Miami-Dade County’s newly elected mayor spent her first day joining other mayors in providing food to those in the community in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor-elect Daniella Levine Cava was joined by Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez for the event in Miami Beach, two weeks before she is scheduled to take the oath of office.
“I think people saw my heart, they knew that I’m here to really serve and listen," Levine Cava said. "What I’ve done for a lifetime, I’ve built coalitions. It will be no different, it will just be at a level that will make sure that we can get the results that we need countywide.”
The other two mayors involved in the event were happy for the chance to work with the county's new mayor-elect.
“We are much better when we’re on the same page, even when we don’t agree on everything when we can talk, and we can work together, it helps the residents," said Gelber.
Levine Cava defeated Esteban "Steve" Bovo in Tuesday's runoff, after they were the top two finishers in the August primary. Levine Cava said Bovo called her Tuesday night to concede the race
On paper, it was a non-partisan race, though Levine Cava had mostly aligned herself with Democrats while Bovo has aligned himself with conservatives.
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Levine Cava will be the county's first female mayor. She won her first commissioner race for District 8 in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018, but resigned her county commission seat to run for mayor.
Levine Cava laid out vision for the county during an NBC 6 Mayoral Debate in October, speaking about investing in social services.
"There’s nothing radical about the county caring about its citizens and spending its money. Look, who else is going to take care of our seniors?" said Levine Cava. "In the end, we are responsible for the well being of all our residents. That is exactly what I’ve done and there’s nothing radical about it."
Levine Cava will replace Gimenez, who has served as Miami-Dade's mayor since 2011 but is now term-limited and claimed a win in his race for Congress as a Republican.
