Let’s not be ‘stewards of the status quo,’ Miami-Dade’s new chair says after oath
Invoking icons of Miami-Dade County’s history, Oliver Gilbert pledged bold action Thursday on Miami-Dade’s transportation, economic and environmental challenges as he took the oath to be the County Commission’s new chair.
“We were not elected to be stewards of the status quo,” Gilbert, 50, said at the afternoon ceremony in Miami Gardens, where he served as mayor before winning the District 1 commission election in 2020.
“We know that if Henry Flagler could connect a train from Jacksonville to the Florida Keys, then we can build the Metrorail up 27th Avenue to Broward County, and we can build a Baylink from Miami Beach to the mainland,” Gilbert said, referencing the railroad mogul before recalling the pioneering work of Miami’s first Black millionaire, developer D.A. Dorsey.
“If D.A. Dorsey could develop affordable housing 100 years ago,” Gilbert said, “then we should be able to make housing more affordable today.”
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Gilbert’s swearing-in at Hard Rock Stadium reflected the new seniority calculus on the County Commission after an election that removed the final batch of members elected before term limits took effect in 2012.
The prior chair, Jose “Pepe” Diaz, served 20 years on the commission before his forced exit in November. Gilbert has been on the board two years. Since 2020, the average age on the 13-seat commission dropped from 68 to 47.
Gilbert won the chair election without opposition on Dec. 6, and was formally sworn in that day. Thursday’s swearing-in event, followed by a catered party Gilbert said the Dolphins and other donors paid for, was ceremonial.
Anthony Rodriguez, elected to replace term-limited Javier Souto after nearly 30 years on the board, was picked by fellow commissioners to serve as vice chair during Gilbert’s two-year term as chair.
In his speech, Rodriguez, a former Republican member of the Florida House now serving under a Democratic chair, said he gave fellow commissioners compasses as gifts during the new board’s first meeting together on Dec. 6.
“My goal was to send a message that no matter where we’ve been,” Rodriguez said, “it’s our responsibility to move forward in the same direction.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2022 at 8:00 PM.