Eileen Higgins serves as the County Commissioner for District 5 where she represents large portions of the cities of Miami and Miami Beach. An engineer by trade, with an MBA from Cornell University, she is a problem solver with a proven record of helping businesses and local organizations address complex issues facing our community. She serves as the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners Transportation Committee and Vice-chair of the Infrastructure, Innovation & Technology Committee. She also serves as the chair of the National Association of Counties’ Transportation Steering Committee.
Since elected in 2018, Commissioner Higgins has brought the perspective of a true transit rider to the County Commission – showing tremendous leadership in expanding mass transit across Miami-Dade through the progression of the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Program corridors, including elevated systems currently in the pipeline for funding and an FTA-funded Bus Rapid Transit, which will open later this year.
Under Commissioner Higgins’ leadership, mobility policies have been adopted that accelerate the construction of pedestrian priority zones and cycling infrastructure, leading to a series of “firsts” for Miami-Dade. Examples include protected cycling lanes on historic bridges, lower speed limits in neighborhoods, protected bike lanes, a downtown cycling network, and a slow streets neighborhood. She championed a strategic redesign of the County’s bus network to improve service and increase ridership and is committed to ensuring the completion of The Underline which is transforming the land below Miami-Dade’s Metrorail into a 10‑mile linear park, urban trail, and public art destination.