Miami-Dade Voters Unseat Judge Who Blocked Trump Presidential Library
A closely watched Florida election produced a dramatic upset Tuesday as voters removed a longtime incumbent from the bench by an extraordinarily narrow margin.
The result follows months of national attention surrounding a controversial court battle, questions about judicial impartiality and a valuable piece of downtown Miami property.
Miami-Dade voters unseated Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz, who temporarily blocked the transfer of property intended for President Donald Trump’s future presidential library.
Attorney Destiny Alvarez defeated Ruiz by just 2,073 votes in the nonpartisan judicial election and received enough support to avoid a November runoff.
Preliminary Miami-Dade election results showed Alvarez receiving 113,215 votes, or 50.46 percent, compared with 111,142 votes, or 49.54 percent, for Ruiz.
All 767 participating precincts had reported, although the results remained unofficial pending the review of provisional ballots and certification by the Canvassing Board.
The victory was particularly notable because Alvarez is 30 years old and challenged an incumbent who has served on Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit since 2015.
Incumbent Miami-Dade judges also frequently win reelection without attracting challengers, making Tuesday’s result an unusual judicial upset.
Ruiz became a nationally recognized figure following a legal dispute involving land intended for Trump’s presidential library.
Miami Dade College trustees voted in September 2025 to transfer a 2.63-acre employee parking lot to the state for use as the future library site.
The waterfront property sits on Biscayne Boulevard beside Miami’s historic Freedom Tower and was assessed at more than $67 million.
Retired Florida International University professor and former Democratic congressional candidate Marvin Dunn sued the college over the decision.
Dunn argued that trustees violated Florida’s Sunshine Law by failing to provide adequate public notice before approving the transfer.
Ruiz issued a temporary injunction on October 14 preventing the property transfer while the legal challenge proceeded.
The judge said the dispute concerned whether the public had received reasonable notice and insisted her decision was not political.
“This is not an easy decision,” Ruiz said from the bench.
“This is not a case, at least for this court, rooted in politics,” she added.
Miami Dade College subsequently held another meeting on December 2 after providing public notice and allowing members of the public to comment.
Trustees again unanimously approved the property transfer, leading Ruiz to dissolve her injunction and dismiss Dunn’s lawsuit.
County records subsequently showed the property was transferred in February 2026 to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation for $10 through a quitclaim deed.
Ruiz nevertheless faced another controversy stemming from her conduct surrounding the case.
Court filings alleged that Ruiz praised Dunn for reportedly mortgaging his home to cover a court-ordered bond and compared him favorably with a plaintiff from an earlier case.
Dunn also said in a sworn declaration that Ruiz came down from the bench and briefly hugged him following the December hearing.
Miami Dade College subsequently sought to have Ruiz disqualified from any further proceedings involving the dispute.
Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal granted that request on April 29.
The appellate court determined that the allegations were legally sufficient to create a well-founded fear in a reasonably prudent person that the litigant might not receive a fair hearing.
Importantly, the appeals court did not determine that Ruiz was actually biased.
The presidential library dispute and Ruiz’s disqualification became prominent issues surrounding her campaign for another term.
Alvarez received support from several law-enforcement and first-responder organizations as well as Republican officials and donors connected with Trump.
Her campaign emphasized “character, integrity and fairness” and argued that judges should apply the law without allowing personal or political considerations to influence their decisions.
Alvarez’s campaign also declared that judges should not “legislate from the bench, play favorites, or allow politics to influence their decisions,” The Miami Herald reported.
With Alvarez receiving slightly more than 50 percent of the vote, she won the seat outright and will not need to compete in a November runoff.
💥 PRESS DEBUT DISASTER!
Katie Zacharia’s Awkward First White House Press Briefing Draws National Attention
Katie Zacharia’s first appearance behind the White House podium quickly became a major talking point after several uncomfortable moments overshadowed her debut as President Donald Trump’s new press secretary.
The October 13 briefing lasted approximately 14 minutes, with Zacharia answering questions from only three news outlets before ending the session. Her short appearance immediately attracted widespread media attention.
Zacharia had recently been selected to replace former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, stepping into a highly visible role responsible for communicating the administration’s positions to journalists and the American public.
From the opening minutes, observers noticed her reliance on prepared notes. She delivered a lengthy account of Trump’s accomplishments, frequently looking down at the script instead of maintaining eye contact with reporters.
Her delivery also attracted criticism, with commentators describing her voice as hesitant and her presentation as unusually stiff. Others questioned whether the administration had given its newest spokesperson enough preparation time.
Much of the briefing focused on praising Trump’s economic agenda, energy policies, rally attendance, and political achievements. The extended list of talking points left relatively little time for substantive exchanges with journalists.
One particularly awkward moment occurred when Zacharia discussed the challenge of balancing her demanding position with family life. She explained that spending evenings away from her four children was unacceptable to her.
She then accidentally referred to her husband as “my president” before immediately correcting herself with “my husband.” Recognizing the slip, she added a brief joke, creating the briefing’s most widely discussed moment.
The verbal mix-up spread rapidly through news coverage and social media, becoming a defining image of her first appearance. Critics treated it as evidence of nervousness, while others viewed it as an ordinary human mistake.
Her response to a question about U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine also drew attention. When asked whether Washington had stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv, Zacharia replied that she would have to get back to the reporter.
The exchange was brief, but it highlighted the difficulty of responding to sensitive foreign policy questions without immediately having the necessary information. Reporters continued seeking answers as the briefing moved forward.
Another significant announcement concerned Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece. Zacharia told reporters that the administration had asked Guilfoyle to resign, unexpectedly introducing a personnel development into the short briefing.
The announcement generated additional headlines and demonstrated that, despite the awkward delivery, Zacharia’s first appearance included consequential political news. Her handling of the announcement, however, also attracted scrutiny from commentators.
Questions about her readiness soon emerged among political observers and some administration allies. The Wall Street Journal described the debut as rocky, reporting that her nervous presentation prompted questions about the decision to put her before cameras so quickly.
The brief question-and-answer session was another unusual feature. After taking questions from Breitbart News, Fox News, and the Daily Mail, Zacharia announced that reporters could ask Trump questions directly as he prepared to leave.
Her decision to end the briefing after such limited questioning became another focus of criticism. Regular White House briefings often involve extended exchanges, making the short session particularly noticeable to journalists and political commentators.
Despite the criticism, Trump publicly defended his new press secretary. Asked about her performance, the president said he thought she had done very well, offering a clear show of support following the difficult debut.
The White House also presented the briefing positively, describing Zacharia’s performance as commanding. That assessment contrasted with critical media coverage, illustrating how differently supporters and detractors interpreted the same appearance.
Zacharia’s debut has therefore become an early test of her ability to manage a demanding communications role. Future briefings will offer a clearer indication of whether she can develop greater confidence and handle sustained questioning.
For now, the accidental “my president” remark remains the most memorable moment from her first appearance. Whether the incident becomes a brief viral embarrassment or a lasting political talking point will depend on what follows.
