MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Three groups of candidates are seeking to be elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission.
DISTRICT 2
There are three candidates seeking to be Miami-Dade County’s District 2 commissioner.
Running for the seat are incumbent Commissioner Marleine Bastien, trapeze artist Miguel “Skip” Quintero and newcomer Ernst Jean Louis.
Bastien, a nonprofit founder and executive who won the seat in 2022, says her priorities include investing in infrastructure like the 27th Avenue corridor and added that the county needs to make budget cuts.
Quintero is a South Florida native who made an unsuccessful run for Miami-Dade County mayor in 2024.
He describes himself as a First Amendment advocate who lists transparency as a main priority while adding that he also wants universal basic income.
Records show Jean Louis lists his primary source of income as Allied Universal Services. He does not appear to have a campaign website, but the Miami Herald reported that he founded a Creole-language newspaper.
DISTRICT 5
There are three candidates running for the District 5 seat in Miami-Dade County.
The district encompasses parts of Miami Beach, Brickell and The Roads.
Candidates are incumbent Commissioner Vicki Lopez, former Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Rob Piper.
Lopez was appointed to the seat after Eileen Higgins was elected City of Miami mayor. She said her experience as a member of the Florida House of Representatives makes her qualified to tighten the budget.
Sanchez highlights his career in law enforcement and as a veteran and says safety and quality of life are key.
Piper, who moved to Miami in 2012, thinks a task force ought to analyze the county’s true fiscal situation.
DISTRICT 8
The county’s eighth district encompasses a big portion of southern Miami-Dade, including Homestead and Palmetto Bay.
Incumbent Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins is running against nonprofit CEO Martha “Vega” Hero and former Palmetto Bay Vice Mayor John DuBois.
Cohen Higgins, who is a trial lawyer by trade, says her experience looking at details makes her an effective leader, especially when it comes to the budget.
Hero believes government and organizations working together is key, as well as transparency in balancing a budget.
DuBois, the former vice mayor of Palmetto Bay, is running to bring accountable, resident-focused leadership to Miami-Dade County, according to his campaign website.
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