Eileen Higgins on Miami Mayoral Runoff: Housing, Transportation, and City Governance

Campaign Strategy and Voter Outreach

• 🎯 Eileen Higgins emphasizes a citywide campaign strategy, aiming to connect with voters in every neighborhood.
• 🤝 She believes that to be an effective mayor, one must be willing to serve all residents, not just those who consistently vote for them.

Addressing Key Urban Issues

• 🏘️ Higgins highlights her track record in affordable and workforce housing, having built 4,000 units and having 3,000 more in development.
• 🌊 She points to passing landmark legislation like the toughest fertilizer ordinance in Florida to improve water quality and address resiliency.
• 🚆 Funding for mass transit lines, including the South Corridor and Northeast Commuter Rail, is a key accomplishment she intends to build upon.

Improving City Governance and Services

• 🚦 Higgins stresses the need for the city to actively participate in the transportation planning organization and expand services like Metro Mover.
• 🛠️ She identifies bureaucracy and outdated technology as major issues within the permitting system, advocating for AI integration and modernization.
• 💰 Higgins criticizes the city's budget doubling without a corresponding increase in services, calling for a deep dive into budget efficiencies and elimination of waste.

Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability

• ⚖️ She opposes using city taxpayer money to pay for lawsuits stemming from commissioner misconduct, deeming it a waste of funds.
• 🗳️ Higgins advocates for elections over appointments for vacant county commission seats, believing public service requires seeking voter permission.

Governing Philosophy

• 🤝 Higgins emphasizes her ability to pass legislation with bipartisan support by focusing on solid, non-partisan ideas that benefit all residents.
• 🌟 She believes her success stems from serving all residents of her district, regardless of political party.