MIAMI — Emilio González, who served as Miami’s city manager and chief administrative officer from 2018 to 2020, is among the 13 candidates running for Miami mayor on Nov. 4.
In September, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is not related to a mayoral candidate who shares his last name, endorsed González, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and fellow Republican.
González, who lives near Coconut Grove, served as the director and chief executive officer of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department from 2013 to 2017 and as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service director from 2006 to 2008.
González also served as the director of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush, and he headed the Office of Special Assistants for the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Southern Command.
González earned degrees from the University of South Florida, the University of Miami, Tulane University, and the United States Naval War College. He also taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Related link: Campaign page
Related document: Affidavit of candidate (.PDF)
OTHER MAYORAL CANDIDATES
The other candidates in the nonpartisan race are Alex Díaz de la Portilla, Alyssa Crocker, Christian E. Cevallos, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, Elijah John Bowdre, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, June Savage, Kenneth DeSantis, Ken Russell, Laura Anderson, Michael A. Hepburn, and Xavier L. Suarez.
Campaign funding: The initial reports filed on campaign monetary contributions showed Higgins, the Miami-Dade County commissioner who represents District 5, was at the top with $88,325. Russell, a former Miami commissioner, followed with about $74,860, and González with $69,280.
Name recognition: Suarez, who served as Miami mayor from 1985 to 1993 and from 1997 to 1998, is the father of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Legal trouble: De La Portilla is a former Miami commissioner who served from 2020 to 2023 when Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him over a corruption case that prosecutors later dropped.
Carollo, who served as Miami mayor from 1996 to 1997 and from 1998 to 2001, also has an arrest record. In 2001, police officers arrested him for domestic violence, and he agreed to attend anger management classes.
Later in 2023, a federal jury in civil court sided with two businessmen who won $63.5 million in damages against Carollo for “weaponizing” code enforcement to violate their rights after they supported one of his political opponents.
INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC
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