30-Year-Old Conservative Attorney Ousts Judge Who Blocked Trump Library Site
Miami-Dade voters delivered a clear verdict Tuesday night. They voted Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz off the bench after her temporary injunction blocked the transfer of prime downtown property designated for President Donald Trump’s future presidential library.
Destiny Alvarez, a 30-year-old conservative attorney, defeated the longtime incumbent in the nonpartisan race for the 11th Judicial Circuit’s Group 67 seat.
According to Florida’s official election-night reporting system, all 767 precincts reported. Alvarez received 113,215 votes, or 50.46%. Ruiz received 111,142 votes, or 49.54%.
That gave Alvarez a 2,073-vote victory. She also cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a November runoff. Ruiz’s reelection campaign is over.
The race became one of Florida’s most politically charged judicial contests after Ruiz entered the dispute over Trump’s planned presidential library.
In October 2025, Ruiz issued a temporary injunction stopping Miami Dade College from transferring a 2.63-acre parcel beside Miami’s historic Freedom Tower. The land is planned for the library project.
The legal challenge came from left-wing activist Marvin Dunn. He sued the college, arguing that its Board of Trustees had not provided enough public notice before approving the transfer under Florida’s Sunshine Law.
The valuable Biscayne Boulevard property was appraised at more than $67 million. It sits near Biscayne Bay and the arena used by the Miami Heat.
Ruiz later dismissed Dunn’s complaint after the college held another properly noticed public meeting and unanimously approved the transfer a second time. She said her decisions were based strictly on Florida’s open-government law, not politics. WLRN reported that the complaint was dismissed without prejudice in December.
Still, the political impact was immediate. The ruling transformed what might have been a low-profile judicial reelection campaign into a referendum on activist judges, President Trump, and Miami-Dade’s changing political direction.
Florida judicial races are officially nonpartisan. But the contrast between the candidates was hard to miss.
Alvarez is a registered Republican and a member of the Federalist Society. Her campaign said judges should follow the Constitution, apply the law faithfully, and refuse to “legislate from the bench.”
She also received support from law enforcement and first-responder groups, including the Miami-Dade Fraternal Order of Police, the Police Benevolent Association, the Hialeah Police Officers Association, and the South Florida Council of Firefighters.
Ruiz, meanwhile, was recommended by left-wing groups such as the Miami Beach Democratic Club and the Miami Democratic Socialists of America.
Alvarez previously served as a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow. She is also the managing partner of the Miami office of Goede, DeBoest & Cross. She earned both her law degree and undergraduate economics degree from the University of Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet unanimously approved the parcel for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation in September 2025.
Eric Trump said the future library would become an “icon” on Miami’s skyline and honor the 45th and 47th president’s political legacy.
The location beside the Freedom Tower carries special symbolism. The landmark once served as a processing center for Cuban refugees escaping communism.
President Trump carried Miami-Dade County by approximately 13 points in 2024. He became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the county since 1988.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier celebrated Alvarez’s victory with a short message: “Great win for the rule of law!”
Great win for the rule of law!
— James Uthmeier (@JamesUthmeierFL) August 19, 2026
Great win for the rule of law! https://t.co/NGfabr7SEk
— James Uthmeier (@JamesUthmeierFL) August 19, 2026