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SAVE Action PAC backs Eileen Higgins for Mayor, Rob Piper for Commission in Miami races

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A little over a month from Miami’s General Election, the political arm of South Florida’s longest-serving LGBTQ rights group is throwing its support behind two Democrats running for separate city offices.

SAVE Action PAC, associated with Miami-based SAVE, is endorsing Eileen Higgins for Mayor and Rob Piper for the City Commission’s Group 3 seat.

SAVE Executive Director Todd Delmay said “Miami is at a crossroads’ and needs “bold leadership to address housing costs, corruption, and the climate challenges we face.”

“Eileen and Rob are ready to meet this moment,” he said in a statement. “They understand that equality must be at the center of every solution, and they will fight for a city where everyone can thrive.”

Delmay said Higgins, the Miami-Dade County Commission’s longest-serving current member, has “shown up time and again” for residents.

“Her commitment and connection to the community are unmatched — when she makes promises, she follows through, and we’ve seen her stand with us in office,” he said.

“From expanding affordable housing to protecting LGBTQ rights, she brings both vision and proven experience. Miami would be fortunate to have her as mayor, because we know she will remain true to her values even once elected, and the people of Miami need that leadership right now.”

Delmay also lauded Piper’s “dedication to transparency and civic engagement,” which he said “will help restore trust in city government and ensure that every community has a voice at City Hall.”

A SAVE press note said the SAVE Action PAC’s endorsement process is “rigorous, involving candidate questionnaires and interviews with a diverse panel of community leaders.”

Endorsements are only given to candidates who “demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting civil rights, supporting inclusive policies, and representing the best interests of Miami residents,” the group said.

Higgins is one of 13 candidates running to succeed term-limited Mayor Francis Suarez.

Other Democrats in the race include former Miami Commissioner Ken RussellEllijah Bowdre and Michael Hepburn.

Republicans running for Mayor include Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Miami Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, former City Manager Emilio GonzálezChristian CevallosAlyssa Crocker and June Savage.

Candidates Laura AndersonKenneth DeSantis and former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez, who previously served as a Miami-Dade Commissioner and is the current Mayor’s father, have no party affiliation.

Higgins also carries endorsements from Miami Gardens Sen. Shevrin Jones, Miami Rep. Ashley Gantt, LiUNA Local 1652SEIU 32BJEquality Florida Action PACEMILY’s List and Ruth’s List Florida.

Franklin, a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces South and longtime Miami resident, faces seven others running to replace Carollo, including one other Democrat: Oscar Alejandro.

Republicans Yvonne Bayona, Brenda Betancourt, Rolando Escalona, Denise Turros, Fayez Tanous and Frank Carollo — a former City Commissioner and the brother of the seat’s current occupant — are running too.

Miami’s elections are technically nonpartisan.

The General Election is Nov. 4.

If no candidate in a given race receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff.



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Miles Davis tapped to lead School Board organizing workshop at national LGBTQ conference

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Miles Davis is taking his Florida-focused organizing playbook to the national stage.

Davis, Policy Director at PRISM Florida and Director of Advocacy and Communications at SAVE, has been selected to present a workshop at the 2026 Creating Change Conference, the largest annual LGBTQ advocacy and movement-building convention.

It’s a major nod to his rising role in Florida’s LGBTQ policy landscape.

The National LGBTQ Task Force, which organizes the conference, announced that Davis will present his session, “School Board Organizing 101.” His proposal rose to the top of more than 550 submissions competing for roughly 140 slots, a press note said, making this year’s conference one of the most competitive program cycles in the event’s history.

His workshop will be scheduled during the Jan. 21-24 gathering in Washington, D.C.

Davis said his selection caps a strong year for PRISM Florida, where he helped shepherd the organization’s first-ever bill (HB 331) into the Legislature. The measure, sponsored by Tampa Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart, would restore local oversight over reproductive health and HIV/AIDS instruction, undoing changes enacted under a 2023 expansion to Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.

Davis’ workshop draws directly from that work and aims to train LGBTQ youth, families and advocates in how local boards operate, how public comment can shape decisions and how communities can mobilize around issues like book access, inclusive classrooms and student safety.

