Miami Lakes Referendum 4 is a proposal that would change how many terms Miami Lakes mayors and council members can serve in office. Currently, mayors and council members can serve two consecutive terms, meaning they can run again after taking a break. This proposed referendum would only allow mayors and council members to serve two terms in each office during their lifetime, even if they take a break between terms.
However, a former mayor who has already served two terms could still serve two terms as a council member, and vice versa, because the two positions are counted separately. The referendum would also count previous terms toward the lifetime limit. If someone serves more than two years of another official’s unfinished term, that would also count as one term.
Miami Lakes voters will decide on this referendum on Nov. 3, 2026. Voting yes or no will determine whether the town changes its current term-limit rules.
A vote YES means:
- Mayors and council members would be limited to two terms in each office during their lifetime.
- Officials who have already served two terms in the same office would not be allowed to run for that office again, even after taking a break.
- Previous terms would count toward the new lifetime limit.
- Serving more than two years of an unfinished term would count as one term.
- Officials who reach the two-term lifetime limit would no longer be eligible to serve in that same office.
A vote NO means:
- The current rule of two consecutive terms would remain in place.
- Mayors and council members could run for the same office again after taking a break.
- Voters would continue to have the option of reelecting experienced officials who have completed two consecutive terms, as long as they meet the existing eligibility rules.
- The proposed lifetime limit would not take effect.
The referendum gives Miami Lakes voters a choice between limiting how many terms an official can serve in their lifetime or keeping the current system, which allows officials to return after a break. Both options could affect who is eligible to run for office in future elections.
