Miami’s mayor, police chief, and city manager all sat down separately with Ivan Patriki and between them: a $450 million bond, a police force that (probably) didn’t chase aliens, and what it actually takes to run one of the fastest-growing cities in America.
The Mayor, Eileen Higgins spent almost 20 years as an engineer in the private sector before a corporate retreat exercise, writing her own obituary convinced her something was missing. Within a year she quit to become the Peace Corps director in Belize, then served as a U.S. diplomat in Mexico and southern Africa. She joined the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2018 and, in December 2025, was sworn in as Miami’s first female mayor and first Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years.
James Reyes was born in Cuba, the son of a political prisoner, and grew up in Hialeah after his family fled with nothing. He spent 22 years at the Broward Sheriff’s Office, eventually managing a $1.8 billion budget and 5,600 employees, then became Miami-Dade’s Chief of Public Safety and ran unsuccessfully for County Sheriff in 2024. Higgins appointed him Miami’s city manager in early 2026.
Edwin Lopez built a nearly three-decade law enforcement career from phys-ed teacher to Miami-Dade Schools’ first Hispanic police chief, then Doral’s chief, before being sworn in this June as the 44th Chief of the Miami Police Department describing himself as “a humble kid from Miami who grew up with no money.”
All three sit down separately with Ivan Patriki to talk about running the Magic City from three completely different chairs.
We cover:
Why the mayor says climate change is real, “a hundred and ten percent”
Eileen Higgins’s corporate epiphany: writing her own obituary before quitting for the Peace Corps
Serving as a U.S. diplomat in Mexico and southern Africa before running for office
Building four thousand affordable housing units, three thousand more in the pipeline
A $450 million bond for fire stations unrepaired for fifty years
Same-day permitting: cutting an eighteen-month process down to one day
James Reyes on being the son of a political prisoner who fled Cuba for Hialeah
Managing a $1.8 billion budget and 5,600 employees at the Broward Sheriff’s Office
What two different officials actually think about crypto in Miami
Whether Mark Zuckerberg moved to Miami because of the city’s leadership (spoiler: no)
Edwin Lopez on inheriting “the keys to the Lamborghini” from two predecessors
The alien rumor Chief Lopez “can’t confirm or deny”
Nearly 1,400 officers and 600,000 FIFA Fan Fest visitors in 23 days
Would a Ferrari doing 25 over the limit get you a warning?
MORE OF MAYOR EILEEN HIGGINS:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileen-higgins/
MORE OF CITY MANAGER JAMES REYES:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-reyes-78444116b/
MORE OF POLICE CHIEF EDWIN LOPEZ:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiefedwinlopez/
MORE OF ON THE MARGIN:
Website: https://www.themargin.tv
Spotify:
Main Site: https://www.on-the-margin.com
MORE OF BOAZ SOBRADO:
Twitter: https://x.com/sobradob
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sobradob
Website: https://themargin.tv/boaz-sobrado
MORE OF IVAN PATRIKI:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artizt
Substack: https://substack.com/@artizt
Twitter: https://x.com/Ivan_patriki
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artizt/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ascended
Telegram: https://t.me/ivanpatriki
Timestamps:
00:00 - Meet Miami’s city manager, police chief, and mayor.
01:05 - “How are you changing the world?” James Reyes takes the mic.
02:54 - Did Zuckerberg move to Miami because of him?
08:49 - Does the city manager still go clubbing?
11:44 - Managing a $1.8 billion budget before Miami.
13:20 - Is there a secret power pulling the strings?
19:19 - The most famous people he’s actually met.
22:20 - “You are the mayor of Miami.” Higgins takes the reins.
23:30 - How much of her week is spent clubbing?
24:01 - Writing her own obituary changed everything.
25:28 - Four thousand affordable housing units, more coming.
26:00 - Do other mayors send hate mail?
29:17 - Is climate change real? “110%.”
29:28 - Is there a shadowy group telling her what to do?
30:19 - Same-day permitting: 18 months down to one day.
31:02 - A $450 million bond for fifty-year-old fire stations.
32:09 - Her one piece of advice for the next mayor.
32:22 - Nearly 1,400 officers and how policing has changed.
33:25 - Did Miami police really respond to an alien sighting?
33:50 - The hardest part of the job nobody understands.
35:02 - Does the police force own any crypto?
35:16 - FIFA Fan Fest: 600,000 visitors in 23 days.
36:29 - “Keys to the Lamborghini”: inheriting Miami PD’s legacy.
38:11 - Would a Ferrari doing 25 over get you a warning?
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