Real Estate Lines Up Behind Higgins In Miami Mayoral Runoff

Developers have overwhelmingly chosen their preferred candidate to win Tuesday’s runoff election for the next mayor of Miami. 

Eileen Higgins — who served eight years in the Miami-Dade County Commission representing Liberty City, Little Haiti, Overtown, Wynwood, Edgewater and the Upper East Side before resigning to run for mayor — has pulled in nearly 10 times more in campaign donations from real estate than her opponent, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez.

Higgins garnered about 36% of votes on Election Day out of a field of 13 candidates, while Gonzalez landed nearly 20%, triggering a runoff because neither reached the 50% threshold.

Since then, the real estate industry has collectively donated roughly $29K to Higgins’ campaign, including from Pinnacle Housing founder and President David Deutch, Housing Trust Group, Rilea Group, Adler Properties, Integra, Berkowitz Development Group, Spector & Sons and Edward W. Easton & Co.

That’s on top of the $150K that Higgins brought in before Nov. 4 from real estate sources like Terra, Related Group, Swerdlow Group, Dacra and 13th Floor, The Real Deal reported.

Gonzalez, by comparison, has received just under $5K from individuals and entities that listed their occupations as real estate since Election Day. That’s in addition to the $20K he received in contributions from six entities tied to Little Havana developers Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla, TRD reported.

Despite a lack in donations from real estate leaders, the retired Air Force colonel has racked up endorsements from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump, who posted on social media that Gonzalez is "fantastic."

As for issues that pertain to the commercial real estate community, Higgins and Gonzalez are campaigning on fast-tracking permitting systems and affordable housing as voting day nears on Dec. 9.

“What everybody in the development community is looking for is making sure that whoever wins the City of Miami mayoral race is going to ensure that some of the inefficiencies that are there are actually looked at and fixed, so that the actual development community could operate at a faster pace,” said Alex Ballina, the former Miami-Dade County director of public housing and community development and founder of Florida Development Building Group.

Unlike in other major cities, the mayor of Miami is a part-time job with limited power. Miami’s mayor has no commission vote but can veto legislation and hire and fire the city manager, who runs day-to-day operations. 

The 44th mayor of Miami will succeed Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican real estate lawyer and the son of former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez.

Suarez, who briefly entered the Republican presidential race in 2023, spent eight years as Miami commissioner and another eight as mayor. In his two terms, he advocated for turning Miami into the next Silicon Valley and the epicenter for cryptocurrency.

But his relationship with the real estate community has been tangled in tension in recent years.

In May 2024, Suarez was subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission over $170K in payments he received from an affiliate of developer Rishi Kapoor’s Location Ventures over a two-year period during which the developer sought approval from the city for developments.

The city as a whole has racked up a reputation for shady dealings. Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo, who also ran for mayor this year, was held liable for more than $63M in damages after developers Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla — who donated to Gonzalez’s campaign — accused him of directing code enforcers, police officers and other city staff to go after their establishments, The Real Deal reported. He was cleared of criminal charges this summer. 

Cleaning up corruption has become a pillar in Higgins’ campaign.

“Miami voters are demanding a City Hall they can trust, and that starts with ending corruption and delivering results,” Higgins said in a statement shared with Bisnow. “As Mayor, my focus will be restoring integrity, tackling Miami’s affordability crisis with proven solutions, keeping our community safe, and fixing the broken permitting system so homeowners, businesses, and the City of Miami can actually get things done.”

For both candidates, another key sticking point is the permitting process in Miami, which is often criticized for its long wait times and complex requirements that can delay projects. 

While Higgins hasn’t released details on how she plans to approach the city’s permitting process, Gonzalez has said he will use “smart technology” to deliver faster services, according to his website.

“The city of Miami has struggled through the years, and most of the development community will tell you through their permitting process,” Ballina said. “It's a tedious task to go through the city of Miami to finalize your permitting. I'm sure whoever the new mayor is will be focused in on assisting to streamline a lot of the processes that they can control to help expedite building.”

Another issue many are keeping an eye on is affordable housing. Miami-Dade County has a shortage of more than 90,000 units for households earning less than $75K, according to Miami Homes For All. 

It’s something the next mayor is going to have to focus on, Ballina said.

Higgins, who would be the first Democrat to run Miami in 25 years if she wins, has campaigned leveraging her involvement in building nearly 7,000 affordable housing units when she led District 5. As mayor, she plans to use city-owned land to build new housing for working families.

While advocating for affordable housing, she opposes the Live Local Act, which was passed by the Florida Legislature in 2023. The law allows developers to circumvent local zoning regulations as long as they dedicate a portion of their projects to workforce housing — increasingly stripping power from local governments.

Gonzalez, a Republican, dismisses Miami's existing affordable housing structure, calling it a “misnomer,” and thinks the city needs a more realistic approach so teachers and police officers can afford it.

He supports the effort to get rid of property taxes on primary homes in the state — a policy DeSantis has pushed to implement in the last year. Its intent is to lessen the financial burden on residents, though critics warn it could mean drastic cuts to public services like schools and infrastructure.

“Ad valorem real estate taxes make up less than 10% of the city budget,” Gonzalez told Local 10 in October. “If working families, when they have to tighten their belts, you go, ‘Honey, you know what? You’ve got to cut back 10%.’ You can do it. We can do it as a city.”

Despite providing major backing for their respective candidates, commercial real estate leaders have been tight-lipped leading up to Tuesday.

Terra, Related Group, Swerdlow Group, OKO Group, Blanca Commercial Real Estate and 13th Floor either declined or did not respond to requests for comment.

The Easton Group founder, Chairman and CEO Ed Easton told Bisnow in a phone call that he doesn’t have a “horse in the race.”

“I just hope whoever gets in there doesn’t become an anti-development person,” he said.