“School boards are where the real battles over student safety, book access, and inclusive classrooms are happening,” Davis said. “I’m honored to bring this training to Creating Change and help our community build the skills to show up, speak out, and win — especially as PRISM advances legislation like HB 331 that returns power to our local communities.”

Davis’ profile has grown in recent years, during which he jumped from working on the campaigns and legislative teams of lawmakers like Hart and Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones to working in key roles for organizations like America Votes, PRISM and SAVE.

The National LGBTQ Task Force, founded in 1973, is one of the nation’s oldest LGBTQ advocacy organizations. It focuses on advancing civil rights through federal policy work, grassroots engagement and leadership development.

Its Creating Change Conference draws thousands for four days of training and strategy-building yearly, a press note said.



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Kevin Steele seeks insight from conservative leaders at Rick Scott-led summit

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State Rep. Kevin Steele’s campaign for Chief Financial Officer already enjoys political support from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. The Dade City Republican attended a summit headlined by the Senator to also gain some policy insight and mentoring.

Steele was among the attendees for the Rescuing the American Dream summit held on Thursday in Washington, D.C. He said it was a quest for knowledge that drew him to Capitol Hill to hear the discussion.

“The way you do things better in the future is by learning from people who have already accomplished something,” Steele told Florida Politics at the event.

Scott gave a shoutout to Steele from the stage. The Governor already endorsed Steele, who is challenging the appointed Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia in 2026. At the summit, Scott both promoted conservative successes in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term and laid out visions on issues from health care reform to cryptocurrency.

Steele called the panel discussions “amazing” and instructive on tackling affordability issues in Florida.

“If we don’t start addressing those things head first, we’re going to fall behind,” Steele said. “I think we’ve lost several million jobs in the state of Florida over the past six or seven years. Learning from Rick Scott and how to bring jobs back to the state is a good thing. And I think that we need to start tackling some of the big, big things that we need to attack.”

That includes addressing property insurance premiums head on and evaluating the property tax situation.

While he will be challenging a Republican incumbent in a Primary, Steele voiced caution at comparing his philosophy too directly with Ingoglia, a former Republican Party of Florida Chair with a history of animus with Scott.

But he did suggest Ingoglia’s recent scrutinizing of local governments may be starting at the wrong place when it comes to cutting spending.

“We need to start focusing on state down, instead of going to a county and pointing out flaws there,” Steele said. “There’s a lot of issues at the state level that we can address, some of which we are, some of which I’ve submitted different bills to address. I think that there’s a lot of waste and abuse at the state level that we can focus on.”



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Darren Soto refuses to call for Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation

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U.S. Rep. Darren Soto is refusing to say whether indicted U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick should vacate her seat in Congress.

Video obtained by Florida Politics shows Soto being confronted on Capitol Hill. “Will you call on Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to resign?” the videographer asks.

Initially, Soto remains silent, but the questioner suggests that silence shows “support” for someone who “stole $5 million in health care funds for the most vulnerable.” The Kissimmee Democrat then responds but continues walking away from the camera. He then conflates a censure motion against U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, and Cherfilus-McCormick, a Miramar Democrat.

“Both Mills and Cherfilus-McCormick, both will have due process. Thank you,” Soto said.

Both Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills remain the subjects of ongoing House Ethics Committee investigations. But only Cherfilus-McCormick now faces criminal prosecution for alleged financial crimes.

A grand jury in November indicted Cherfilus-McCormick on charges she stole $5 million in disaster relief funds to finance her 2021 congressional campaign.

The indictment alleges that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, secured funding intended for a COVID vaccine distribution program, but when overpayments were made, she routed the spending through several accounts that later donated the funds as campaign contributions.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said pursuant to House rules that Cherfilus-McCormick had to give up her ranking status on the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. Local Democrats have started to issue calls for the Miramar Democrat’s resignation. But there have been no calls from Democratic members of Congress.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, has said if she won’t resign, he will move for her expulsion.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which lists Soto as a target in 2026, slammed Soto’s unwillingness to criticize a fellow Democrat.

“Darren Soto’s refusal to call on Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to resign is unacceptable,” said NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole. “Floridians deserve a representative who fights for them, not his taxpayer-thieving colleague.”



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