Vacancy for District 2 City Commissioner

• On December 29, 2022, Commissioner Ken Russell vacated the District 2 City Commission seat as of 5:00 P.M.

• The current term for the District 2 seat runs from November 2019 to November 2023.

• A Special City Commission Meeting to address the District 2 vacancy will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 11:00 A.M. at Miami City Hall.

Required Documents for Qualifying

Applicant qualifying for the vacancy for District 2 City Commissioner will be held at the Office of the City Clerk, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida. The Office of the City Clerk is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no deadline to qualify; however, all applicants may qualify with the Office of the City Clerk prior to the potential appointment vacancy for the District 2 City Commission seat.

Potential appointees for the city commission shall have resided within the district at least one (1) year before qualifying and be electors in that district, and shall maintain residence in that district for the duration of their term of office.  

To be considered for appointment, applicants must submit the following qualifying documents in person at the Office of the City Clerk located at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, Florida 33133:

• A completed Vacancy Affidavit of Appointment Form(PDF, 172KB) (must be notarized by City Clerk or Deputy Clerk)
• Form 1 2022 Statement of Financial Interests
• State of Florida Candidate Oath
• Current résumé

The following documents are optional and not required for appointment: 

• City of Miami Loyalty Oath Form(PDF, 116KB)

Forms for potential appointment to the District 2 City Commission seat are also available at the Office of the City Clerk located at 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami, FL 33133.

It is respectfully requested, that all prospective appointees call 305-250-5361 (TTY users may call via the Florida Relay Service by dialing 711), in advance, in order to set up an appointment with the Office of the Clerk to submit qualifying documents. The Office of the City Clerk is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at (305) 250-5361, by email at City-Campaigns@miamigov.com, or visit City Clerk’s website at: https://www.miamigov.com/cityclerk 

NOTE: Bring completed fillable forms, government issued photo ID, voter information card, and supporting residency documents to your qualifying appointment.

Schedule an Appointment to Qualify

It is respectfully requested, that all prospective appointee(s) call, in advance, in order to set up an appointment with the Office of the City Clerk to submit qualifying documents. Appointments can be made by:

• Calling the Office of the City Clerk at (305) 250-5361 or (305) 250-5369 (TTY users may call via the Florida Relay Service by dialing 711)
• Emailing the Office of the City Clerk at City-Campaigns@miamigov.com

WHERE TO QUALIFY:    Miami City Hall - Office of the City Clerk
                                          3500 Pan American Drive         
                                          Miami, FL 33133 

OFFICE HOURS:          Monday through Friday
                                        8:00 AM to 5:00 PM    

Forms for potential appointment to the District 2 City Commission seat are available at the Office of the City Clerk, or on the City Clerk’s website at: https://www.miamigov.com/cityclerk

 Filling Vacancies Information

Pursuant to City Charter Section 12
a) A vacancy on the city commission or in the office of mayor caused by death, resignation, forfeiture, suspension, removal, or other action or causes shall be filled within ten days after such vacancy occurs by a majority of the remaining city commissioners. The person appointed must meet the qualifications of the office as required in section 4 of this Charter. The term of office of the person so appointed, except in the circumstances detailed in section (c) below, shall be until the successor in office is elected and qualified at whichever of the following occurs first:

1. the odd-year general municipal election for mayor and city commissioners held pursuant to section 4 of the Charter, or
2. the even-year State of Florida general election, at which election national, state and county offices are filled,

The candidates for such election shall be qualified as provided in section 4 of this Charter and the qualifying period and requirements for such election shall be as provided in section 7 of this Charter. The person elected as provided in (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this Section shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term of that office.

b) If the remaining city commissioners shall fail or refuse to fill such vacancy within ten days after it occurs, as provided herein, the city commission shall call a special election to fill the vacancy to be held at a date not less than thirty-eight or more than forty-five days after the expiration of the ten-day period and the five day qualifying period. The qualifying period for such special election shall be for the five days not including Saturday, Sunday or legal holidays before the thirty-eighth day before the date of the election and the procedure for the election not otherwise provided for in this section shall be as provided in section 7 of this Charter. Except in the circumstances detailed in section (c), effective November 7, 2017, the person who receives the greatest number of votes for the office in said special election is elected to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term of that office.

c) If a vacancy in any elected office is caused by forfeiture, suspension, or removal, the vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as described in sections (a) and (b) above, provided that if the elected official who has so vacated his or her seat is later absolved of the allegations of wrong-doing, that elected official shall be entitled to resume his or her elected position for the remainder of the unexpired term, if any. The term of the individual who assumed the position previously vacated by that elected official shall automatically terminate upon the restoration to office of the original seat-holder.

d) If the city commissioners shall fail to comply with their duties as set forth in this section, then, and in that event, the court is hereby empowered and authorized to enforce compliance with this act or to call an election itself to fill such vacancy or vacancies on the city commission or in the office of mayor.

LIST OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS FOR THE POTENTIAL APPOINTMENT TO THE VACANT DISTRICT 2 CITY COMMISSION SEAT 

As applicants submit their qualifying documents for the potential appointment to fill the District 2 vacancy, the list of applicants will be updated on a continuous basis. Please contact the Office of the City Clerk for the most current list of individuals who qualified for the potential appointment. 

(List below updated as of 1/7/2023)

• Michael Castro

• Kendall Coffey

• Sabina Covo

• Marcelo O. Fernandes 

• Michael J. Goggins

• Javier Gonzalez

• Lior Halabi

• Michael A. Hepburn

• Lorenzo J. Palomares

• Kathy Jane Parks Suarez 

• Laura Carolina Sala

• Renita Ross Samuels-Dixon

• June Ellen Savage

• Héctor L. Silva, Jr.

• Jorge Suarez-Menendez

• James Torres

• Mario Vuksanovic

• Martin Zilber