Daniella Levine Cava
Mayor
Miami Connection
As mayor, she has accelerated affordable housing with a new Office of Housing Advocacy, prevented over 26,000 evictions, and expanded tenant protections amid the affordability crisis. Her SMART Plan advances energy-efficient transit across five key corridors, enhancing mobility for Miami-Dade residents. She leads environmental efforts protecting Biscayne Bay and the Everglades, combats gun violence via the Peace and Prosperity Plan, and fosters economic opportunity through small business support and community engagement like Thrive305.
About
Born in New York and raised partly in Latin America, Daniella Levine Cava earned a psychology degree from Yale and graduate degrees in law and social work from Columbia University before moving to Miami in 1980 to join her husband, a local doctor. She served vulnerable populations at Legal Services of Greater Miami and the Guardian Ad Litem Program, founding Voices for Children and later Catalyst Miami in 1996 to empower low- and middle-income families through service and advocacy. Elected as Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 8 in 2014 and re-elected in 2018, she championed small businesses, environmental protection, policing in underserved areas, public transit, and affordable housing. In 2020, she became the county's first woman mayor, re-elected in 2024, overseeing 23,000 employees, 3 million residents, and a $12 billion budget. Her deep Miami roots include raising two children here with her husband, Dr. Robert Cava.