MIAMI – Miami city commissioners are set to vote on a pair of ordinances during next week’s commission meeting.
The items were both sponsored by Commissioner Damian Pardo.
One would change the date of the next city election from November of this year to November of next year and shift all subsequent elections by one year, moving forward.
The other would create lifetime term limits, two 4-year terms for mayor and two terms for commissioners, total.
Pardo said this became necessary because the term limit initiative, which is decided by voters, could potentially affect candidates on the same ballot, including former commissioner Frank carollo, who already served eight years as District 3 commissioner. Now, eight years later, he’s running again.
Additionally, Pardo says he wants the city’s elections to move to even years to match up with national ones, where more voters head to the polls.
The move would also mean the current city commissioners would stay in office another year, including the term-limited Joe Carollo and Mayor Francis Suarez.
Michael Hepburn is running for mayor of Miami.
He penned a letter to the commission opposing the measure, saying if the proposal comes to pass, he’ll use civil rights attorney Ben Crump to take legal action against the city.
Another mayoral candidate, Emilio Gonzalez, echoed a similar sentiment in a statement sent to Local 10 News:
“Let me be clear: We will stop the scam. Canceling the November 2025 election to extend their own term is another shameless power grab by career politicians. Enough is enough. Elections are the foundation of our democracy. Miami voters must raise their voices — to stop these politicians that rig the system to protect themselves.”