Homestead reelects incumbents and votes two newcomers onto City Council

More than half of the Homestead City Council seats were up for grabs Tuesday night, with a mix of incumbents and newcomers vying for four spots on the dais to represent the most populous city in South Miami-Dade County.

Seat 1 (Northwest)

Unofficial election night results showed Thomas B. Davis winning with about 38% of the vote, followed by James Wyatt in second and Amy Spadaro in third.

Davis, a lawyer and career military officer, had the endorsement of Homestead Mayor Steve Losner.

In this special election for Seat 1, the candidate who receives the most votes wins. The winner will fill the seat vacated by Vice Mayor Julio Guzman, who lost his bid for mayor against Losner last month.

The Seat 1 council member will represent the city’s Northwest district.

Seat 2 (Keys Gate)

Councilman Sean L. Fletcher was an apparent winner over Ana San Roman with over 60% of the vote, unofficial election results showed.

Fletcher, 51, was previously elected to represent the Keys Gate area in 2019. The district is located on the city’s Southeast corner, encompassing the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

It was San Roman’s first time running for office.

Seat 3 (Villages)

Councilman Larry Roth was an apparently narrow winner against challenger William “Bobby” Rea in the Seat 3 race with about 52% of the vote.

Roth, 59, was elected to City Council in 2015 and again in 2019. His district is located on the city’s Southwest corner, adjacent to Florida City.

Seat 6 (Oasis)

Clemente Canabal pulled narrowly ahead of Toshiba Mitchell with almost 52% of the vote in the race to represent Homestead’s District 6, unofficial results showed.

Canabal, a retired physician, also had Losner’s endorsement.

The Seat 6 winner will replace Councilwoman Patricia Fairclough-Staggers.

Mitchell, 48, and Canabal, 60, were the top two finishers in a four-way race during the primary election last month. Mitchell led the pack in the October election with nearly 39% of the vote.

Tuesday’s winners are to be sworn in on November 13 at 6:30 p.m.

This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 8:14 PM.

Tess Riski

Miami Herald

Tess Riski covers Miami City Hall. She joined the Miami Herald in 2022 and has covered local politics throughout Miami-Dade County. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School’s Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism.