Miami-Dade commission appoints GOP lawmaker to open seat, rejecting election

In a close vote Tuesday, Miami-Dade County commissioners appointed a Republican state lawmaker to an empty board seat instead of calling a special election to fill the vacancy.

Rep. Vicki Lopez, a second-term member of the Florida House who has focused on condo reform, secured the county’s District 5 seat in a 7-5 vote. The seat representing parts of Miami and Miami Beach was vacated earlier this month by Eileen Higgins, a Democrat now running for mayor of the city of Miami.

“I see an empty seat,” Commissioner Keon Hardemon said before voting with the majority to appoint Lopez. “An empty seat leaves a major hole in any organization.”

Miami-Dade’s charter allows commissioners to either appoint someone to a vacant seat or allow voters to do it, and this is the third time in five years that commissioners opted to make the pick themselves.




https://www.aol.com/articles/miami-dade-commission-appoints-gop-210146995.html