DORAL, Fla. – A recount ordered by the Miami-Dade Canvassing Board on Friday showed that businessman Philip Levine is the duly-elected mayor of Miami Beach. On election night the Miami Beach businessman wound up with 50.48 percent of the vote, enough to win but not enough to avoid a recount.
The Canvassing Board began its work Friday morning by examining 14 provisional ballots cast by Miami Beach voters. They rejected eight and accepted six. Had Levine won all six he would have avoided a recount. But second-place finisher Michael Gongora got one of the provisional votes, forcing the recount.
But the recount only confirmed the original results -- Levine had 50.48 percent of the vote and is the winner. "I'm glad we got the recount and that it confirmed beyond a doubt that outcome of the election," Gongora said at Miami-Dade Elections headquarters. Levine was expected to meet with reporters later in the afternoon.