Miami-Dade Officials on Cannabis

Last verified: May 2026

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (Miami-Dade County)

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D, Miami-Dade County). First woman elected mayor of Miami-Dade (2020), re-elected August 2024. Endorsed Amendment 3, listed by Ballotpedia among the public officials supporting the measure. Levine Cava manages a $12 billion annual budget and 23,000 county employees serving nearly 3 million residents.

Cannabis-policy implications under Mayor Levine Cava’s administration:

• Continued operation of the 2015 Miami-Dade civil-citation ordinance
• Continued coordination with the State Attorney’s Office on prosecution declination
• No major county-level cannabis policy changes pre- or post-Amendment 3 vote
• Endorsed Amendment 3 publicly

Mayor Eileen Higgins (City of Miami)

Mayor Eileen Higgins (D, City of Miami). Higgins succeeded the term-limited Francis Suarez and took office in late 2025; she is the first female Mayor of the City of Miami. Higgins’s pre-mayoral record on cannabis is more progressive than Suarez’s — she represented District 5 (which includes Little Havana) on the Miami-Dade County Commission since 2018.

Higgins’s mayoralty is in early days as of May 2026; significant city-level cannabis policy initiatives have not yet emerged. Continued operation of the City of Miami civil-citation ordinance is the baseline.

Former Mayor Francis Suarez (City of Miami, 2017–December 2025)

Former Mayor Francis Suarez (R, City of Miami, 2017–December 2025) had a mixed cannabis record:

• As a city commissioner in February 2017, Suarez was absent for the unanimous Miami City Commission vote authorizing civil citations for misdemeanor cannabis possession
• In his subsequent 2024 presidential campaign, he posted on Twitter: “Federal policy on cannabis needs to catch up with the will of the American people and the 40 states which have legalized medical and/or adult use.”
• During his mayoralty, the city’s Planning and Zoning Appeals Board and the Miami City Commission ultimately allowed MMTCs to open after years of effective municipal blockade

Suarez’s presidential campaign positioning on cannabis was meaningfully more permissive than his pre-presidential record suggested. The Suarez-to-Higgins transition in late 2025 represents a generational shift in City of Miami cannabis posture, though the practical regulatory framework continues largely unchanged.

Sheriff Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz

Sheriff Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz (R) is the first elected sheriff of Miami-Dade in nearly 60 years — re-establishing the constitutionally-elected sheriff’s office in lieu of the appointed Miami-Dade Police Director model. Cordero-Stutz took office January 2025.

⚠️ How the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office transition will ultimately affect discretionary cannabis enforcement remains an open question through 2026. The MDPD-to-MDSO transition is still being implemented, and the Sheriff’s posture on the existing 2015 civil-citation policy has not been comprehensively re-stated. Patients and residents should not assume the policy environment is identical to the pre-2025 MDPD framework.

Governor Ron DeSantis

Governor Ron DeSantis (R, Tallahassee) is the primary opponent of Amendment 3 statewide. DeSantis used taxpayer funds for a “public service announcement” blitz against Amendment 3 in 2024. He has publicly said home-cultivation legalization is unconstitutional and that he believes “we have too many people using drugs in this country right now.”

DeSantis is term-limited; the 2026 gubernatorial election determines his successor. Cannabis-policy implications of the gubernatorial transition are uncertain — both Republican and Democratic potential successors have varying postures.

Attorney General James Uthmeier

Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) is the successor to Ashley Moody (who was appointed to the U.S. Senate in early 2025). Uthmeier has been the lead litigant against Smart & Safe Florida throughout the 2026 ballot-effort process.

Uthmeier’s posture on cannabis is consistently restrictive. He has publicly celebrated the March 2026 Florida Supreme Court denial of Smart & Safe Florida’s rehearing petition and has filed criminal investigations into alleged petition-gathering fraud.

State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle (Miami-Dade)

State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle — the long-serving Miami-Dade State Attorney — established the July 2019 declination policy that effectively dropped most cannabis simple-possession cases county-wide. Her office continues to operate under that framework. Fernández Rundle’s office is also responsible for cannabis felony prosecutions where civil-citation eligibility does not apply (concentrate cases, larger quantities, distribution charges, school-zone enhancements).

Miami-Dade State Legislators on Cannabis

Pro-Cannabis-Reform Democrats

• State Sen. Shevrin Jones (D, SD-34, covering parts of northern Miami-Dade and southern Broward) — endorsed Amendment 3.
• State Sen. Jason Pizzo (D, SD-37, North Miami-Dade) — endorsed Amendment 3. As of 2025, Pizzo announced an independent run for Governor in 2026.
• State Rep. Dotie Joseph (D, HD-108, North Miami) — has filed multiple cannabis reform bills.

Anti-Cannabis-Reform Republicans

Republican Cuban-American members from Hialeah, Westchester, Doral districts (HDs 110, 111, 112, 119) overwhelmingly opposed Amendment 3, mirroring their constituents.

Former Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried

Florida Department of Agriculture / former Commissioner Nikki Fried — Fried was the most prominent statewide elected Democrat in cannabis advocacy through 2022; she is now Chair of the Florida Democratic Party. As Agriculture Commissioner, Fried administered Florida hemp regulation and led much of the public-discourse defense of medical cannabis access. Her transition to FDP Chair has redirected her cannabis-policy focus.

Federal Officials Affecting Miami-Dade Cannabis

U.S. Senators

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody (R) — appointed to the U.S. Senate in early 2025 to fill the seat vacated by Marco Rubio (who moved to Secretary of State). Moody’s prior role as Florida Attorney General included consistent opposition to cannabis-reform measures.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R) — senior senator. Cannabis posture is generally restrictive.

U.S. Representatives covering Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade U.S. House delegation includes both Republican (María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Giménez, Mario Díaz-Balart) and Democratic (Frederica Wilson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz [Broward overlap]) members. Cannabis-policy postures vary; Republican Cuban-American members from Miami-Dade have generally opposed federal cannabis-reform measures (SAFE Banking Act, Schedule III rescheduling).

Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections

Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections — Nicolas Alvarado (interim 2025), 2700 NW 87 Avenue, 305-499-VOTE. Office certifies Amendment results and signature-gathering petitions, plays role in any future ballot-effort signature verification.

Companion Pages

For deeper context, see our Amendment 3 detail page, our 2026 ballot effort page, and our Cuban-American politics page.