Miami Beach's mayoral race will be headed for a runoff after none of the four candidates in Tuesday's election received the required 50% plus one vote total.
Steven Meiner and Michael Gongora will face each other in the runoff, after unofficial results from the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections showed them as the top two vote getters.
The runoff will take place in a couple weeks, on Nov. 21. The winner will replace Dan Gelber, who's held the position since 2017 but was prevented from running again by term limits.
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Meiner, an attorney, gave up his spot as Miami Beach's Group 4 commissioner to run for mayor.
"I really felt all along that what I was doing would resonate," Meiner said Tuesday night. "And I’ll tell you I was sending out these flyers that would be four pages long, talking about the issues, and people would tell me 'what are you doing, that’s not the way campaigns are run,' I’m like 'no, I think people are going to read this stuff, they are going to read what I am writing, they are going to read about these issues that are important, we are going to make our city safer, cleaner and really focus on the residents.'"
Gongora, also an attorney, has served three terms as a Miami Beach commissioner, from 2006-2007, 2009-2013, and 2017-2021.
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"I am beyond grateful to be moving on to the next round in this important race, and I look forward to continuing to share my vision and hopes for the future of Miami Beach," Gongora said in a statement Tuesday night. "Over the past year and during my years serving the community on the City Commission, my top priority has been to engage with as many residents as possible, as often as possible, to understand your concerns and aspirations for our community."
Mike Grieco, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives and a former Miami Beach commissioner, and former MTV executive Bill Roedy, finished out of the top two.
Commission Races
Three of the Miami Beach's six commission seats were also up for grabs in Tuesday's election.
For Meiner's Group 4 seat, former marketing executive and Miami Beach Planning Board Vice Chair Tanya Katzoff Bhatt was the apparent winner over real estate broker and business consultant Andres Asion.
In the Group 5 race, marketing director David Suarez was the apparent winner over hotel owner and former Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board Chairman Mitch Novick.
For Group 6, Miami Beach Planning Board member Joe Magazine had a slim lead over activist and Chair of Art in Public Places for the City of Miami Beach Marcella Novela.
