Miamians head to the polls for special election in District 2

There's a special election Monday in Miami to elect a new commissioner to represent most coastal areas of the city from Morningside to Coconut Grove.

• Early voting began Thursday and continues today and Saturday at Miami City Hall, Lemon City Library and the Stephen P. Clark Government Center.

• On Election Day, voters must go to their assigned polling places, which can be found online.

Catch up quick: Thirteen candidates are running to fill the vacancy in District 2 created by the resignation of former commissioner Ken Russell, who had to give up the seat because he ran for Congress last year.

• The winning candidate will only serve the eight months left in Russell’s term, and a new election will be held in November for a new four-year term.

Why it matters: The race has drawn more than $1.4 million in political spending, according to the Miami Herald, and whoever wins will have the advantage of incumbency in November.

• The leading fundraiser in the race is former Miami-Dade judge Martin Zilber, who resigned in 2021 following accusations that he skipped work and used his staff to run personal errands.
• The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended at the time that Zilber be suspended and fined but the Florida Bar last year found no probable cause to sanction him.

Other candidates include:

• Real estate agent Javier González, who has twice run for the District 2 seat.

• James Torres, president of the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, whom the Miami Herald Editorial Board endorsed.
• Sabina Covo, the former director of Hispanic media relations at the Florida Department of Agriculture.
• Eddy Leal, an attorney who works in Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s office.

Go deeper: Read where candidates stand on issues like policing and housing from the Herald and find the full list of candidates online.