Daniella Levine Cava has been a tireless advocate for South Florida residents and communities for almost 40 years.

She came to South Florida in 1980 and finished her last year of law school at University of Miami, to join her husband, Dr. Robert Cava, a Miami native. Daniella and Robert raised two children, Eliza and Edward, in Miami-Dade. After a decade of work as an attorney with Legal Services of Greater Miami and the Guardian Ad Litem program, in 1996 Commissioner Levine Cava founded the Human Services Coalition, now known as Catalyst Miami. Catalyst empowers low- and moderate-income families with the tools necessary to lift them out of poverty.

After her election to the County Commission in 2014, Daniella put her experience and passion to work as a powerful voice on the County Commission for a range of quality of life, accountability, economic and environmental concerns. She has championed women’s issues by taking the bold step to pass legislation that made Miami-Dade County the first County in the United States to sign on to the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. As a result of the legislation, the County has adopted several policies to ensure equal pay and equity for women in County contracting and County hiring.

Known as the Water Warrior, Daniella is a fierce advocate for protecting our environment and water resources. Throughout her career, she has been committed to growing the local economy and investing in transit and housing. In 2020, she was elected the first female Mayor in Miami-Dade County’s history.

Since becoming Mayor, she led Miami-Dade County through Covid-19 and helped our County emerge stronger than ever before. She continued to champion climate resilience by fighting to make climate-friendly investments, from converting our County’s transportation fleet to eclectic and investing in shore power at Port Miami. She also has led the fight to tackle Miami’s affordability crisis, creating a Miami-Dade that works for everyone. Ensuring Miami-Dade is a safe place to work and play, Mayor Levine Cava fought to reduced gun violence and made critical investments in our law enforcement. Above all, Mayor Levine Cava passed historic tax cuts and cut red tape to build a business-friendly environment.

Mayor Levine Cava continues to be committed to tackling the affordability crisis, attracting quality jobs, reducing gun violence in our communities, preparing for sea level rise, and improving residents’ quality of life.