Conservative Attorney Destiny Alvarez Unseats Miami-Dade Judge Who Blocked Trump Library Land Transfer

Destiny Alvarez, a 30-year-old conservative attorney, narrowly defeated incumbent Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz in Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary for the 11th Judicial Circuit Group 67 seat, ending Ruiz’s more than decade-long tenure on the bench.

Unofficial results showed Alvarez receiving approximately 50.5 percent of the vote to Ruiz’s 49.5 percent, a margin of roughly 2,000 votes out of more than 224,000 ballots cast. By crossing the 50 percent threshold, Alvarez avoided a November runoff and will assume the seat.

The contest drew unusual attention for a local judicial race after Ruiz issued a temporary injunction in October 2025 that blocked Miami Dade College from transferring a 2.63-acre parcel of land beside the historic Freedom Tower for use as the site of the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library. The injunction came in response to a lawsuit filed by historian and activist Marvin Dunn, who alleged the college’s Board of Trustees had failed to provide adequate public notice under Florida’s Sunshine Law. Ruiz later dismissed the complaint without prejudice in December after the college held a new publicly noticed meeting and again voted to approve the transfer. She maintained that her rulings were based solely on open-government requirements.

The land, appraised at more than $67 million and located on Biscayne Boulevard near Biscayne Bay, had been approved for the library project by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet. Critics of the injunction framed the decision as an example of judicial overreach that delayed a high-profile development, while supporters argued Ruiz was simply enforcing procedural rules.

Alvarez, a University of Florida graduate and Federalist Society member who practices civil litigation, insurance, and condominium law, campaigned as a proponent of the rule of law and received endorsements from several law-enforcement organizations, including the Miami-Dade Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Association. Her campaign attracted financial support from donors and political committees aligned with conservative and Trump-supporting circles. Ruiz, who has served on the circuit court since 2014, was recommended by some progressive Democratic organizations.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier described Alvarez’s victory as a “great win for the rule of law.” The race, though officially nonpartisan, effectively became a referendum on Ruiz’s handling of the library land case in a county that President Trump carried in 2024. Both candidates faced scrutiny during the campaign, including a defamation lawsuit Ruiz filed against Alvarez alleging coordinated attacks tied to the library ruling. Alvarez will take the bench after the results are certified, while the Trump library project continues to move forward following the resolution of the earlier injunction.