Politics in South Florida is rarely boring, but it’s often predictable. You have the legacy names, the big-money donors, and the constant hum of "business as usual" echoing through the chambers of Dinner Key. Then there's Ken Russell. If you’ve followed the City of Miami political circus over the last decade, you know his name. But honestly, most people only remember the headlines—the yo-yo tricks, the sudden resignation, or the failed Congressional bid.
The real story of Ken Russell is a lot weirder and more indicative of how Miami actually functions. It’s not just about a guy who sat on a commission seat; it’s about a political outsider who tried to hack the system from the inside and eventually found out how hard the system bites back.
From Coconut Grove Parks to the Commission Seat
Most politicians spend years "climbing the ladder." They join the right clubs. They kiss the right rings. Ken Russell didn't do any of that. He was basically just a guy in Coconut Grove who got mad because the dirt in his neighborhood park was toxic.
In 2013, it came out that Blanche Park was contaminated with heavy metals. Instead of just complaining on Facebook, Russell organized. He realized the city was more interested in covering it up—literally and figuratively—than fixing it. This wasn't a "political move" at the time. It was a dad-move. He wanted his kids to be able to play in the grass without getting lead poisoning.
That fight changed everything. By 2015, he was running for the District 2 seat on the Miami City Commission. People laughed. He didn't have the backing of the local power players. He didn't have a political pedigree. But he had a yo-yo.
Seriously.
Before he was a politician, Russell was a world-class yo-yo champion and a businessman. He used that quirky background to his advantage, standing out in a field of dry, interchangeable suits. He won that election with 42% of the vote, and when the runner-up dropped out, the "outsider" suddenly had a seat at the table.
🔗 Read more: When Does Joe Biden's Term End: What Actually Happened
The Reality of Power in the City of Miami
Once he was in, the honeymoon ended pretty fast.
Being a commissioner in Miami is a grind. You're constantly caught between the demands of wealthy developers and the needs of residents who are being priced out of their own zip codes. Russell tried to walk a middle line that often left him standing alone.
He was a big advocate for things that sounded great on paper but were nightmares to implement:
- Affordable Housing: He pushed for inclusionary zoning in the Omni district, trying to force developers to include units for normal people, not just billionaires.
- Water Quality: He authored ordinances to stop fertilizer runoff from turning Biscayne Bay into a soup of dead fish and algae.
- Co-living Spaces: He tried to legalize "micro-units" and co-living to address the fact that a studio apartment in Miami now costs more than a mortgage in some states.
But Miami politics is a team sport, and Russell didn't always have a team. He was often the lone "no" vote on things like outlawing homeless encampments. He famously bumped heads with the "old guard" of the commission—the Joe Carollos of the world—who viewed his approach as grandstanding.
The Great 2022 Pivot (And Why It Failed)
If you want to know where things went sideways, look at 2021 and 2022.
Russell had been on the commission for six years. He was the Vice Chair. He had name recognition. So, he decided to swing for the fences. First, he announced he was running for U.S. Senate to take on Marco Rubio.
💡 You might also like: Fire in Idyllwild California: What Most People Get Wrong
It was a bold move. Maybe too bold.
When it became clear that Val Demings had the Democratic nomination on lock, Russell pivoted. He dropped the Senate bid and ran for Florida's 27th Congressional District instead. This meant he had to resign his seat on the Miami City Commission because of Florida’s "resign-to-run" law.
He lost the primary to Annette Taddeo.
Suddenly, the guy who had been the rising star of Miami's "progressive" wing was out of a job. No commission seat. No seat in D.C. Just a lot of "what ifs" and a very quiet exit from City Hall in December 2022.
The 2025 Mayoral Comeback That Wasn't
For a while, Russell went into the private sector, working for an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) firm called Longevity Partners. It made sense. He was the "environment guy" on the commission, so helping buildings go green was a natural fit.
But the political itch didn't go away.
📖 Related: Who Is More Likely to Win the Election 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
In 2025, he threw his hat back into the ring, this time running for Mayor of Miami. The platform was familiar: "Clean up City Hall." He leaned hard into the anti-corruption narrative, pointing to the various scandals involving the current administration and the millions spent on legal fees for elected officials.
He placed third.
Miami voters are a tough crowd. They like the familiar, even if the familiar is messy. Despite endorsements from local legends like Udonis Haslem and Dr. Marvin Dunn, Russell couldn't quite recapture the magic of his 2015 "outsider" run. People remembered him leaving his commission seat early for a Congressional run, and in a city that prizes loyalty, that's a hard bell to unring.
What's Actually Happening Now in 2026?
So, where is Ken Russell now? He’s basically in the role of the "elder statesman" without actually being old.
He still shows up in the news, often as a commentator on Miami’s resilience issues or as a witness in corruption probes. He’s not sitting on the commission anymore, but he’s still deeply embedded in the conversation about where the city is going.
You’ll see him on LinkedIn or at climate conferences talking about sea-level rise. He’s still doing the work, just without the title. Honestly, it might be a more effective way to operate in Miami. You don't have to worry about the "3-2" votes or the shouting matches at the dais.
Actionable Insights: Lessons from the Russell Era
If you’re a Miami resident or someone looking to get into local politics, the Ken Russell saga offers a few "must-know" takeaways.
- The "Outsider" Label has an Expiration Date: You can only run as the guy cleaning up the park once. After that, you are the establishment, whether you like it or not.
- Environmental Policy is Local Politics: Russell proved that talking about "climate change" is boring, but talking about "clean water in the bay" and "toxic dirt in the park" wins elections.
- The Resign-to-Run Trap: If you’re in a safe seat and you leave it for a long shot, you better be prepared for the wilderness. Miami politics moves fast; if you leave the room, someone else will sit in your chair before you’ve even cleared your desk.
- