A Republican club is back in Miami Beach after 30 years. That’s not a fluke | Opinion
If you had told me 14 years ago that Miami Beach would have a Republican Club, I wouldn’t have believed you. Back then, Miami Beach was reliably Democratic territory and largely out of reach for Republicans.
But Florida’s politics have shifted over the past decade, and that clearest sign of that transformation can be found on Miami Beach. Last month, the Miami-Dade County Republican Party chartered the Miami Beach Republican Club, the first time the GOP has had a presence on the Beach since 1995.
The last time Republicans had a club there, gas cost $1.15 a gallon, Bill Clinton was president and Miami was recovering from Hurricane Andrew.
A lot has changed.
Republicans across the state now outnumber Democrats in voter registration. As of this month, in Miami-Dade County, there are 451,390 registered Republican voters compared to 404,791 Democrats. In the 2024 election, President Donald Trump won Miami-Dade County — the first Republican presidential candidate to win the county since former President George H.W. Bush in 1988.
Last year, Evan Power, chairman of the state Republican Party, declared Miami-Dade County the “beating heart of the Republican revolution.” To some, Power’s comments may have seemed like political bluster, but the registration numbers don’t lie.
I’ve seen the shift firsthand. When I worked on state races in 2012 and 2014 in Florida, Miami-Dade was viewed as a Democratic stronghold and virtually unwinnable for statewide GOP candidates. Yet, it didn’t stop the candidates I worked with from campaigning in Miami because they believed in showing up and talking with every voter.
For Republicans, Miami has become more than the obligatory campaign stop at Versailles. Republicans have shown up consistently and that has helped moved the needle.
Last week, I attended a happy hour hosted by the Miami Beach Republican Club, and the enthusiasm was unmistakable. I met longtime Republicans and newly registered ones, all who were excited by the club’s launch.
Some had recently moved to Miami from New York and other parts of the Northeast — one woman told me taxes and political climate led her to move south. The migration from blue states is reshaping Miami’s political makeup, and residents on the Beach are beginning to feel it.
Brandon Lloyd, president of the Miami Beach Republican Club told me the reason for the club’s formation was “to bring real marketplace ideas to city hall: smaller government, lower taxes and fees, less bureaucracy and a stronger focus on public safety, infrastructure and quality of life.”
Miami-Dade GOP Chairman Kevin J. Cooper sees the club as something larger. “The relaunch of the Miami Beach Republican Club is another sign of the historic political realignment taking place across Miami-Dade County,” he said. “Communities that were once considered permanently blue are embracing a message centered on freedom, public safety, economic opportunity and common sense.”
Since the club’s launch, it has hosted a meet-and-greet for Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds and various social meetups.
The GOP didn’t gain this ground by accident. The state party invested resources in South Florida through community engagement and voter outreach between election cycles. And that strategy is paying off in the registration rolls and at the ballot box.
Miami Beach has long had a reputation of being a progressive playground. That image is changing. Beyond the nightlife and oceanfront high-rises, residents are worried about rising insurance costs, overdevelopment and whether working families can afford to live and work.
For the first time in over 30 years, the Miami Beach Republican Club is organizing again. It’s a tangible sign that South Florida’s politics have shifted, and they’re not going back anytime soon.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com