correctly found the Ordinance unconstitutional and affirm.”
The trial court dismissed Miami’s reliance on a 2023 ruling in Medina v. City of North Miami because the decision did not fully address Gonzalez’s argument about statutory and constitutional shortcomings. Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson led Gonzalez’s defense team. The legal fight Gonzalez won took away precious campaign time and required him to put his own resources towards fighting the city.
Miami’s mayoral election is proceeding as normal now that Gonzalez has won the legal battle over the ordinance. Polls suggest Gonzalez will end up in a runoff with liberal District 5 County Commissioner Eileen Higgins after the first round of voting concludes.
Miami remains a politically competitive city in a historically blue area. Miami-Dade County voted for Trump in 2024, making him the first candidate to win it in 36 years as part of a red wave across the state. Trump’s dominance in Florida further solidified its transformation from a perennial swing state into firmly Republican territory.