Suzy Lord wins Cutler Bay town council seat in runoff

Samantha J. Gross, Joey Flechas
·2 min read

Paralegal Suzy Lord beat retired architect Jose Rodriguez in a runoff election for an open seat on Cutler Bay’s town council Tuesday, which was held after none of the three original candidates received more than 50% of the vote on election night.

Lord said she was “absolutely stupefied” Tuesday night after the vote tallies showed she had a decisive lead over Rodriguez. She had 60% of the vote with all precincts reporting. In a small-turnout runoff where about 3,150 votes were cast, about 650 votes made the difference.

“I’m very, very excited,” she told the Miami Herald from outside the Sandbar Sports Grill on Old Cutler Road, where she celebrated with supporters. “I’ve been here a very long time. I’ve lived here almost 42 years. I was very happy that people believed in me and people supported me.”

One of Lord’s immediate priorities: Addressing traffic issues. She plans to advocate for a ride-sharing program that would bring residents to rapid transit and lighten congestion on U.S. 1 and Florida’s Turnpike. She also wants to promote preservation of Cutler Bay’s wetlands.

Lord won the election after finishing in second place during the Nov. 3 election, when Jose Rodriguez was the leader in the race for Seat 2 on the Cutler Bay town council with about 34% of the vote on election night. Lord received about 31% of the vote.

They competed for Seat 2, left open by Michael Callahan, who chose to run for vice mayor in 2020 instead of seeking reelection for the seat he’s held since 2016. Callahan won the open vice mayor seat with 62% of the vote.

Lord, 52, first moved to Cutler Bay from Germany when she was 12 years old.

Rodriguez, 66, is a retired contractor and architect. He first got involved in public service when he was appointed to the Cutler Bay Communities for a Lifetime Committee in 2013. Rodriguez has also served on the Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board (CRB) and the Quality of Life Committee.