Miami's mayoral seat turned blue for the first time in 28 years, bringing to the forefront a Democratic mayor with a clear stance on housing policy issues.
The city of Miami crowned Eileen Higgins its mayor in a runoff election on Dec. 9, replacing incumbent Francis Suarez and beating Republican nominee Emilio T. González.
Higgins, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner, presented a platform to tackle the city’s housing affordability constraints during her campaign, offering housing solutions, such as fast-tracking permits for affordable housing projects, building on city-owned land, starting a trust to finance developments and kicking off transit-oriented projects, such as creating apartment rentals and condominiums stacked above or near the Metrorail or bus routes.
Her proposals follow the same vein as similar initiatives she pushed for as commissioner, including requiring landlords to provide renters with 60 days' notice of increases exceeding 5% and expanding down payment assistance programs for first-time homebuyers.
Her proposals come at a time when the median home price in the Miami metropolitan area slipped slightly in November to $560,000, a 0.9% decrease, according to exclusive Homes.com data.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, Miami's Class A (top-tier) multifamily rents are $2,962 a month, essentially flat from the same period a year ago, according to CoStar data.