President Trump wants to move the needle in the Miami mayoral race, endorsing Republican Emilio González against Democrat Eileen Higgins.

Why it matters: After Trump's unsuccessful endorsement of Andrew Cuomo in the New York mayor's race, he will again try rousing Republicans in a city where they are outnumbered by Democrats.

State of play: Higgins, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner, led all candidates in a crowded general election, receiving about 36% of the vote to González's 19%.

• Higgins and González must now compete in a Dec. 9 runoff after neither candidate received a majority of votes. The race is technically nonpartisan.

What they're saying: Trump — who has backed Miami political candidates in the past — announced his endorsement Sunday evening on Truth Social, promising González will "NEVER LET YOU DOWN."

• Trump, who misspelled González's last name, said the ex-Miami city manager would "fight tirelessly" to "stop migrant crime," maintain a secure U.S. border and cut taxes, among other actions.

González thanked Trump on social media, saying the president's "support sends a powerful message that our city deserves strong common-sense leadership."

Friction point: The Higgins campaign responded Monday by questioning whether González supports the Trump administration's policies on immigration, tariffs and health care.

• "With President Trump's endorsement, Mr. González now has a series of questions to answer for the residents of Miami," campaign manager Christian Ulvert wrote in a press release.

The other side: In a statement, González said he supports securing the border and deporting "gang members, pedophiles, human traffickers, and violent offenders who put our safety and security at risk."

• "Following state and federal law, my office will work with ICE to prioritize safety without politicizing enforcement in close coordination with our police chief and Miami Dade County sheriff's office."

The intrigue: González, who was born in Cuba and served as the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said at a recent candidate forum that he expects federal immigration agents to treat Miamians with respect.

• "I will always defend my immigrant community. But I will never ever defend rapists, thugs, murderers and child molesters just to make a point with the federal government," he said, according to WLRN.
• Higgins responded, "They told us they were gonna go after criminals. But they're going after everybody," per the outlet.

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It's officially "Best Of" season, when everyone rounds up their favorite places, things and events from the year.

• First up: The Infatuation's "Best New Restaurants of 2025."

Why it matters: 2025 has been marked by restaurant closures across the county, so it's more important than ever to highlight the newcomers.

State of plate: Three of the 10 restaurants included were pizzerias (can confirm pizza dominated my dining-out experiences this year).

• My favorite was Marc's Artisanal Pizzeria, which I finally tried after the initial (well-warranted) hoopla subsided.
• Bar Bucce (vibes surpass the 'za in my opinion) and Fratesi's Pizza (excellent 'za, but don't skip the tahini Caesar salad) also made the list.

Between the lines: I've only dined at half of the ranked restaurants.

Zoom in: Kudos to the Infatuation folks! They visit a handful of times before reviewing restos and getting a table at Tina in the Gables is mission impossible.

• My friends and I finally managed to get in one morning by arriving before 9am. It was worth the early morning wake-up call.
• The "3 in 1" juice cured me, my eggs were heavily coated in Parm, and the PB&J sliders were the perfect sweet treat. (No, I didn't try the famous French toast.)

Zoom out: I was stoked to see Double Luck on the list, as I've been a few times since my first visit.

• Everyone raves about the orange chicken (fair), but the spicy Sichuan noodles remain undefeated in my book!

What's next: It might be No. 10, but Sticky Rice Lao, Thai & Sushi is at the top of my must-try list.

The bottom line: Marc's deserved a higher position in the Top 10! But if the five remaining spots on the list are anything like the others, I know I'm in for a tasty meal.

The Infatuation's full Best New Restaurants list can be found here.

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🫒 Ava MediterrAegean is opening in Coconut Grove Thursday, offering upscale Mediterranean cuisine. (Miami New Times)

✅ A developer's plans to purchase Miami Seaquarium will head to a Miami-Dade County Commission vote next month after Terra Group received preliminary approval to acquire the lease for $22.5 million. (The Real Deal)

🚰 A1rwater, a canned and bottled water company based in Abu Dhabi, is moving its global headquarters and manufacturing facility to Hialeah next year. (South Florida Business Journal)

Lt. Gov. Jay Collins may have soft-launched his bid for Florida governor over the weekend, with campaign-style ads airing during some of Saturday's most-watched college football games.

Why it matters: His entry into the race to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis would tee up another showdown between the governor and President Trump — this time through their preferred candidates.

Driving the news: The ads seemed ripped from a DeSantis stump speech, depicting former Hillsborough state Sen. Collins as standing up to China, protecting parents' rights and eliminating property taxes.

• All of which frames Collins — a relatively unknown figure statewide — as the natural heir to the governor's platform. And after Saturday's ads came a Sunday interview on "Facing South Florida" with Jim DeFede.
• When asked if he was running for governor, Collins told DeFede: "We are just finalizing a plan... and we'll put out our final decision shortly, but we are really close to making that call."

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The Miami metro area ranks among the top 10 in the country for the fastest-growing entry-level wages, per new Glassdoor data.

Driving the news: Early-career wages in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area rose 5.2% annually on average between 2020 and October 2025, according to Glassdoor's report.

How it works: That's based on more than 5 million salary datapoints from Glassdoor users "with 0-4 years of relevant experience in their current job from January 2020 through October 31, 2025," and among metro areas with at least 1,000 salary datapoints per year.

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