The field is set for a crucial Miami Beach election. Here are the candidates

Aaron Leibowitz
·2 min read

Miami Beach voters will pick a new mayor and three new city commissioners in November among a field of candidates that was finalized Friday, an election that could shift the balance of power in city government as a majority of the seven elected officials leave office.

The city clerk’s office confirmed that 10 candidates who had filed to run for office all met the requirements to qualify by a Friday 5 p.m. deadline, setting the stage for a critical Nov. 7 election.

Four candidates are running for mayor to replace term-limited Mayor Dan Gelber: former Miami Beach city commissioner Michael Gongora, former city commissioner and state representative Mike Grieco, current city commissioner Steven Meiner, and former MTV executive Bill Roedy.

READ MORE: Who will be the next mayor of Miami Beach? Four hopefuls square off at first forum

All three commission races will also be contested after a last-minute change on Friday. Hotel owner Mitch Novick jumped out of the Group 4 race and into the Group 5 race to challenge David Suarez, the marketing director for a skincare company and an activist against short-term rentals in the city’s South of Fifth neighborhood.

Suarez was previously the only candidate running for the Group 5 commission seat currently occupied by Ricky Arriola, who is term-limited.

All of the commission seats are at-large positions representing the entire city.

Two candidates are seeking the Group 4 seat currently held by Meiner: real estate broker Andres Asion and marketing professional Tanya Katzoff Bhatt.

Bhatt initially filed in February to run in Group 5, then switched in April to Group 6 — a seat being vacated by David Richardson, who is running for Miami-Dade County tax collector — before ultimately moving to Group 4 this week.

The two candidates for Richardson’s seat are finance professional Joe Magazine and art adviser and curator Marcella Novela.

Election information

For Miami Beach residents who aren’t registered to vote and want to participate in the November election, the deadline for the Miami-Dade elections department to receive a voter registration application is Oct. 10.

Early voting will take place at Miami Beach City Hall and the North Shore Branch Library from Oct. 23 to Nov. 5.

After Election Day on Nov. 7, a runoff election will be held Nov. 21 for any races in which no candidate received more than 50% of the vote.