COCONUT GROVE, FLA. (WSVN) - South Floridians are heading to the polls for Election Day, with mayoral races in three Miami-Dade County cities to be decided.
Voters in Miami, Hialeah and Miami Beach will be choosing a new mayor, and some commissioner seats are also up for grabs.
7News cameras on Tuesday morning captured voters heading to their precinct in Miami.
“I think it’s your civic duty. Turnout’s lower in local elections, and it’s just important to make decisions about what your community looks like, what our values are, so I just think it’s important to vote in every election,” said voter AJ D’Amico.
In Miami’s crowded mayoral race, the top six contenders — Joe Carollo, Alex Diaz de la Portilla, Emilio Gonzalez, Eileen Higgins, Ken Russell and Xavier Suarez — have all held office previously and have had long political careers.
Voters told 7News that even though local elections have smaller turnout, they know their votes can have a big impact.
“I don’t like the way the politics are going, so I feel I have to do my share,” said voter Carol Sonnenberg.
“It’s very important to vote because who represents certain parts of marginalized communities? And I think everyone should have a voice in these elections, especially how important it is from what we’re experiencing now,” said voter Amber Canales.
Carollo, a current city commissioner, has previously served twice as mayor of Miami. He was also sued successfully by local businesses for weaponizing police resources against them.
Diaz de la Portilla, a former commissioner, was suspended from office for a host of corruption charges, all of which were later dropped due to inconsistent witness testimony.
Gonzalez, a previous city manager and former CEO of Miami International Airport, successfully sued the city to stop them from pushing the elections to 2026.
Higgins is a Miami-Dade commissioner, Russell is a former city commissioner, and Suarez is a former city mayor and the father of current mayor Francis Suarez.
If no candidate garners more than 50% of the vote, the top two will advance to a Dec. 9 runoff election.
In Miami Beach, current Mayor Steven Meiner is squaring off against City Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez.
“Across the city, you see vacant storefronts, everybody is talking about Wynwood and downtown Miami and I want to bring everyone back to Miami Beach. I’m going to make our city centers a place that all of you want to gather in and I will represent every Miami Beach resident,” said Rosen Gonzalez.
“We’ve done a lot of great work in literally less than two years — cleaned up spring break, crime is down, our homeless numbers are down, we’re getting parks open, infrastructure projects done,” said Meiner. “I’m really proud of the work we’ve done and we have to keep the momentum going.”
Voters will also elect candidates in three open commission seat races.
On this Election Day, voters said it’s just as easy as it is important to cast your ballot at the polls.
“Very easy, you just walk to the booth. I mean, I don’t see any complications. You spend 10, 15 minutes out of your day; it’s not a big deal,” said Sonnenberg.
Across the country, the race for New York City mayor is being closely watched for possible clues about the political climate heading into the 2026 midterms. There are also key governor elections in Virginia and New Jersey.
This off-year election will be the first big electoral test of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Polls are now open and close at 7 p.m. Results will start rolling in at around 7:15 p.m. For more information about precinct locations in Miami-Dade, click here.
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