This Monday, some South Florida residents are returning to a vote to choose local authorities. Polls open this morning at 7:00 a.m. for the District 2 special election in the city of Miami.
There are 13 candidates seeking to represent this district. This is quite a diverse group, each with different priorities, ranging from the effects of climate change, to congestion in this area, to the issue of affordable housing.
The position has been vacant since January, when the previous commissioner, Ken Russell, resigned to run for Congress and lose the election. Additionally, state law required him to leave his position on the city commission 10 months before the end of his second four-year term.
District 2 is home to one of Miami’s most thriving communities, including Virginia Key, Coconut Grove, Downtown, and Brickell, though it extends north to the Edgewater and Morningside neighborhoods.
Much of it touches Biscayne Bay, making the district the most vulnerable to climate change, especially sea level rise.
Polling places will remain open until 7 p.m. and voters are encouraged to verify their polling place on the Miami-Dade County Department of Elections website, https://www.miamidade.gov/global/elections /home page.
Of the 49,195 eligible voters as of Friday, some 3,180 had already taken part in the early vote for 6.46% of the total. They are divided into 1,735 Democrats, some 646 Republicans and 47 independents, according to figures updated this Friday noon.