Coral Gables, South Miami and Pinecrest residents now know who will be on their ballots in November after the Aug. 18 primary settled three contested races.
Former CBS4 anchor Eliott Rodriguez won the Democratic nomination in Florida's 27th Congressional District, defeating former federal prosecutor Robin Peguero 54% to 46%, according to WLRN. Rodriguez will face Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar, who cruised past challenger V. Michael Arias of Coral Gables with 81% of the GOP vote.
"I think that Republicans and independents will trust me, and you know why? — because they've known me, they've known me for decades, before they had any clue what my political affiliation is," Rodriguez told WLRN from the Sports Grill in Kendall on election night.
Rodriguez, who retired from WFOR in December 2025 and announced his candidacy in March, has centered his campaign on housing affordability. Salazar, a three-term incumbent first elected in 2020 and a former Telemundo anchor, framed the November contest as a choice between her record and what she called socialist infiltration of the Democratic Party. FL-27 covers Coral Gables, South Miami, Pinecrest, Key Biscayne, Kendall, Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay.
HD-113: Barreiro Outlasts Lago in Razor-Thin GOP Primary
The closest race of the night was in State House District 113, the seat left vacant when former Rep. Vicki Lopez resigned to join the Miami-Dade County Commission. Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro won the Republican primary with about 42% of the vote, edging Frank Lago by just 72 votes, Florida Politics reported. Tony Diaz finished third.
On the Democratic side, community activist Gloria Romero Roses defeated Justin Mendoza-Routt to secure her party's nomination.
Barreiro and Romero Roses will meet in the Nov. 3 general election for the seat representing Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Brickell, downtown Miami and Little Havana. As we reported Aug. 12, five candidates originally entered the race after Lopez's departure left the district without representation in Tallahassee.
Cohen Higgins Wins Final Term in Nonpartisan District 8 Race
Miami-Dade Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins won outright in the nonpartisan District 8 race with 55% of the vote, avoiding a runoff. Challenger John DuBois took 28% and nonprofit executive Martha "Vega" Hero finished at 17%.
Cohen Higgins, first appointed to the commission in 2020, entered election day holding more than $1.48 million in campaign funds. She campaigned on affordability, transportation, environmental protection and public safety. Term limits will force her from office in 2030. District 8 covers Homestead, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Redland.
What's Next
All results are unofficial pending the canvassing period. The general election for FL-27 and HD-113 is Nov. 3. Voters can check their registration and find polling information at votemiamidade.gov.
