When Miami-Dade Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis’ name appears on next year’s ballot, it’ll be because she proved she has sufficient support from voters to be a viable candidate, not because she paid for it, her campaign says.
The incumbent Commissioner’s camp announced this week that Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia’s Office confirmed Milian Orbis had collected and submitted enough verified petition signatures to qualify for the 2026 race.
That accomplishment, Milian Orbis said, is proof her “campaign is powered by the people — not political insiders or special interests.”
“Every signature represents a conversation, a handshake, and a shared commitment to keep working together for safer neighborhoods, better infrastructure, and a stronger quality of life for every community in our district,” she said in a statement.
“I am deeply grateful to the residents of District Six for their trust, support, and willingness to sign their names in support of my campaign.”
A press note from Milian Orbis’ campaign[1] said the signatures were collected “over the past several months” at community events, neighborhood meetings and through “grassroots outreach efforts.”
Those efforts spanned the entirety of District 6[2], which includes all or parts of Miami Springs, West Miami, Virginia Gardens and parts of Coral Gables, Hialeah, Miami and unincorporated Miami-Dade.
Milian Orbis, a 38-year-old Republican, has represented District 6 since early May, when her County Commission peers appointed her[3] to replace Kevin Marino Cabrera, whom President Donald Trump tapped to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Panama.
She left her post as West Miami’s Vice Mayor and stepped down from her role as Director of the county’s Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board to assume her current role.
Before entering elected office, Milian Orbis worked for nearly two decades in county government, serving as a legislative aide to several former Commissioners, including Rebeca Sosa, Joe Martinez and Juan Zapata.
So far, she has no declared challengers, according to Miami-Dade’s elections website[4], which does not yet reflect Milian Orbis’ qualification by petition.
But she hasn’t been fundraising as if she assumes her route to a full, four-year term is guaranteed. In the second quarter of 2025, she reported raising $317,500 between her campaign account[5] and political committee, Dade Families First PC[6], fueled largely by contributions from the real estate, legal and business sectors.
At the time, she said the early fundraising[7] “reflects the trust our community has placed in my leadership” and pledged to deliver results on public safety, small business support, infrastructure and government transparency.
The Miami-Dade Commission and its elections are technically nonpartisan, meaning voters will first be able to weigh in on its races next year during the Aug. 18 Primary.
If no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote to win outright, the two top vote-getters will compete in a runoff culminating in next year’s Nov. 3 General Election.
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References
- ^ Milian Orbis’ campaign (www.natalieformiamidade.com)
- ^ District 6 (www.miamidade.gov)
- ^ appointed her (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ elections website (www.voterfocus.com)
- ^ campaign account (www.voterfocus.com)
- ^ Dade Families First PC (dos.elections.myflorida.com)
- ^ early fundraising (floridapolitics.com)