The city of Miami’s new commissioner for District 2 hit the ground running last month after a surprising win in the Feb. 27 special election, but to many, Sabina Covo is still an unfamiliar face.
She may, however, ring a bell to those who frequently tune in to Spanish-language television. The 43-year-old is a veteran in the communications industry with experience as a former reporter for networks that include Telemundo, Univision, Caracol Internacional, Mega TV and many more.
(Samantha Morell for Biscayne Times)
Former District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell with his successor, Sabina Covo.
Covo entered the political field with nearly 30% of the vote after former Commissioner Ken Russell left a vacancy on the board in December, spurring an election scramble shortly after.
The new commissioner rose above a field of 12 other candidates, including expected front-runners such as former county Judge Martin Zilber and Eddy Leal, who serves as legal counsel for Mayor Francis Suarez.
“I think the people wanted a fresh new face, and they also saw that I was capable of being a good manager,” said Covo about her victory. “We do policy, but we are also the advocates for the community.”
Rise to City Commissioner
(Samantha Morell for Biscayne Times)
Sabina Covo celebrating her place on the Miami City Commission with her two oldest children.
Covo reflects the melting pot that is Miami. She was raised between Barcelona, Spain, and Cartagena, Colombia, where she went to a British school before moving to the United States as an international college student in 1997. She is the first Colombian to be elected to the city commission.
She is particularly grateful to her parents for instilling her with a sense of passion, hard work and community at a young age. Her father is a dermatologist, while her mother is a former literature teacher and librarian who now helps run Covo’s own communications agency, Covo Boutique PR.
(Courtesy of Liam May)
Commissioner Sabina Covo is all smiles as she poses with her family.
Although she is considered a political newcomer, Covo is not a complete stranger to public service. She graduated from FIU in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communications, for which she specialized in political science. She’s also currently pursuing a master’s degree in political science online with the University of West Florida, something she plans to use to eventually teach at the college level.
She recently worked as a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under Nikki Fried, where she hosted a weekly TV segment to discuss hot issues such as employment fraud and inflated gas prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think that was part of the inspiration and where I said, ‘You know what? I’m good for this, and I’m ready,’” said Covo.
Hearing of fraud and other consumer struggles within her position at the department only added to a mounting frustration that had affected Covo long before. She became well acquainted with the issues affecting seniors like her mother and father, children like her own, and parents like the ones she encountered every day in her own Coconut Grove neighborhood.
Tackling the Issues
(Courtesy of Liam May)
Sabina Covo and a team of supporters during her campaign for the District 2 commission seat,
Canvassing during her campaign and serving on the commission now for a month has only heightened Covo’s awareness of the problems affecting her constituents in District 2, which spans Coconut Grove, Brickell, Edgewater, Morningside and downtown Miami.
As she knocked on doors during the two months leading up to her election, she began to hear complaints about noise and crime downtown, a lack of parks and greenspace in Brickell, and increasing gentrification in the Little Bahamas area of Coconut Grove, formerly known as the Black Grove.
Covo wants to continue her outreach efforts even now that she’s secured a seat on the commission. She’d like to implement community programs and community officers, including a squad of employees to assist the Department of Public Works in identifying infrastructural issues and risks exacerbated by climate change.
“There’s a world of creative ways to get out and talk to our constituents to make sure things are getting done,” Covo said.
Most importantly, she says, she plans to prioritize affordable housing and transit, two citywide issues which she believes affect her district most distinctly. She plans to pursue public-private ventures for affordable housing, which she believes could be successful with the right equation. She also plans to work with the county to brainstorm solutions for efficient transit, beginning with the trolley system.
“I think affordable housing and transit are what’s making the working class unable to live in the city of Miami,” said Covo.
Defying the Status Quo
(City of Miami)
Sabina Covo, Miami Commissioner
Covo launched her political career at a time of general dissatisfaction with government. She herself has been disappointed with the way the city has been managed for some time.
She feels that far too many departments are neglected and understaffed, and has already had a conversation with Chief Manuel Morales, who says the police department needs more boots on the ground.
“There needs to be a way of bringing the city of Miami up to speed for the amount of population that came during and after the pandemic,” Covo said.
And although she won the election, she’s upset with the lack of voter turnout. Of the more than 80,000 residents who live in District 2, roughly 49,000 are registered voters and only about 6,200 participated in the special election. That’s less than 13%.
“I think that people are disappointed with government,” said Covo. “People think that government is not transparent. I want to try and do what’s in my hands as one vote of five to be a difference.”
A difference she certainly is, and not just because she’s generally new to the political scene. She’s also the first woman to be elected to the District 2 seat in more than 20 years.
“I think what is happening and what is a general feeling, not only in the city of Miami but also in state and national politics, is that there is a feeling that we need renewal, that we need to give the chance to younger generations to come in and do politics,” said Covo. “I also think that that’s a representation of our community and our population.”
As it is now, the commission is occupied primarily by men who have been in politics for decades. Commissioner Joe Carollo started his career in city government as a commissioner in 1979, while Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1994.
De la Portilla, District 4 Commissioner Manolo Reyes and Covo herself are up for reelection this November, while Chairwoman Christine King’s and Carollo’s terms are up in 2025.
Covo has already declared that city politics is no quick stint in her career.
“This is a short term,” she said, referring to the time remaining in Russell’s term that she was elected to finish following his departure. “This is nine months, but I already filed my papers. I am going to run for reelection, so I have my short- and my long-term goals.”
Perhaps residents can consider this a trial run for the new commissioner, who will either crash or soar in the months to come. But whether or not Covo gets four more years in office is ultimately in the hands of those District 2 constituents who make their voices heard come November.