Miami-Dade commissioner confirmed as Panama ambassador. Who will take his seat?
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed a Miami-Dade commissioner to be President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Panama, a move that could leave the county with a vacant commission seat at any moment.
Two years into his first term on the 13-member board, Commissioner Kevin Cabrera cleared his confirmation vote, 51-45. That was the last hurdle before the 34-year-old former lobbyist can take his post in Panama City as ambassador to a country that’s been a Trump target since Election Day.
“Thank you, President Trump, and members of the United States Senate,” Cabrera posted on social media following the afternoon vote.
Cabrera must resign his commission seat before formally accepting Trump’s appointment as ambassador. It’s not clear when that resignation will come, but Cabrera isn’t expected to be in the District 6 seat when the commission meets next on May 6.
The Republican represents a district that includes parts of Miami, Coral Gables and Hialeah. The remaining commissioners may either call for a special election to fill the seat until the end of Cabrera’s term in 2026 or appoint someone to the position.
Cabrera, who was director of Trump’s reelection campaign in Florida in 2020, was a relatively unknown candidate for County Commission in 2022 when he received an endorsement from the then-former president. Cabrera won the election for the open District 6 seat easily that November against a fellow Republican.
He heads to Panama as ambassador after months of Trump expressing dissatisfaction with the country and warning that the United States may want to take back control of the Panama Canal. The United States turned over the canal to Panama in 1999.
The county’s Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, congratulated Cabrera — one of six Republicans on the 13-member County Commission — on his next post.
“I wish him the very best of luck,” she posted on social media, “and I’m confident that he will serve our country with the same dedication with which he served Miami-Dade County.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM.