Jean Monestime, Rudy Moise jump into the bunch
Every so often, South Florida politics experiences one of those rare celestial events that only comes around once in a blue moon: an open congressional seat.
Not a scandal. Not an indictment. Not a recount. Not a death grip incumbent hanging on until the bitter end.
An actual vacancy.
And just like sharks sensing blood in Biscayne Bay, the hopefuls are already circling.
Only days after Congresswoman Frederica Wilson announced that she would not seek reelection — just as she was honored with a street in her name — former Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Jean Monestime officially jumped into the race for Florida’s 24th Congressional District, joining physician, businessman, retired Air Force colonel and 
serial candidate Rudy Moise, who had already planted his flag weeks earlier — before Wilson had even publicly announced her retirement.
Even before State Sen. Shevrin Jones suspended his own reelection campaign to announce he would make the congressional bid the next day.
And Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, while he hasn’t announced, resigned from his seat the same day Wilson announced — making it effective Jan. 3, which is when a new congress member would be sworn in.
And just like that, one of South Florida’s safest Democratic seats is becoming the region’s hottest political free-for-all.
Read related: Frederica Wilson drops the mic = North Miami-Dade’s musical chairs begins
For nearly three decades, Wilson has dominated the district’s political landscape, first in Tallahassee and then in Washington. At 83, her decision to step aside creates the kind of political opportunity that ambitious politicians dream about and consultants pray for.
Open seats are political gold. No incumbent. No entrenched campaign machine. No sitting member raising millions while challengers beg for scraps.
Just one vacant throne and a growing line of people who think they deserve it.
Monestime enters with perhaps the most traditional political résumé in the field.
The former county commissioner made history as the first Haitian American elected to the Miami-Dade Commission and later became the first Haitian American to chair the commission. Born in Haiti, he immigrated to the United States alone at age 17, learned English, earned degrees from FIU and Nova Southeastern, built a business career and eventually rose through the ranks of Miami-Dade politics.
His announcement leaned heavily into that immigrant success story.
“This district deserves a representative who understands the struggles of working families, the hopes of immigrants seeking opportunity, and the importance of creating pathways to economic success for the next generation,” Monestime said.
He was going to run for mayor in 2020, but withdrew and threw his support behind Daniella Levine Cava.
Moise is offering something different. The wealthy physician and healthcare entrepreneur has run for Congress multiple times and was already running again — just not in this seat.
After initially seeking the Democratic nomination in Congressional District 20 following the April resignation of Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, — right before a likely expulsion vote after she was indicted for fraud in November — Moise abruptly switched races and 
filed in CD 24, where he argued the district needed more energy, urgency and day-to-day engagement.
Of course it has nothing to do with the redrawing of the districts that made 20 more Republican than ever.
“Public service is not about protecting political comfort zones,” Moise said when he launched his campaign before Wilson had announced her retirement. Except he knew. Everybody did.
Moise has spent years trying to convert his considerable business success and community profile into elected office. He operates a network of healthcare clinics, owns medical businesses throughout South Florida and has become a familiar figure in Haitian-American civic circles.
Unlike Monestime, who comes from the traditional political lane, Moise is pitching himself as the outsider businessman and problem solver.
Then there’s Jones.
Read related: Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones won’t run for re-election; will he run for Congress?
If Jean Monestime is the seasoned county hall veteran and Rudy Moise is the wealthy outsider trying to buy a ticket to Washington, Shevrin Jones is the polished political thoroughbred who has spent the last decade methodically climbing every rung on the Democratic ladder. Jones may be the most naturally positioned candidate in the field. He’s young enough to represent a new generation, experienced enough to claim a legislative record, and connected enough to have supporters from Miami Gardens to Tallahassee already on speed dial.
And with these three competing for votes in the August primary, the race immediately becomes a fascinating test of political coalitions.
Monestime would likely compete for support within the district’s large Haitian-American community, one of the largest in the nation.
Jones would bring strong support from Miami Gardens and the district’s African-American political establishment.
Moise would attempt to position himself somewhere in between, appealing to voters looking for a nontraditional candidate with business credentials and personal wealth.
And there is every reason to believe more candidates are coming. Because that’s what happens when a congressional seat opens up in South Florida.
State legislators start making calls. County commissioners start looking at district maps. School Board members suddenly become interested in 
federal policy. Former elected officials emerge from retirement.
And consultants begin billing by the hour.
Everybody sees an opening.
The new district lines only add another layer of intrigue. Under the congressional map approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis, CD 24 remains heavily Democratic, stretching through portions of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including Miami Gardens, Miramar, Hollywood and Pembroke Pines. Nearly 69 percent of voters backed Kamala Harris in 2024, making the Democratic primary the race that really matters.
The winner next August will likely be packing for Washington shortly thereafter.
For now, the campaign is still in its infancy.
No major endorsements. No fundraising reports. No attack ads. No opposition research leaks.
Yet.
But make no mistake. Frederica Wilson’s retirement has set off a chain reaction that could reshape Democratic politics across North Miami-Dade and parts of Broward for years to come.
The seat is open. The sharks are in the water.
And the feeding frenzy has only just begun.
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