Florida midterms: six Haitian-born winners, including Linda Cothière and Christina Romelus, the first Haitian Americans on the Miami-Dade and Palm Beach school boards

Six Haitian-born candidates won their races in Florida on Tuesday, November 3, in the midterm elections, according to results compiled by the newspaper Le Floridien. Two of them made history: Linda Cothière becomes the first Haitian American elected to the Miami-Dade County School Board, and Christina Romelus the first to sit on the Palm Beach County School Board.

Born in Cap-Haïtien, Linda Cothière defeated Katrina Wilson in the runoff for the District 1 seat, 51.6 percent to 48.4 percent, according to The Haitian Times and Florida Politics. "The victory is bigger than me. It represents hope, opportunity, and the power of our community coming together," she told The Haitian Times. She came to the United States at 15 and has worked for more than 35 years in Miami-Dade public schools. Her district includes Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Opa-locka.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Christina Romelus, a former Boynton Beach commissioner and vice mayor, won the District 4 seat on the Palm Beach County School Board with 61.59 percent of the vote against Daniel Zapata, according to Le Floridien.

The other Haitian-born winners

According to Le Floridien, Democratic State Senator Mack Bernard, born in Port-au-Prince, was re-elected to the Florida Senate in District 24 with 64.51 percent. Republican Berny Jacques, also born in Port-au-Prince, keeps his Florida House seat in District 59, in Pinellas County, with 53.54 percent. Born in Cap-Haïtien, former State Senator Daphne Campbell returns to the Florida House eight years after leaving the Legislature, with 80.88 percent in District 108. Samson Borgelin, born in Haiti, who became North Lauderdale's first Haitian American mayor in 2022, was re-elected with 57.75 percent.

Other results

Other candidates of Haitian descent won local races, according to Le Floridien, including Kerby J. Altidor on the El Portal Village Council and North Miami council members Kassandra Timothe and Mary Estimé-Irvin. Linda Joseph will face Dayanara Torres in a December 1 runoff for the North Miami Beach City Commission. In all, the newspaper followed 22 candidates of Haitian descent in Florida: eight won and twelve lost.

In New York, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, was re-elected to the State Assembly in Brooklyn's 42nd District with 90 percent of the vote, according to Caribbean Life.