MIAMI, Fla. — Attorney Destiny Alvarez narrowly defeated incumbent Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz in Tuesday’s election, ending a politically charged judicial race that attracted unusual attention because of Ruiz’s involvement in litigation over the proposed Donald Trump presidential library.
Alvarez and Ruiz competed for the 11th Judicial Circuit, Group 67 seat in the Aug. 18 election. Miami-Dade County’s official ballot listed the race as nonpartisan.
The contest developed into one of Miami-Dade’s most closely watched judicial races after Republican political figures and donors with ties to President Donald Trump backed Alvarez’s challenge to Ruiz.
Florida Bulldog reported before the election that Republican lobbyists, attorneys, state lawmakers and political committees with Trump ties contributed to Alvarez’s campaign. Between April 1 and June 12, Alvarez raised nearly $160,000, according to the outlet’s review of campaign-finance records.
Ruiz had served on the circuit court bench for more than a decade. Miami-Dade judicial records list her in Group 67 with a term expiring in January 2027.
Trump Library Case Became Campaign Backdrop
The unusual political attention surrounding the judicial contest followed Ruiz’s involvement in litigation over valuable Miami Dade College property proposed for President Trump’s presidential library.
Ruiz initially issued a temporary injunction blocking the property transfer after Miami activist Marvin Dunn sued Miami Dade College, alleging the college’s Board of Trustees failed to provide adequate public notice before approving the transaction.
The board subsequently held another publicly noticed meeting and again approved the transfer. Ruiz later dismissed Dunn’s lawsuit after finding that the second meeting addressed the transparency issue underlying the case.
An appellate court later disqualified Ruiz from further proceedings connected to the matter after Miami Dade College argued that her conduct created an appearance of bias. Reporting on the ruling said the issue involved Ruiz hugging Dunn following a hearing and appearing to thank him for pursuing the lawsuit.
The episode transformed what otherwise might have been a relatively low-profile judicial election into a politically significant contest.
Trump-Aligned Support Flows to Alvarez
Alvarez’s candidacy subsequently attracted support from prominent Republican political figures.
Florida Bulldog reported that roughly a quarter of the nearly $160,000 Alvarez raised between April and mid-June came from Trump-aligned figures and political committees chaired by current or former Republican legislators.
Political Cortadito separately reported that Alvarez received support from figures including former state Rep. Carlos Trujillo and Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, while political committees and real-estate interests also became involved in the increasingly heated contest.
Alvarez also received the endorsement of the District 6 Florida State Fraternal Order of Police, which represents more than 4,500 law-enforcement officers in Miami-Dade County. The organization cited what it described as her professionalism, fairness and commitment to the rule of law.
The race remained officially nonpartisan despite the involvement of Republican political figures and Trump-aligned donors.
Judicial Race Turns Contentious
The campaign grew increasingly contentious during the summer.
A political committee called New Vision for Our Courts financed messaging attacking Ruiz’s judicial record. The committee operated a website accusing Ruiz of judicial errors and highlighting appellate decisions involving cases she handled. The website states that it was paid for by New Vision for Our Courts.
The Real Deal reported that money connected to real-estate interests flowed through multiple political committees that ultimately supported the anti-Ruiz messaging, although the outlet said it was unclear precisely how much of the underlying real-estate money reached the committee responsible for the campaign.
Days before Election Day, Ruiz also filed a lawsuit accusing Alvarez and politically connected individuals of participating in a conspiracy to defame her and improperly influence the election.
The allegations included claims involving text messages and online attacks against Ruiz. Alvarez was named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The filing represented allegations and did not establish wrongdoing.
Alvarez Defeats Incumbent
Alvarez’s victory removes an incumbent judge who had held the Group 67 seat for more than a decade.
The outcome also demonstrates how a traditionally low-profile nonpartisan judicial election can become entangled with broader partisan and national political disputes.
Alvarez has said the Trump presidential-library litigation was not the reason she entered the race, according to reporting before Election Day.
But the case and the political reaction surrounding it became an unavoidable backdrop to the Group 67 campaign.
With Tuesday’s result, Alvarez is positioned to succeed Ruiz on the bench of Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit.
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