Daniella Levine Cava was elected Miami-Dade County’s first-ever woman Mayor in November 2020. She enters the Mayor's office following a 40-year career as a relentless advocate for South Florida families. As Miami-Dade County's Mayor, she oversees a metropolitan government with more than 28,000 employees serving nearly 3 million residents, managing an annual budget of approximately $9 billion.
Since taking office, she has worked to protect lives and livelihoods by deploying a countywide operation to distribute vaccines efficiently and equitably and appointing the County's first Chief Medical officer to build a pandemic response driven by data and science. In collaboration with the Board of County Commissioners, she is working to distribute millions of federal dollars in American Rescue Plan relief funds to support small businesses and residents impacted by the pandemic, invest in critical infrastructure projects, and kickstart long term recovery.
Her administration is focused on building a stronger, more inclusive, more resilient Miami-Dade: prioritizing reforms to make our county safer and prevent gun violence through the Peace and Prosperity Plan; restoring and reinvigorating a thriving economy that delivers economic security for Miami-Dade businesses and families and attracts new industries; saving Biscayne Bay and building and protecting our environment; opening doors to prosperity for more Miami-Dade families through the Office of Equity and Inclusion; and directly engaging with residents to make local government more responsive and accountable.
A social worker, lawyer, and community activist, she was first elected in 2014, and re-elected in August 2018, to serve as the Miami-Dade County Commissioner representing District 8. Mayor Levine Cava came to elected office after three decades of service as an advocate for South Floridians, serving special needs children, families and immigrants at Legal Services of Greater Miami, and representing children in the foster care and adoption system with the Guardian Ad Litem Program. In 1996, she founded Catalyst Miami to help low- and middle-income families through service, education, and advocacy.