In the race for the District 3 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission, voters this month will have the rare choice of two candidates they’ve already elected for that post. The Miami-area contest pits the incumbent, Commissioner , against his predecessor, , who gave up her commission seat in 2020 due to the county’s newly enacted term-limit rules. While commissioners are now limited to a pair of consecutive four-year terms, the rules don’t bar them from running again once they’ve been out of office.
Edmonson, 71, is the first term-limited former commissioner to take that path, adding an extra dimension of political intrigue to a race between two longtime rivals. Both are trying to claim the better legacy from serving as the commissioner for District 3, which stretches from downtown Miami north into Miami Shores, and includes the predominantly Black neighborhoods of Brownsville, Liberty City and Overtown. “You’re either voting for the past, and going back to conditions that were unbearable,” Hardemon, 40, said at a July 23 forum put on by the Miami Foundation.
“Or you’re voting for the future and for a community you can have pride in.” Edmonson is counting on voters’ remorse after four years with Hardemon representing District 3 on the 13-seat commission. “I’m back by popular demand,” Edmonson said at the forum.
“The current commissioner is not accessible. He’s not there for the community.” Hardemon faces a second challenger in Marion Brown, .