Coral Gables, South Miami and Pinecrest residents can start casting ballots in the Aug. 18 primary election beginning Monday, Aug. 3, at any of 23 early voting locations across Miami-Dade County.
The closest site for Coral Gables voters is the Coral Gables Branch Library at 3443 Segovia St. Other nearby locations include the Coral Reef Branch Library at 9211 SW 152nd St., the Kendall Branch Library at 9101 SW 97th Ave. and the Rebecca Sosa Multipurpose Facility at 1700 SW 62nd Ave. in West Miami.
Voters do not need to go to their assigned precinct during early voting. On Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 18, they must vote at their precinct between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia said Sunday, Aug. 2, that all equipment is ready and reminded voters they can use any site. "People need to know they can go to any early voting sites, they don't have to go to their specific precinct," Garcia told Local 10.
Early voting hours shift midway through
The early voting schedule, according to the Supervisor of Elections office, runs in four blocks:
- Monday, Aug. 3, through Friday, Aug. 7: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 8, and Sunday, Aug. 9: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Monday, Aug. 10, through Friday, Aug. 14: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 16: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Each early voting site also has a staffed ballot drop box for vote-by-mail returns. The deadline to request a mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, and completed ballots must arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day. No postage is required.
Florida is a closed primary state, meaning voters may only cast ballots in their registered party's primary unless a race qualifies as a Universal Primary Contest, where all candidates are from one party and the winner faces no general-election opponent.
November brings Coral Gables charter questions
While the August primary covers state and county races, Coral Gables residents will face a separate set of local questions on Tuesday, Nov. 3. That ballot includes the city's first fall municipal election for mayor and commission seats, four charter amendments and a statewide constitutional amendment on property-tax exemptions.
The Coral Gables City Commission voted 5-0 on Tuesday, July 7, to place the charter amendments on the November ballot. All four were sponsored by Mayor Vince Lago and grew from recommendations by former Mayor Don Slesnick's Charter Review Committee. Here's what each would do:
- Mayoral term length: Extend the mayor's term from two to four years starting with the November 2028 election, without changing the eight-year consecutive service limit. Coral Gables moved to a four-year mayoral term in 2005 and back to two years in 2009, making this the third time in two decades voters have weighed in on the question.
- Residency requirement: Require candidates for mayor and commissioner to have lived in Coral Gables continuously for at least one year before the qualifying period closes.
- Public-works bidding threshold: Raise the dollar amount requiring formal competitive bidding from $25,000 to $300,000, aligning the charter with a state-law standard already near $400,000.
- Parkland sales: Require 60% voter approval before the city could sell parks, golf courses or the War Memorial Youth Center.
Commissioner Melissa Castro voted yes on all four while noting her disagreement with at least one proposal. "I disagree with changing it to four years, but I do agree with putting it out on a referendum for having the people vote," Castro said at the July 7 meeting, according to the Gables Gazette.
Coral Gables moved its municipal elections to November of even-numbered years after 66% of voters approved that change in the April 2026 mail-in referendum. The Nov. 3 election will be the city's first under the new calendar.
For early voting site locations and sample ballots, residents can visit votemiamidade.gov or call 305-499-VOTE.
