Candidate James Richie Hawkins, Cutler Bay Council Seat 1

James Richie Hawkins is a candidate for Cutler Bay Town Council Residential Area Seat 1 on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot. The seat is open because council member Robert “B.J.” Duncan is term-limited. Hawkins faces Ricky Fernandez and Mary Ann Mixon in the nonpartisan race, which is decided by voters town-wide.

At a Glance

Office: Cutler Bay Town Council, Residential Area Seat 1
Area covered: Residential Area 1 of the Town of Cutler Bay; elected by voters town-wide
Incumbent: No (open seat)
Opponents on ballot: Ricky Fernandez, Mary Ann Mixon
Campaign website: None located as of Oct. 11, 2026

Background

James Richie Hawkins qualified for the ballot during the town’s qualifying period, which ended at noon Aug. 6, 2026, and is listed among the qualified candidates by the Cutler Bay Town Clerk. Town rules require Seat 1 candidates to have lived in Residential Area 1 continuously for at least one year before qualifying.

Beyond the official candidate list and campaign finance filings, Community Leadership Alliance did not find published biographical information about Hawkins as of Oct. 11, 2026. Coverage of the race by Miami’s Community Newspapers, Political Cortadito and Florida Politics lists Hawkins as a candidate without further detail. We did not locate a campaign website, a South Dade News Leader candidate profile or a news interview with the candidate. Because the profile relies only on what we could verify, we have not included details from unverified sources.

In Their Own Words

Community Leadership Alliance did not find any published public statements by James Richie Hawkins about the race as of Oct. 11, 2026. In the Miami Herald’s Cutler Bay candidate questionnaire, published Sept. 22, Hawkins’s answers were listed as “awaiting response.” This profile will be updated if the candidate publishes or submits statements.

Campaign Finance

Hawkins had reported $1,853.00 in monetary contributions and $209.40 in expenditures, according to cumulative totals on the town’s campaign finance portal as of Oct. 11, 2026.

About Seat 1

Seat 1 covers the residential area bounded on the north by SW 184th Street, extending east to SW 97th Avenue and Franjo Road and to the centerline of Old Cutler Road, south to SW 216th Street and the Black Creek Canal, and west to the South Dade busway. The seat is open because council member Robert “B.J.” Duncan, who has held it since November 2018, is term-limited. Duncan is running for mayor this year.

What This Office Does

Cutler Bay is governed by a five-member Town Council under a council-manager form of government. The mayor and vice mayor may live anywhere in town, while the three council members must each live in the residential area tied to their seat. According to the town, the council sets policy, adopts the annual budget and passes local laws. Council members also sit as the Local Planning Agency, which makes them responsible for the town’s Comprehensive Development Master Plan and its land development regulations, the rules that govern what can be built and where.

Although each council member must live in a specific residential area, every seat is voted on town-wide, so all registered Cutler Bay voters can cast a ballot in both the Seat 1 and Seat 3 races. Council members serve four-year terms. The town clerk’s office lists the council member salary as $10,939.56 a year. The council regularly meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.

Candidates for a residential seat must have lived in that area continuously for at least one year before qualifying. Qualifying for the 2026 election ran from noon July 23 to noon Aug. 6, 2026, according to the Town Clerk.

Issues Facing Cutler Bay

Coverage of this year’s Cutler Bay races has centered on growth and public works. A Sept. 28 Political Cortadito analysis identified the redevelopment of the former Southland Mall into Southplace City Center as the largest issue before the town. The article reported developers’ estimate of about $1.5 billion in investment over seven years, with more than 5,000 market-rate homes plus retail, a medical center, a hotel and green space.

The same article noted that town voters approved up to $37 million in general obligation bonds in 2022 for the Legacy Park and municipal complex project, which is planned to include a park, Town Hall, police station, community center and aquatics facility, and that a January 2025 presentation put one version of the project at about $51 million. It also pointed to roads, drainage and stormwater, recalling the June 2022 rain event in which the area received nearly 23 inches in seven days.

The Race

James Richie Hawkins faces Ricky Fernandez and Mary Ann Mixon for the open Seat 1. Cutler Bay elections are nonpartisan, and all three candidates appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The same ballot includes an open mayoral race among Ricardo De Melo Gomes, Robert “B.J.” Duncan, Suzy Lord and Clint Rodriguez, and the Seat 3 race between incumbent Richard Ramirez and Rene Gomez, according to the Town Clerk. The town has almost 30,000 registered voters, according to Political Cortadito.

Cumulative campaign finance totals posted on the town’s reporting portal as of Oct. 11, 2026:

Ricky Fernandez: $800.00 raised, $640.82 spent
James Richie Hawkins: $1,853.00 raised, $209.40 spent
Mary Ann Mixon: $300.00 raised, $209.40 spent

When the Miami Herald published its Cutler Bay candidate questionnaire on Sept. 22, 2026, all three Seat 1 candidates were listed as “awaiting response.” The South Dade News Leader has published a candidate profile based on Mary Ann Mixon’s questionnaire answers; as of Oct. 11, Community Leadership Alliance had not found comparable published responses from Ricky Fernandez or James Richie Hawkins.

How to Vote

Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Early voting: Monday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, according to the Town of Cutler Bay. Locations and hours are listed on the county’s early voting schedule.
Vote-by-mail: The deadline to request a mail ballot is Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, according to the town clerk.
Possible runoff: If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a runoff would be held Dec. 1, according to Political Cortadito.

Voters can confirm their registration, precinct and sample ballot through the Miami-Dade County Elections Department. Results are expected on the Supervisor of Elections website beginning at 7:15 p.m. on election night.

Community Leadership Alliance is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates. This profile is based on public records, candidate statements and news coverage, including the South Dade News Leader. Candidates who wish to submit corrections may contact us through our Contact page.