This is the second in Biscayne Times’ series of profiles of Miami mayoral candidates.
This month we cover Michael A. Hepburn, who has never held office but is a long-time community activist, and Eileen Higgins, who has represented parts of Miami on the county commission since 2018.
Michael A. Hepburn
(Courtesy: Michael A. Hepburn)
Michael A. Hepburn, a community activist, is running for Miami mayor
Michael A. Hepburn, 42, is a community activist, lifelong Miamian and descendant of one of the 162 Black men who signed the incorporation papers to create the City of Miami in 1896.
Since 2014 he’s run for three elected positions, including the U.S. House and the Miami Commission. Now, he’s entered the race for city mayor. If elected, he said, he would become the city’s first top Black elected official, the second Miami-born mayor and the youngest ever chosen.
“The cost of living… is the most pressing issue that we have,” said Hepburn. “My policy and my initiatives… all come from that one concept — how do I lower the cost of living for working-class families?”
He says his platform includes cutting the city’s property tax rate to its lowest point since the 1960s, developing 9,000 affordable housing units over four years and expanding assistance programs for seniors.
He also wants to speed up infrastructure repairs, improve the city-run trolley system, and expand youth programs and scholarships.
“We need to end corruption at City Hall,” he said.
A graduate of FIU, where he studied sports management and served as student government vice president, Hepburn has spent the past two decades working on more than 11 civic boards and local initiatives. He started a scholarship foundation for Miami high school students, launched a neighborhood association and graduated from the Miami Police Department’s Citizens Academy.
He believes civic empowerment is the city’s biggest failure and its best hope.
“You have a city with that type of disconnect, it's really easy to have corruption because no one is paying attention,” he said.
Hepburn says his campaign is about restoring civic trust in a city where, for too long, regular residents have been left out of the conversation.
He asks, “What are you doing to make tomorrow better, not just for you, but for your colleagues, your peers, and your neighbors?”
Eileen Higgins
(Courtesy: Eileen Higgins)
Eileen Higgins, a longtime Miami commissioner, hopes to be elected Miami mayor.
Eileen Higgins, 60, made a name for herself as “La Gringa” in 2018 when she first ran for office in District 5 of the county commission, which includes Little Havana, Brickell, and South Beach. Now she’s set her sights on the mayor’s seat.
“City Hall has basically been in chaos,” said Higgins. “And when City Hall is in chaos, nothing gets done for the people. I want to restore confidence by getting things done, restoring confidence, by delivering for the residents, and I have a track record to do that.”
Higgins recently began a third four-year term after securing re-election without opposition. A downtown Miami resident, she will have to leave behind many of those who supported her during city qualifying in September.
She will also leave behind a swing seat on the commission – which is now majority Democrat, but could turn red.
Many are apprehensive about her imminent departure from the county dais.
“I think it would be a total waste, a waste of her ability,” said Cindy Lerner, former mayor of Pinecrest.
But Higgins believes her experience at the county level has made her a strong candidate for Miami mayor.
“What I've learned at the county is what I'm going to bring to the city,” said Higgins. “Residents know I get things done. The City of Miami needs a mayor that's experienced and ethical.”
Higgins is an aggressive campaigner. In 2020 she fought back when her opponent, Renier Diaz de la Portilla, pictured her in a campaign ad wearing a Che Guevara-style beret and being anti-police. She responded by picturing him with Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro in front of a Chinese flag. (He called the ad false and confusing.)
Born in Ohio, Higgins, who has a net worth of $4.2 million, grew up in a small business family and understands the challenges of building a business from scratch. And supporting small businesses is one of her top priorities as mayor.
It’s work she has already taken on at the county level, offering educational business classes and creating loan funds.
“If we neglect these small businesses, we’re really missing the boat,” said Higgins.
Higgins is also preparing to take on flooding issues by speeding up the permitting process and making critical infrastructure updates.
“There is a huge backlog in the city that needs to be accelerated,” she said.
She also acknowledges the housing crisis facing the community.
“If people cannot afford to live here, they can't work here,” she said. “And we are at risk of a vibrant future.”