Miami-Dade voters just kicked out the judge who blocked a land deal for Trump's presidential library.
Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz lost her seat Tuesday night to 30-year-old attorney Destiny Alvarez in a razor-thin contest that nobody saw coming. Alvarez won by a mere 2,073 votes out of more than 224,000 ballots cast, grabbing 50.46% to avoid a November runoff entirely. For context, incumbent judges in Miami-Dade almost never face challengers, let alone lose. This was a political earthquake, as reported following the election results.
So how did a sitting judge who has been on the bench since 2015 get toppled by a newcomer? Two words: courtroom drama.
It all started in September 2025 when Miami Dade College trustees approved handing over a 2.63-acre waterfront parking lot on Biscayne Boulevard, right next to the iconic Freedom Tower, for Trump's future presidential library. The property was valued at over $67 million. A retired professor named Marvin Dunn, who previously ran for Congress as a Democrat, filed suit claiming trustees violated Florida's open meetings law by not giving proper public notice.
Ruiz slapped a temporary injunction on the transfer in October, insisting her ruling was purely procedural. She told the courtroom it was not rooted in politics. Fair enough. The college then held a properly advertised do-over meeting in December, where trustees voted unanimously again to approve the deal. Ruiz dissolved her injunction and tossed Dunn's lawsuit.
But here is where things got truly wild.
After that December hearing, Ruiz reportedly praised Dunn from the bench, compared him favorably to a plaintiff in a previous case, and commended him for allegedly mortgaging his home to cover a court bond. Then, according to Dunn's own sworn statement, Ruiz stepped down from the bench and gave him a hug. A hug! In the courtroom!
Miami Dade College immediately moved to have her disqualified, arguing the whole scene screamed favoritism. Florida's Third District Court of Appeal agreed in April, ruling that the allegations were enough to give any reasonable person legitimate concerns about getting a fair hearing. The appeals court stopped short of calling Ruiz actually biased, but the damage was already done.
Meanwhile, county records revealed that the property was transferred in February 2026 to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation for the grand sum of $10 through a quitclaim deed.
Alvarez rolled into election day with a stacked endorsement list, including Florida State Fraternal Order of Police District 6, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, and the Hispanic Police Officers Association. Republican officials and Trump-connected donors also threw their weight behind her campaign, transforming what should have been a sleepy local judicial race into a nationally watched showdown.
Alvarez ran on a platform of character, integrity, and fairness, pledging that every person who walks into her courtroom will get an impartial hearing. Her campaign explicitly stated that judges should never legislate from the bench, play favorites, or let politics steer their decisions.
Ruiz's term officially wraps up in January. All 767 precincts reported by early Wednesday, though officials noted that results remain unofficial until provisional ballots are reviewed and the Canvassing Board certifies everything.
The injunction, the hug, the appellate smackdown. It all added up to one brutal election night for Judge Ruiz.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
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