Early voting underway in Miami Beach as mayor, commission seats to be decided – NBC 6 South Florida

Miami Beach will be choosing a new mayor and filling a few commission seats in next month’s election.

Here’s what you need to know.

Voting timeline

Although election day is Nov. 7, early voting began on Oct. 23 and will end on Nov. 5.

Miami Beach’s early voting sites are located at Miami Beach City Hall and the North Shore Branch Library.

Click here for Miami Beach’s early voting schedule.

The last day to request a vote-by-mail is Oct. 26 by 5 p.m. Vote-by-mail ballots can be dropped into secure drop boxes outside the two early voting locations in Miami Beach.

Mayor’s Race

Four candidates are running to be mayor of Miami Beach, a position held by Dan Gelber since 2017. Term limits prevent Gelber from running again.

Michael Gongora, an attorney, has served three terms as a Miami Beach commissioner, from 2006-2007, 2009-2013, and 2017-2021.

Mike Grieco, another attorney, is a former member of the Florida House of Representatives and a former Miami Beach commissioner, from 2013 to 2017. He previously ran for mayor in 2017 before dropping out of the race.

Steven Meiner, also an attorney, is currently Miami Beach’s Group 4 commissioner but is giving up the position to run for mayor.

Bill Roedy is a West Point graduate who served a year in Vietnam before attending Harvard Business School. He’s also a former MTV executive.

Commission Races

Three of the Miami Beach’s six commission seats are also up for grabs in this year’s election.

For Meiner’s Group 4 seat, real estate broker and business consultant Andres Asion is facing former marketing executive and Miami Beach Planning Board Vice Chair Tanya Katzoff Bhatt.

The Group 5 race pits hotel owner and former Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board Chairman Mitch Novick against marketing director David Suarez.

In the Group 6 race, Miami Beach Planning Board member Joe Magazine is facing activist and Chair of Art in Public Places for the City of Miami Beach Marcella Novela.