Serving a diverse district with stark inequality, Commissioner Eileen Higgins is a leading voice for closing existing equity gaps by bringing transportation to underserved neighborhoods, championing increased affordable housing, creating an economic ecosystem to support small minority-owned businesses and low-wage workers, and protecting the waters that surround Miami-Dade.
Commissioner Higgins is confronting Miami-Dade’s housing crisis head-on by spearheading policies that protect renters from eviction, expedite permits for affordable housing developments, preserve communities through Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing, increase incentives for homeownership programs, and reduce utility fees for small affordable housing developments.
With a focus on transit-oriented development, she has increased affordable housing supply by initiating, preserving, and creating more than 3,500 affordable housing units in District 5 alone. Furthermore, she is spearheading efforts to transform over 23 acres of underutilized county land around downtown’s Government Center to develop a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood with affordable housing and open green spaces within minutes of the County’s transportation hub.
An engineer by trade, with an MBA from Cornell University, she is a problem solver with a proven record of helping businesses and local organizations address the many complex issues facing our community.
