Miami will hold special election to replace late commissioner Manolo Reyes
The city of Miami will have a special election in June to fill the vacancy for the District 4 commission seat following the death of Manolo Reyes last week.
In a unanimous decision during an uncharacteristically brief meeting Thursday, the Miami City Commission opted to hold a special election rather than appointing someone to the seat.
“At the end of the day, I think let the best man or woman win,” Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela said. He added that he didn’t want any “finger pointing” if the commission were to appoint someone, nor did he want to give someone an unfair advantage if they were to run for the seat in November.
The election will take place on Tuesday, June 3. Early voting is tentatively scheduled to run from Friday, May 30, to Sunday, June 1. Candidate qualifying for the election will run Monday, April 21, through Friday, April 25.
The winner of the special election will serve out the remainder of Reyes’ term, which ends in 2027.
If the commissioners would have appointed someone rather than call for a special election, that person would have held the seat until November. The District 4 seat would have then been on the November ballot, along with commission seats for districts 3 and 5, as well as mayor.
A special election brings an added cost to the city. Todd Hannon, the city clerk, said Thursday that the special election was estimated to cost $380,000, but that it could come in lower.
During the public comment portion of the meeting on Thursday, several residents had advocated for the appointment of Ralph Rosado, an urban planner and former manager of North Bay Village. Rosado told the commission he was “ready to hit the ground running today” if selected for the appointment.
After the commission called for a special election, Rosado confirmed to the Miami Herald that he’s planning to file for the race when candidate qualifying opens next week.
Another potential contender is Rafael “Ralph” Cabrera, president-elect of the Latin Builders Association. Cabrera did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 11:13 AM.
.jpg)