Calvo was born, raised and trained in Hialeah.
MIAMI.- Starting in December, Hialeah will have the youngest mayor in its history—and in the entire state of Florida—: Bryan Calvo, a 27-year-old lawyer who managed to win with a clear majority in a race of five candidates. With more than 52% of the votes, he avoided a second round and marked the beginning of a generational change in one of the most populated cities in Miami-Dade County.
Calvo’s victory, who obtained 9,210 ballots in his favor, was interpreted by his campaign as a sign of residents’ desire for a different government.
Emerging leadership from a very young age
Calvo was born, raised and trained in Hialeah. The son of Cuban immigrants and from a working-class home, he was an outstanding student from adolescence: he graduated with the highest average from Westland Hialeah Senior High School and accumulated more than a thousand hours of community service before graduating.
His academic excellence led him to obtain a full scholarship at Harvard University, where he studied Government and earned a mention in Italian. There he actively participated in leadership programs, public policy centers and even presided over the university salsa team.
In 2018, during Donald Trump’s administration, he was selected for the White House’s competitive internship program, an experience that — according to what he said on his website — allowed him to understand first-hand the challenges facing cities across the country, in addition to interacting with senior officials and participating in the development of public policy proposals.
After his time in Washington, he entered the College of Law at Florida International University (FIU), where he graduated in 2022. That same year he obtained his law license and began practicing in civil and commercial litigation.
Political rise in the city where he grew up
His political career began early. At age 23 he was elected to the Hialeah City Council, becoming the youngest elected official in Miami-Dade. During his administration, he clashed with the previous administration, especially with the then mayor Esteban Bovo, whom he questioned about rate increases, budget decisions and lack of transparency.
That history of confrontation with municipal power fueled much of his campaign for mayor under the slogan “Hialeah First,” focused on reducing taxes and water rates, eliminating political pensions, fighting corruption and protecting condominium owners against fraud and overcharges. He has also promised to eliminate property taxes for those over 65 and create specialized units to investigate money laundering and financial crimes.
“Hialeah chose transparency over corruption and results over rhetoric,” Calvo declared the night of his victory. “My commitment is to restore integrity to City Hall and ensure that government works for everyone, not just the well-connected few.”
The new mayor assumes leadership of a city of more than 220,000 residents, mostly Hispanic, that faces urgent challenges in affordable housing, transportation and public services. His victory, the largest of the election day, comes accompanied by a clear mandate: undertake administrative reforms and strengthen fiscal control.
