(Le Floridien) — Haitian American incumbent Linda Julien faces a challenging runoff to retain her Miami Gardens Council Member Seat 5, as she fell short of securing the required 50% plus one vote needed for an outright victory. Despite leading the crowded field of six candidates, Julien garnered 48.07% of the vote, or 7,523 ballots—just shy of the threshold required to avoid a runoff.
Julien’s closest competitor, Karen Hunter-Jackson, captured 17.88% of the vote, with 2,798 votes. The other candidates, including David Williams Jr., who received 14.25% (2,231 votes), Kevin Corey Harris with 8.62% (1,349 votes), Pitchie ‘Peachy’ Escarment with 5.65% (884 votes), and Angela Wynter with 5.53% (866 votes), trailed significantly behind.
Julien, who has been a prominent figure on the Miami Gardens City Council, now faces the prospect of a runoff election to secure her seat. Her inability to reach the 50% + 1 threshold highlights the competitive nature of the race and the determination of her challengers.
As the election moves to the runoff stage, Julien will need to rally her supporters and expand her outreach to ensure her continued representation on the council, in order to beat her closest competitor, Karen Hunter-Jackson, in the general elections on November 5, 2024.
