Lucía Báez-Geller, a Democrat and former teacher, defeated Republican incumbent Fabián Basabe for the Florida House District 106 seat on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Báez-Geller won with 30,912 votes, or about 54%, to Basabe's 26,376 votes, or about 46%, according to unofficial election-night results with all 47 precincts reporting, Political Cortadito reported. The margin was 4,536 votes.

The district covers coastal communities in northeastern Miami-Dade County, including Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside and Miami Beach, according to the Miami Herald.

The result flips the seat back to Democrats. Basabe, a two-term incumbent, first won the district by less than half a percentage point four years ago and improved his margin to four points in 2024, Florida Politics reported.

Báez-Geller taught at Miami Beach Senior High School for 15 years before entering public office, according to the Herald. She served on the Miami-Dade County School Board from 2020 to 2024, when she unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, Florida Politics reported. She won the Democratic primary for HD 106 in August with 57% of the vote.

In a statement reported by the Herald, Báez-Geller said she was honored that the community trusted her to serve again and expressed gratitude to her family, volunteers and supporters.

Basabe's troubles

Basabe entered the general election weighed down by a July civil jury verdict. A Leon County jury found him liable for sexual harassment, battery and defamation, awarding $450,000 in damages to former aide Nicolas Frevola and former intern Jacob Cutbirth, according to Florida Politics. Basabe denied wrongdoing and represented himself at trial. He is appealing after unsuccessful post-trial motions.

Five of seven Miami Beach commissioners called for his resignation after the verdict, according to Political Cortadito. Several prior endorsers withdrew their support. Both the Republican Party of Florida and the Miami-Dade GOP left him off their voter guides, Florida Politics reported. He was the only Republican Miami-Dade incumbent to receive those snubs.

During early voting, Basabe had repeated confrontations near a Miami Beach polling location, squaring off with campaign volunteers, a police officer and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, according to the Herald. Political Cortadito reported that Miami Beach police documented five disturbances involving the incumbent near the City Hall early-voting site.

No concession or public response from Basabe on election night appeared in available reports.

Money and the race ahead

Báez-Geller raised about $403,000 through Oct. 29, though $270,000 of that came from loans she made to her own campaign, according to campaign finance reports cited by Political Cortadito. Basabe raised more than $173,000 and received nearly $140,000 in additional in-kind assistance from Republican Party organizations for consulting and phone banking, Florida Politics reported.

During the campaign, Báez-Geller told Florida Politics her first bill would require insurers seeking rate increases to disclose spending on claims, executive compensation and affiliated companies. She also called for substantially rewriting or repealing the Live Local Act, a developer-friendly state law she considered unsuitable for barrier islands.

In coverage published in September, Báez-Geller told Local 10, "I think the residents of 106 are ready to turn the page on all the chaos, all the confusion, all the scandals."

The HD 106 race was one of several South Florida House seats Democrats flipped on Nov. 3, the Miami Herald reported. Báez-Geller will represent the district when the new legislative term begins in Tallahassee.