Conservative Attorney Destiny Alvarez Unseats Miami-Dade Judge Who Blocked Trump Presidential Library – JP

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In one of the most closely watched judicial races in Miami-Dade County history, 30-year-old conservative attorney Destiny Alvarez defeated sitting 11th Circuit Court Judge Mavel Ruiz by the slimmest of margins on Tuesday night — a victory with unmistakable political implications for the ongoing battle over President Trump’s presidential library in downtown Miami.

Unofficial results show Alvarez winning 50.51% to Ruiz’s 49.49%, with more than 224,000 ballots counted. The margin — just over one percentage point — was enough to avoid a runoff and hand Alvarez an outright win. Results remain unofficial pending canvassing board certification. Ruiz had served as a Miami-Dade judge for more than a decade.

The race drew intense scrutiny due to Ruiz’s 2025 ruling in which she blocked the transfer of land from Miami-Dade College to facilitate construction of the Trump Presidential Library in downtown Miami. Ruiz found that the college’s Board of Trustees had denied the public adequate opportunity to weigh in before the vote. She later reversed the block after trustees held a do-over vote, and the case was dismissed — but the damage to her standing among conservatives was already done.

Alvarez’s campaign was backed by a network of Republican lobbyists, lawyers, and state lawmakers with close ties to President Trump, according to a Florida Bulldog investigation published in June. Mass text blasts targeted Ruiz, calling her a “communist” who used “the judiciary as a weapon to attack conservative patriots.” Ruiz responded by filing a lawsuit against Alvarez’s campaign alleging a coordinated disinformation campaign — a lawsuit Alvarez’s attorneys moved to dismiss as an abuse of power intended to silence political speech protected by the First Amendment.

The JP covered the broader primary night results Tuesday, including conservative losses in congressional races and the shocking socialist upset in the Democratic Senate primary, as reported here. The Alvarez victory stands as one of the few bright spots for the America First movement in an otherwise turbulent Miami-Dade primary night. The JP endorsed Alvarez in the race.

In a statement Wednesday, Alvarez said she was “overwhelmed with gratitude for the extraordinary trust the voters of Miami-Dade County have placed in me.”

“Thank you, Miami-Dade, for this profound honor,” Alvarez said. “I look forward to working hard every day to serve this incredible community.”

Ruiz, in her concession statement, thanked supporters and said serving Miami-Dade had been an honor. “I look forward to the future with optimism. When one door closes, another always opens,” she said.

Alvarez has handled civil litigation, insurance disputes, and HOA and condominium law during her five years of practice in Coral Gables. She has not previously tried a case before a jury or judge — a fact Ruiz’s supporters raised throughout the campaign. Critics of the race argued judicial elections should remain non-partisan and free from political interference. Supporters of Alvarez countered that a judge who inserts herself into politically charged land disputes should expect a political response at the ballot box.

The Trump Presidential Library project continues to move forward in downtown Miami following the resolution of the Ruiz litigation. It will now do so with a friendlier judicial landscape in Miami-Dade County.