Miami-Dade voters elect Daniella Levine Cava first female county mayor

Miami-Dade voters elect Daniella Levine Cava first female county mayor
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Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava beat her colleague on the dais to become the next county mayor — making history as the first woman elected to the position, the second most power political job in Florida.

Levine Cava won with 54% of the vote, an 8-point lead over Commissioner Esteban Bovo, according to the Miami-Dade Elections Department’s posted results. He beat her slightly on Election Day (by 1,493 votes) and a little more solidly during early voting (by 33,688 votes) but lost too big in absentee or mail-in ballots (by 118,670 votes) for it to make a difference.

It’s not a huge surprise. Levine Cava led Bovo in most polls — one had her up by 15 points — and her campaign had assembled a diverse and energetic coalition of supporters that included paid staffers from the Democratic Party that’s been behind her since she first ran against Commissioner Lynda Bell in 2014. Bovo just had Cubans and Republicans, which used to be enough but not anymore.

“Miami’s glass ceiling has been shattered,” Levine Cava shouted at her victory party in Wynwood, and turned serious right away.

“Tonight we are celebrating this moment, but even as we celebrate, we know that the task that lies ahead will not be easy, not be easy at all,” she said, flowing in and out of Spanish much better these days, as if it were natural to her.

“Nearly 4,000 Miami-Dade County homes are missing a loved one tonight because of COVID-19. And thousands more are fighting to recover from this virus. And our economy is struggling to get back on its feet,” la alcaldesa said. “Many residents will go to bed tonight wondering how they will make ends meet. That is the very sad reality.

“Our challenges are numerous and the journey towards recovery will not be easy. But my pledge to you is that I will work harder than ever to lift our county back up.”

She is planning to spend her first day as mayor elect Wednesday at food distribution events in Miami Beach and Miami.

Read related: Esteban Bovo uses lies, scare tactics and division to campaign for county mayor

In his concession speech, Bovo thanked his family — with whom he had gone to vote earlier that day — and God and congratulated Donald Trump on winning Florida. He was flanked by a bunch of his Republican friends, many of whom had been seen campaigning for him in recent days: Sen. Marco Rubio, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, former Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, former Sen. and Commissioner Elect Rene Garcia. Also on stage: his wife Viviana, senior advisor to Senator Rubio.

But the truth is Bovo had already looked defeated for days. Weeks, maybe. He seemed deflated. His shoulders sagged more. He must have seen the same polling numbers that Levine Cava had been boasting about.

His scare tactics rhetoric about her radical agenda and allegations that DLC would defund the police not only fell on deaf ears, but gave her the opportunity to show his record with police layoffs, which ain’t good.

And he had the gall to air TV and radio spots that said he was for diversity — somos diversos — while a whisper campaign urged Cuban-American voters to stay loyal and keep the mayor’s seat from going back to an Anglo for the first time in more than 30 years.

Las malas lenguas say Bovo’s already been on plan B, which is to run for Hialeah mayor next year or go back to work at Hialeah Park, either of which would be full circle for him. Bovo was an adman at the historic racetrack when he was appointed as a Hialeah councilman in 1998. His son, Oscar de la Rosa, was elected councilman last year.

He does not have the love of the Hialeah hoodlums, however. Mayor Carlos Hernandez endorsed former Mayor Alex Penelas in the primary. And Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador, who basically runs every campaign in the City of Retrogress, has been trashing him on radio and Twitter.

Read related: More millions in Miami-Dade’s Esteban Bovo vs Daniella Levine Cava for mayor

One thing is for sure: Bovo can raise money.

Even though he was behind almost every candidate in fundraising before he made it into the runoff, Bovo pulled up even to Levine Cava in their campaign accounts, each with about $1.75 million, according to their campaign finance reports. Levine Cava had in her political action committee, Our Democracy, than Bovo did in his A Better Miami Dade PAC ($5.27 million compared to $4.5), but he had a better final two weeks ending Oct. 30, picking up an extra $879,161 between the two accounts to her $528,278.

In total, DLC raised just over $7 million and Bovo raised $6.26 mil. But they each paid more than $12 a vote, when you do the division.

Call it the price of making history.

15 Responses to "Miami-Dade voters elect Daniella Levine Cava first female county mayor"

  1. Joe ,
    I do not know if you will see this but Cava won because enough did not want Bovo , in other words voted against Bovo.

    The Miami Republican party needs NEW people because more and more had enough of the same white collar criminals . Sad thing is people like you are not criminals so why continue supporting esta basura ?

    NEW candidates without any slime is what you need and suspect you agree .

