A pair of Homestead City Council seats were at stake Tuesday, and when the dust settled, only one of the two incumbents secured a return to City Hall.
**City Council, Seat 5**
For Seat 5, incumbent Council member Erica Ávila bested challenger Sonia Castro with 58% of the vote, earning a four-year term. Ávila, a registered Republican and Homestead resident since 2009, has represented District 5 since her appointment in 2020 and won a full term the following year. She works as a home mortgage loan originator when not at City Hall.
During her tenure, Ávila blocked high-density developments, helped complete Homestead’s first traffic master plan, attracted new restaurants, and consistently voted for a balanced budget without increasing the tax rate. She also championed expanding the police force, establishing a childhood literacy program, and improving city infrastructure by filling potholes and restoring missing street signs.
If re-elected, Ávila pledged to further address traffic issues, create more jobs, hire additional police officers, work to reduce property taxes, update city code enforcement, and cut government waste and red tape.
Her opponent, Sonia Castro, has been a Homestead resident for over 20 years and served extensively on the Waterstone Community Development District Board as well as president of her homeowners’ association. Castro campaigned on stopping “reckless overdevelopment,” lowering taxes and fees for residents, and collaborating with Mayor Steve Losner to reduce wasteful spending at City Hall.
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**City Council, Seat 1**
In the race for Seat 1, challenger Kim Konsky defeated incumbent Tom Davis, capturing 56% of the vote and a four-year term.
District 1 covers Homestead’s northwest area, bounded by Southwest 195th Avenue on the west, 288th Street on the north, 152nd Avenue on the east, and 312th Street (Campbell Drive) on the south.
Konsky, a 53-year-old Republican and lifelong Homestead resident, is a former agriculture insurance agent now working in real estate. Her community involvement includes memberships in the Homestead Women’s Club and Redland District Lions Club, as well as volunteer work with the Homestead Rodeo, Rotary Seafood Festival, and Kiwanis Prayer Breakfast.
Her top campaign priority was addressing traffic congestion, promising to work with state and local officials on local roadway improvements. Other key issues included fair taxation of developers, hiring more police officers, advocating for the elimination of property taxes at the state level, and enhancing city cleanliness.
Tom Davis, 64, is a private school teacher and U.S. Armed Forces veteran who sought re-election after winning a two-year term in a 2023 special election. He campaigned on a conservative record that included supporting a moratorium on high-density residential development, establishing dedicated funding for park and road enhancements, and bolstering code compliance efforts to manage illegal dwellings.
Davis promised to continue opposing overdevelopment, increase public safety funding, promote job growth by attracting new businesses, and improve city parks. He was endorsed by Mayor Steve Losner, also a Republican.
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**Vice Mayor Race**
Council member Jennifer Bailey won the Vice Mayor race both by vote count and by default. Her opponent was Tom Davis, whose electoral defeat meant he was ineligible to hold the Vice Mayor post. Bailey beat Davis by more than 11 percentage points.
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**Referendums**
Voters also considered four ballot measures affecting City Hall operations and bonding. The results were as follows:
– **Referendum 1:** Proposal to extend the Mayor’s consecutive term limits from eight to 12 years, aligning them with City Council term limits. This measure failed, receiving only 23% approval.
– **Referendum 2:** Change in the process for filling vacant City Council seats when more than one year remains in a term. Instead of automatically electing the candidate with the most votes in a special election, a runoff election would be required if no candidate wins a majority. This measure passed with 68% approval.
– **Referendum 3:** Authorization for the city to issue up to $36.4 million in general obligation bonds, repaid through property taxes, to build and improve city parks. Bonds would mature within 30 years. This measure failed, receiving 46.5% approval.
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The recent election reshaped Homestead’s City Council and brought changes to voting procedures, reflecting ongoing community concerns about development, traffic, and city management.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/763947-kim-konsky-unseats-incumbent-erica-avila-wins-re-election-in-homestead-council-races/