Whiting seeks Coral Gables Group 5 seat Nov. 3

Dominique "Nikki" Whiting is running for the Coral Gables City Council Group 5 seat in the general election Tuesday, Nov. 3. The nonpartisan race pits Whiting against Gonzalo Sanabria, whom we also profiled.

Whiting, 33, is the youngest of the 2026 Coral Gables candidates, according to the Miami Herald. She told the Coral Gables Gazette that public service runs in her family. "It has been the cornerstone of my own career at the federal, state, and local levels," she said.

Candidate information

Name on ballot: Dominique "Nikki" Whiting
Race: Coral Gables City Council, Group 5 (nonpartisan)
Age: 33
Residence: Coral Gables resident since 2017, according to her campaign website
Education: Bachelor of arts in English with a history minor, University of Florida (December 2016); master of public administration, University of Miami (May 2020); Leaders Fellow, James Madison Institute (2018–2019), according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Whiting's career has spanned federal, state and local government, according to her campaign website.

She said she served as a legislative assistant and press secretary for U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from June 2017 to January 2019. She then worked as director of communications for Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban "Steve" Bovo from January 2019 to November 2020, according to her campaign website.

At the state level, Whiting said she was senior advisor to Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez in the executive office of Gov. Ron DeSantis from January 2021 to January 2023. She said she then served as director of communications at the Florida Department of Health from January 2023 to June 2023.

She said she followed that with a role as deputy director of communications in the governor's office from June 2023 to April 2024.

Whiting said she worked as assistant vice president of governmental affairs at Miami Dade College from July 2024 to December 2025. She listed her current role as director of development at the Florida International University Foundation, starting January 2025. She is also principal of Whiting Group LLC, a role she said she has held since April 2024.

In Coral Gables, Whiting said she served on the city's Communications Committee from January 2025 to June 2025. She has been a board member on the city's Property Advisory Board since June 2025, according to her campaign website.

She also listed civic roles on the United Way of Miami-Dade Public Policy Committee, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee and as a fellow in Leadership Florida's Connect Class 14.

On the issues

Whiting outlined her priorities in a response to the Coral Gables Gazette. She said her platform centers on "keeping our neighborhoods safe, addressing traffic and speeding, maintaining infrastructure, delivering responsive city services, and exercising fiscal discipline."

She said she wants to make local government more efficient, "from expediting permitting to improving access to city services."

Endorsements

Grant Miller, publisher of Miami Community Newspapers, endorsed Whiting, citing her government experience, community involvement and fresh perspective.