  2. Cava will need to reign in County spending. No more open coffers to friends of Carlos Gimenez and fat Ralphie. Oh and the Gimenez family will have to grift some where else? No more open check book to sleazy vendors. Can Cava reduce corruption at the County? Will Cava hire the best people?

  3. Too bad not enough people saw the pictures of her kneeling in submission to BLM raising her clenched fist or posing with the Sandinista National Liberation Front flag. Not to worry, maybe she’s just a “Progressive Socialist” like Donna not a Communist

  4. Congratulations to Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava ! She will make a Great Mayor for all the People of Miami-Dade County

  5. Commissioner Cava Co-Sponsor the Taxi ,Limos.& Jitney Relief grant That has Been A RUSSIAN TRIP to get the promised $2800. Since July 27 2020 and Still MOT AVAILABLE ! THE NEW MAYOR TO BE SHOULD CHECK THIS DTPW SCAM ?

  6. Just the Facts,
    And the assembly line of Cuban Mayors have not been robbing Miami blind ?

    I see your point but I see things differently then most here because if for once in the history of Miami we have a Mayor that is not a crook the money for projects like better public transportation can easily be there and no increase in any taxes .

    With the criminals that have for decades robbed this place in countless ways I find it unreal how all of a sudden people here are fiscal conservatives .

    With Republicans like Miami has who needs Nancy Pelosi . In fact put the letter ‘R’ in front of NY AOC and here she is considered a Republican .

    This place has never had a Republican in actual practice since we Cubans took over just crook after crook .

  7. Daniella Cava is super smart. Now she just has to find a way to fire 1,000 County employees and get 250,000 unemployed and underemployed private sector Miami-Dade County residents back to work. Taxes and fees and red tape are much too oppressive for far too many.

  8. Jose, you are not Cuban. You are a Cuban hater posing as one. Just know this, while you sleep in your gated community, those Cuban cops you accuse of being racist make sure you and your family are safe from criminals.
    I for one I’m proud of our police, specially those City of Miami Latin female cops who fought like lions against a mob two months ago to protect our property on Biscayne Boulevard. Our police work under very difficult circumstances and do a much better job than the police departments in Chicago, Seattle and Portland.
    If you hate Cubans so much,put a sock on it and high tail to wherever you came from. There are no tolls on I-95 hater.

  9. Thank you Urbina, I totally agree. Enjoy what is left of Miami Dade County as you know it. Miami Dade County coffers are empty due to the Covid shut downs, so get ready Citizens to pay for all the plans Ms. Cava has projected. The Budget will be filled with increases. How is the saying a County gets what they deserve. Sad we had people from other States influencing the vote in our County with donations to Ms. Cava’s campaign, Wait for it ! it’s own its way. Congratulations Miami Dade County.

  10. ” the price hike in minimum wage that small businesses can’t pay”

    As many Republicans as Democrats voted for this think it was 60 percent of the voters .

  11. Urbina
    The mostly Cuban police in Miami gets away with what an Anglo police dept would have their butts handed to them . You want to see selective enforcement of laws on those with dark skin just come to Miami which is probably the most racist police in Florida and I see it all the time .

    However I know that most Cubans in Miami have no problem with low police standards but I do .

  12. Donna Shelley,
    She was elected by Independents and some Republicans who though SADLY voted for Gimenez interestingly enough did not vote for Bovo like my Uncle / Aunts .

    No reasoning with them as far as the crook Gimenez .

    Even then her margin of victory was small she did it and I was pleasantly surprised .

    Hispanic Democrats under 35 = Political apathy and MOST do not vote , this has been my experience and a lost cause while Hispanic Republicans same age vote .

    Don’t get me started on the Black vote in Miami because though it increased it is still one of the worse in Florida .

  13. Congratulations to DLC on her win and all those who helped get her elected. This is one of few bright spots in Florida’s political scene today.

  14. From political neophyte to a long shot mayor in 2 cycles. She’s broken more than glass ceilings and fundraising records. The DNC has their new rising star. Congratulations to DLC and family.

  15. Ok, your candidate won. Now with a County Commission full of liberals get ready for the defunding of our police department, the Antifa destruction, the price hike in minimum wage that small businesses can’t pay, the high taxes to support “affordable living” for 20-something bums who refuse to work and the flooding of the suburbs with the criminal element brought by forced “integration”. Enjoy the beautiful BLM murals on every street from Miami Gardens to Homestead, the downing of our statues and the continued assault on our patriotic symbols. And after all that chaos, do you still think you won?

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