Miami-Dade voters have unseated the judge who temporarily blocked the transfer of valuable downtown property intended for President Donald Trump’s future presidential library. Attorney Destiny Alvarez defeated Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz in Tuesday’s nonpartisan judicial election by just over 2,000 votes. Ruiz drew national attention after halting the land transfer and was later disqualified from proceedings over conduct that raised questions about her impartiality. Her current term is scheduled to end in January.
The contest placed the 30-year-old Alvarez against a judge who had served on Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit since 2015. Alvarez received slightly more than 50% of the vote, allowing her to win the seat outright without facing a November runoff. The upset was notable because incumbent Miami-Dade judges frequently retain their seats without even attracting challengers.
According to preliminary results posted by Miami-Dade election officials, Alvarez received 113,215 votes, or 50.46%, while Ruiz collected 111,142 votes, or 49.54%. The margin was 2,073 votes out of 224,357 cast in the race. All 767 participating precincts had reported by early Wednesday, although officials cautioned that the totals remain unofficial until provisional ballots are reviewed and the Canvassing Board certifies the election.
The dispute that transformed the race began in September 2025, when Miami Dade College trustees voted to transfer a 2.63-acre employee parking lot to the state to be used as the site of Trump’s presidential library. The waterfront property sits on Biscayne Boulevard beside the historic Freedom Tower and was assessed at more than $67 million. Marvin Dunn, a retired Florida International University professor and former Democratic congressional candidate, sued the college, arguing that trustees violated Florida’s Sunshine Law by failing to provide adequate notice of the meeting.
Ruiz issued a temporary injunction on October 14th that prevented the property from being transferred while Dunn’s challenge proceeded. As Fox News reported, Ruiz found that the public had not received reasonable notice before the college trustees approved the deal. “This is not an easy decision,” she said from the bench. Ruiz insisted that her ruling was procedural, adding, “This is not a case, at least for this court, rooted in politics.”
The college subsequently held a second, properly advertised meeting on December 2nd and gave members of the public an opportunity to comment. Trustees again voted unanimously to approve the transfer, after which Ruiz dissolved her injunction and dismissed Dunn’s lawsuit. County records later showed that the property had been transferred in February 2026 to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation for $10 through a quitclaim deed, as NBC Miami reported.
Ruiz’s handling of the case produced another controversy after the December hearing. According to court filings, she compared Dunn to the plaintiff in an earlier case whom she described as “a gentleman” and “a pillar of this community,” then praised Dunn for reportedly mortgaging his home to cover the court-ordered bond. According to Dunn’s sworn declaration, Ruiz later came down from the bench and briefly hugged him.
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Miami Dade College sought her disqualification from further proceedings involving the case, arguing that her conduct created an appearance of favoritism. On April 29th, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal granted the college’s request, holding that the verified allegations were legally sufficient to create in a reasonably prudent person a well-founded fear of not receiving a fair hearing, though the panel did not find that Ruiz was actually biased.
Alvarez entered Election Day with support from several law-enforcement and first-responder organizations, including Florida State Fraternal Order of Police District 6, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, and the Hispanic Police Officers Association. Her campaign also received backing from Republican officials and donors connected to Trump, turning what otherwise may have remained an obscure local judicial race into a closely watched contest. Ruiz’s temporary injunction, the courtroom hug, and the appellate court’s disqualification order became central issues surrounding her bid for another term.
Alvarez campaigned on “character, integrity and fairness” and promised to apply the law without allowing personal or political preferences to control courtroom decisions. Her campaign platform declared that every litigant deserves a fair hearing and confidence that a case will be considered impartially. It also stated: “Judges should not legislate from the bench, play favorites, or allow politics to influence their decisions.”