Unions endorse – SEIU 32BJ and SEIU Local 1991 have endorsed Miami-Dade County Commissioner Vicki Lopez for District 5, praising her work with public-sector and healthcare workers as she faces a GOP challenger in the Aug. 18 nonpartisan primary.
When Miami-Dade’s service and healthcare unions moved to back Vicki Lopez for District 5, they were not just offering a campaign nod. They were signaling a priority: jobs, staffing pressures, and respect for the workers who keep the county running.
On Friday. endorsements from SEIU 32BJ and SEIU Local 1991 added to a fast-growing coalition around Lopez. the county commissioner appointed last year to represent District 5 after Eileen Higgins resigned following her election as Miami Mayor.. Both unions said Lopez’s record working with their members—and her focus on “real solutions”—is what won them over.
“Commissioner Lopez understands the pressures working families are facing, and she has shown a willingness to work with our members to find real solutions. We are proud to support her election to the County Commission,” said Helene O’Brien, Florida District Director of SEIU 32BJ.
SEIU 32BJ represents janitors, security officers, airport workers and other service employees across South Florida. SEIU Local 1991 represents employees, including nurses and physicians, at Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade’s public hospital network.
Local 1991 President Martha Baker framed that support as a matter of leadership for frontline workers. “Lopez has demonstrated a strong commitment to the health care workers who care for Miami-Dade families every day.”
“The nurses, physicians, and healthcare professionals at Jackson are on the front lines serving this community,” Baker said.. “We deserve leaders who are focused on strengthening our neighborhoods. improving quality of life. and ensuring government delivers for residents—and that’s why we are standing with Commissioner Vicki Lopez in her election campaign.”
Lopez welcomed the endorsements by emphasizing the broad workforce she says she is hearing from.. “From health care professionals at Jackson to security officers. janitors. airport employees. and so many other essential service workers. these men and women deserve leaders who will fight for safer neighborhoods. economic opportunity. and a better quality of life for working families. ” she said.. “I’m grateful for their support and proud to stand alongside them.”
Those union backers are joining a longer list of support Lopez has collected in District 5. which includes the cities of Miami and Miami Beach.. The campaign has also drawn endorsements from the South Florida Police Benevolent Association. along with Miami Beach Commissioners Tanya Katzoff Bhatt. Laura Dominguez. Alex Fernandez and Monica Matteo-Salinas.. All four of the Miami Beach officials are Democrats.. Lopez is a Republican.
Even with those party labels, the race itself remains technically nonpartisan. Miami Beach and Miami-Dade Commission elections are nonpartisan, as are their contests.
That makes the contest’s practical battleground look different: not party registration, but turnout and coalition-building among voters who care about public services. The money side, though, is already tilting toward Lopez.
Campaign finance reports show Lopez holding a substantial monetary advantage over her lone challenger. Florida Highway Patrol trooper and former Miami City Commissioner Joe Sanchez. who is also a Republican.. Lopez raised nearly $589,000 during the last reporting quarter, far outpacing Sanchez’s fundraising totals.
All Miami-Dade County Commission candidates will be on the Aug. 18 Primary ballot. Because the races are technically nonpartisan, if a candidate wins more than 50% of the vote outright, there is no runoff. Otherwise, the top two finishers will advance to a Nov. 3 runoff election.
Vicki Lopez Miami-Dade Commission District 5 SEIU 32BJ SEIU Local 1991 Jackson Health System Joe Sanchez Miami Beach Commissioners nonpartisan election Aug. 18 primary Nov. 3 runoff