Nine candidates are running for three Sunny Isles Beach offices as voters prepare to cast ballots in the Nov. 3 general election.

The ballot includes the mayor's race and two commission seats. Growth, building safety and pedestrian access are among the issues raised by candidates in a city of about 23,000, according to a Miami Herald voter guide published Oct. 1.

Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1.

Mayor's race brings Goldman-Svechin rematch

Mayor Larisa Svechin faces Commissioner Dana Goldman and Robert J. Spence III.

The election marks another chapter in a close rivalry between Svechin and Goldman. Goldman defeated Svechin 1,050-1,021 in a November 2021 special-election runoff, a margin of 29 votes.

Svechin defeated Goldman the following year. In the December 2022 mayoral runoff, Svechin received 1,669 votes to Goldman's 1,649, a 20-vote margin.

Spence is also seeking the office but had not responded to the Herald's candidate questionnaire as of Oct. 1.

Goldman said she wants to "restore fiscal sanity to our public finances" and called for a long-term growth framework that establishes clear terms for when development should and should not proceed.

Development remains a prominent issue after the City Commission voted 4-1 in February to approve a 62-story luxury condominium tower at 19051 Collins Ave. The approximately 820-foot project, planned for the Miami Beach Club site, would become the city's tallest building.

Svechin pointed to repeated reductions in the city's property-tax rate during her tenure. Sunny Isles Beach adopted an operating millage rate of 1.6514 mills for fiscal year 2026-27. The city's October newsletter described it as the 14th consecutive annual reduction and said it was the lowest municipal operating millage rate in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties.

Svechin said her priorities include maintaining the tax rate, hiring police officers and improving sidewalk and crosswalk safety.

Four candidates seek open Seat 2

Four candidates are running for the seat being vacated by Commissioner Alex Lama: Robert Balciunas, Alex Brisk, Steve Hirsch and David Vergel. Balciunas and Brisk had not responded to the Herald questionnaire as of Oct. 1.

Hirsch, an attorney and FBI National Academy graduate who says he has more than 40 years of legal and law enforcement experience, identified traffic congestion and pedestrian safety as his top concerns. He called for better traffic-signal synchronization, safer school crossings and limits on e-bike and scooter use.

Vergel, a resident since 2009 who has spoken at commission meetings since 2016, said the city's most pressing issue is balancing development with infrastructure. He called for upgraded flood pumps, beach protection and traffic improvements.

Cruz Gonzalez, Gordo compete for Seat 4

Carolina Cruz Gonzalez and Magaly "Maggie" Gordo are competing for Seat 4.

Cruz Gonzalez, an attorney and small-business owner, said growth must keep pace with infrastructure capacity. She called for coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation and Miami-Dade County on traffic and pedestrian safety.

Gordo, who has more than 10 years of condominium-board volunteer service, has focused on building subsidence.

She cited a December 2024 University of Miami-led study that examined coastal subsidence from 2016 through 2023. Researchers found nearly 70% of coastal structures in northern and central Sunny Isles Beach were experiencing subsidence. The study documented vertical displacement ranging from 2 to 8 centimeters, or as much as about 3.1 inches.

Gordo said she would push for mandatory independent foundation inspections at the county and state levels.

Early voting begins Oct. 19

Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election runs from Monday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 1. Early-voting sites are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.

If no candidate receives more than 50% in a Sunny Isles Beach race requiring a majority, the top two candidates advance to a runoff.