In South Florida, members of the Caribbean American community voted in historic numbers in the 2020 United States Presidential Election. In addition to the tri-county area’s strong support for the winning Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the community, which encompasses the counties of Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade also elected many Caribbean Americans to local political offices.
Among the Jamaican Americans who were elected are Ann Marie Sorrell, who won a seat in Group 2 of Palm Beach County’s Soil and Water Conservation Board; Karlene Maxwell-Williams, who will now serve in Seat 4 on the City Commission of Lauderdale Lakes; Dale Holness, the current Broward County mayor, who was re-elected in District 9 of the Broward County Commission; Melissa Dunn, who won Seat 2 on the County Commission of Lauderhill; Hazelle Rogers, who was re-elected to serve as the Mayor of Lauderdale Lakes; Jennifer Andreu, who won election in Group 3 of the City of Plantation Council; Anika Omphroy, who was re-elected to represent District 95 in the Florida House; Joan Anthony, an attorney, was elected to be the Circuit Court Judge of Broward County’s 7th Judicial Circuit; Mark Douglas, who was re-elected to Seat A on the City of Sunrise Commission; and the incumbent and Vice Mayor Marlon Bolton, who will serve as City Commissioner for District 1 in Tamarac. British Jamaican American Joy B. Smith won her bid for Seat 3 Commission for the City of West Park.
Several Haitian Americans also won their elections, including Marie Woodson, who won the open HD101 seat in the Florida House; Phoebee Francois, who will serve as Broward County Court Judge in Group 27; the City Commissioners Mckenzie Fleurimond and Michael Joseph, who won Group 5 and Group 7, respectively in North Miami Beach; Nancy Metayer, who will serve District 3 on the Coral Springs City Commission; Regina Martin, who will now be the North Lauderdale Commissioner for District C; Dotie Joseph, who won the open HD 108 seat in the Florida House; Linda Julien, who will serve the City of Miami Gardens on its Council in Seat 5; and Daniela Jean, who won Seat 3 on the North Miami City Commission.
Three Bahamian Americans also won elections in the State of Florida, including State Senator Shevrin Jones who won the seat for Senate District 35; Shannan Ighodaro, the winner of the race for Miami Gardens Council Member Seat 3; and Lawrence “Jabbow” Martin who will serve as Lauderhill City Commissioner in Seat 1.
Other Caribbean Americans who won their races in 2020 are Barbadian American Gordon Weekes, who was elected as the new Public Defender in Broward County; Puerto Rican Jacqueline Guzman-Scott, who will serve the City of Sunrise as Commissioner in Seat D; and Kittian Christopher Benjamin, who will represent the 107th District in Florida’s House of Representatives.
