Read the appeals court ruling that says Miami election delay is ‘unconstitutional’
On Thursday, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal upheld a ruling from a lower court that found the city of Miami’s decision to postpone the scheduled November 2025 election to 2026 without voter approval was unconstitutional.
The ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by mayoral candidate Emilio González, who sued last month after the Miami City Commission voted 3-2 to postpone the election to 2026 via ordinance, rather than through a ballot referendum.
Last week, a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge ruled that the city’s ordinance was unlawful. The city quickly appealed, sending the case up to the appellate court.
The Third DCA ruling landed just two days after a three-judge panel heard oral arguments from both sides.
For much of the hour-long hearing, Judges Kevin Emas, Monica Gordo and Fleur Lobree pushed back against the city.
Read the 27-page opinion for yourself at the bottom of this story:
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 3:24 PM.
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