Who gave the most to Miami's mayor as she bankrolls a campaign for city bonds?

Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald on Oct 15, 2026

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MIAMI — As Miami’s mayor uses her political war chest to urge voters to approve new borrowing for city police and fire stations, those dollars are coming from developers, city vendors and Airbnb.

The Miami Herald tallied PAC donations for Mayor Eileen Higgins since she took office in December. She’s raised about $525,000 in nine months for Ethical Leadership for Miami, and a significant chunk of that money has gone to her campaign to pass the “Safe and Ready” bond referendum on Nov. 3.

If passed by a majority of Miami voters, Referendum 1 would authorize the City Commission to borrow about $450 million to upgrade or replace police and fire stations and build four new ones.

Higgins is the top champion of the plan, calling it a past-due upgrade for the city’s public safety infrastructure that will bring faster response times. Critics, including Commissioners Christine King and Damian Pardo, call it a rushed effort that could be paid for with existing tax dollars without asking voters for more.

Higgins has the advantage of the fundraising pull that comes with being mayor, and that’s given her ample cash to fund mailers and other campaigning efforts targeting voters. In the last five weeks, Ethical Leadership for Miami has sent $180,000 to Safe and Ready Miami, the PAC set up for the bond effort.

While campaign reports don’t say why donors give money to PACs, Higgins has been asking for financial help for the police-and-fire bonds.

Here are the top donors to the Higgins PAC between December and early October, according to the Herald tally:

Developers gave big to Miami’s new mayor

Some of the biggest names in Miami-Dade real estate are also high up on the Higgins donor list. That includes the Related Group, with a $30,000 donation to the Ethical Leadership PAC; the Swerdlow Group ($25,000), Oak Row Equities ($20,000) and Terra ($17,500), according to the Herald tally, which links corporate entities and individuals to the named donors.

Airbnb backs the mayor while Miami promises action on short-term rentals

After the Miami Herald first reported in July on a Brickell Avenue condo tower overwhelmed by the partying and noise coming from owners renting their units to tourists through the Airbnb platform, city administrators promised action over the chaos. Airbnb emphasizes it requires owners to follow local laws and rules.

The company’s PAC, the People versus the Powerful, recently gave $25,000 to Ethical Leadership for Miami — money a spokesperson said was for the public-safety bond campaign. “Investing in the communities in which we operate is good for residents and visitors alike. That’s why we’re proud to support Mayor Higgins’ efforts” to upgrade public safety facilities, the company said.

Companies doing business with Miami donate to the mayor’s PAC

Also on the list of top donors to the Higgins PAC since December are the Ultra Music Festival and trolley-operator Transportation America (both $20,000) and police vendor RollKall ($30,000).

PACs help PACs, too

Rounding out the list is South Florida Vision, a PAC managed by local lawyer and lobbyist Jose Fuentes and funded by various lobbying clients. South Florida Vision gave $20,000 to the Higgins PAC.