County Commissioner René Garcia withdraws from Hialeah mayor race. Who else is running?
Miami-Dade County Commissioner René García has formally withdrawn from the Hialeah mayoral race.
The move by Garcia, the Miami-Dade District 13 commissioner, confirms what many in political circles had suspected for months. Garcia, whose district includes parts of Hialeah Gardens, Hialeah, Miami Lakes and unincorporated areas of northwest Miami-Dade, filed to run for Hialeah mayor on March 31. But from the start, his remarks cast doubt on whether he truly intended to compete.
When asked by the Miami Herald on April 2 about his candidacy, Garcia said he had months to decide whether to resign his county seat to pursue the mayoral post, since Florida’s “resign-to-run” law gives candidates until the city’s qualifying window. “It gives me the chance to talk to the residents of Hialeah and see where I can best serve our community,” he said at the time.
On Thursday, Garcia confirmed he would stay on the county commission.
“As Miami-Dade County faces a difficult budget year, now is not the time to step away,” Garcia said in a statement. “Public service is not about chasing titles; it’s about answering the call to serve where you are most needed. I believe I can best serve the people of Hialeah and District 13 by continuing to fight for them on the County Commission.”
While many saw Garcia as a natural contender for Hialeah mayor — and he was publicly endorsed by former Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo as the strongest candidate, the race for the city’s top seat if far from over. At least six candidates are currently in the running, including Councilman Jesus Tundidor, who resigned his seat Thursday to become effective the day the new mayor is sworn in, and former Councilman Bryan Calvo, who has publicly sparred with Bovo both on the dais and in court over issues like delayed emergency response times and public safety.
With one day remaining before the deadline for elected officials to resign in order to qualify for the race, it remains unclear whether Interim Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves — the first woman to serve as mayor of Hialeah — will enter the race or continue in the role until a new mayor is elected. Garcia-Roves, who was re-elected unopposed to the city council in 2023, held a fundraiser last week that brought in over $80,000, a strong signal she may be preparing to launch a campaign.
Amid the uncertainty, if Garcia-Roves enters the race it remains unclear whom Garcia will endorse: his protégé Tundidor, who served as his senior legislative aide in the state Senate, or Garcia-Roves, who is aligned with former Mayor Carlos Hernández and whose political career began with Hernández’s support in 2019.
Hialeah is facing one of its most competitive election cycles in recent memory. Five City Council seats are up for election, including two special elections, one of them for Garcia-Roves’ council seat, which remains vacant after the council failed to appoint a temporary replacement, while she serves as acting mayor.
