Miami mayoral candidate reveals how he will flip script on Dem rival’s ‘city of renters’ strategy
In the upcoming Miami mayoral runoff election scheduled for December 9, Republican candidate Emilio Gonzalez is taking a strong stance against his Democratic opponent, Eileen Higgins. Gonzalez accuses Higgins of advocating for policies that would lead to a “city of renters,” despite her campaign’s focus on affordability and prosperity. Higgins, a sitting Miami-Dade County commissioner, garnered 35.96% of the vote in the initial election on November 4, while Gonzalez received 19.47%. With the city facing a housing crisis, Gonzalez argues that Higgins’ approach would perpetuate a cycle of renting rather than fostering homeownership, which he believes is essential for the American dream.
Gonzalez, an Army veteran and former West Point educator, emphasizes the need for Miami to become a “city of owners,” advocating for policies that would enable residents to afford homes rather than remain in rental situations. He criticizes Higgins’ record, suggesting that her efforts to build affordable housing units and provide small business grants have not significantly impacted the affordability crisis. He points to the high cost of living in Miami, where homes are often priced beyond the reach of many residents, particularly young professionals. In contrast, Gonzalez proposes eliminating property taxes, a plan he credits to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, arguing that such measures would put more money in residents’ pockets and encourage homeownership.
As the candidates prepare for a tightly contested runoff, Gonzalez expresses optimism about his chances, framing the election as a pivotal moment for Miami’s future. He warns against the dangers of socialist policies, drawing parallels to cities like New York and countries like Cuba, where he believes similar ideologies have led to decline. Gonzalez aims to resonate with Miami’s diverse population, many of whom have fled oppressive regimes, by positioning himself as a defender of their values and aspirations for homeownership and economic stability. With both candidates presenting starkly different visions for the city’s future, the December 9 runoff promises to be a significant event for Miami residents.
EXCLUSIVE
:
Miami Republican mayoral candidate
Emilio Gonzalez is accusing his progressive Democratic opponent Eileen Higgins of wanting to “create a city of renters” despite pushing a message of affordability. Instead, he is proposing a plan to turn Miami into a “city of owners.”
Gonzalez and Higgins will face off in a runoff election on Dec. 9 after none of the candidates reached 50% of the vote on election night on Nov. 4. Higgins won 35.96% of the vote while Gonzalez took home 19.47%.
Higgins, a Miami-Dade County commissioner who resigned her office to run for mayor, has emphasized “building an affordable and prosperous future.” She has touted her successes as county commissioner in investing nearly $3 million in small business grants and investments in building nearly 7,000 affordable housing units.
However, in an interview with Fox News Digital, Gonzalez, who is an Army veteran, former West Point teacher and business leader, warned that while Higgins has emphasized affordability in her campaign, her policies would stunt the American dream and keep citizens in perpetual renter status.
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Gonzalez has been endorsed by President
Donald Trump
, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.Â
“She can point to some votes on a county commission to help put up a building here or a building there. But it really doesn’t move the needle,” Gonzalez told Fox News Digital. “The affordability issue, it sounds very nice, but it means absolutely nothing because she really hasn’t done much when it comes to affordability.” Â
“Right now, Miami is so expensive. Nothing is affordable,” he continued. “We’re in a situation where our young people, once they graduate from college, they have to leave because the jobs here don’t pay enough. The apartments cost too much. Forget about a mortgage. There’s nothing in Miami that sells for less than five, six hundred thousand dollars right now. And the jobs will not support that.”
Meanwhile, he went after Higgins for talking up her belief in affordability while he said, “She wants to create a city of renters.”
“I, on the other hand, want to create a city of owners. I want property owners,” he said. “They want to talk about affordability, everybody does. They want to talk about the challenges of public transportation, everybody does. But it comes down to what is the solution, and that’s where I think we differ.”
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“We have vastly different views on how to move the city forward and what’s best for our residents. She believes in a very statist approach where the government needs to go out and help people build, build, build, build, build, and never to own, but just to rent,” he said. “And I’m about making sure that our residents have enough money in their pocket so that they can afford to buy a home and buy that first a condominium or buy that starter home.”
“The last thing I’m going to do is allow Miami to fall into the same trap that you’ve seen… in
New York
or Chicago, which is bankrupt, or L.A., which is quite frankly, looks like a wasteland in the downtown area. That’s not going to happen in Miami, it’s not.”
He praised
DeSantis
for advancing an agenda of eliminating property taxes in Florida, a policy he said he would implement if elected Miami mayor.
“I applaud Gov. DeSantis wanting to do away with property taxes. We can do that. And we can do that and not skip a beat,” he said. “Right now, property taxes make up less than 7% of the city’s budget. You know what? I think we can find 7% in efficiencies to offset that.”
“That’s just the beginning,” he went on, adding, “I think there are other opportunities that we have to put money in people’s pockets through efficiencies, through leveraging our resources and making this place affordable again.”
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Despite Higgins’ election night lead, Gonzalez said he is optimistic about his chances of success.
“This is a generational election,” he said. “It’s not going to be an easy race. It’ll be a tight race. It’s probably going to be maybe a five-point race. But we’re not letting up at all. We refuse to give up our future.”
Pointing to other U.S. cities, such as New York City, and countries like Cuba, that have embraced socialist policies, Gonzalez said, “The residents of Miami, the vast majority of whom came from socialist countries where socialists took over and destroyed their cities and their homes and their families, they don’t want that here.”
“We see what’s happened in other cities in the U.S. and… they do not want that here. And I am their candidate, and I’m going to make sure that that doesn’t happen here, even though it’s happened in other places in Latin America and in the United States.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Higgins’ campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Â
The winner of the runoff election will replace Republican Mayor Francis Suarez, who is term-limited.
