Miami Beach Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

Vicki Lopez is the appointed incumbent District 5 commissioner, facing her first commission election on the August 18 ballot. A former state legislator, she was appointed in late 2025 after Eileen Higgins resigned to run for Miami mayor, and has drawn endorsements from the Miami-Dade Sheriff, the county firefighters union, and the South Florida PBA while raising nearly $1.2 million, per Florida Politics coverage.

Priorities: Housing and condo-safety policy · Transportation · Constituent services

Rob Piper is a retired Marine Corps officer who served from 1993 to 2016 with three combat tours in Iraq, later a Florida House legislative aide with a PhD in international relations, per his campaign site. The Miami-Dade Democratic Party endorsed him in this race, per the party's voter guide.

Priorities: Transparency and accountability in county government, per his campaign site · Lower housing costs and expand affordable housing, per his campaign site · Climate resilience and flood protection, per his campaign site

Joe Sanchez spent 36 years with the Florida Highway Patrol in a 38-year public service career, receiving the Medal of Valor for his leadership in the ValuJet crash recovery, and served 11 years as a City of Miami commissioner including a term as chairman, per his campaign site. He is also a U.S. Army Reserve veteran.

Priorities: Eliminate property taxes for seniors with homesteaded homes, per his campaign site · Defend the Miami River, Biscayne Bay, and the Urban Development Boundary, per his campaign site · Affordability so residents can stay in Miami, per his campaign site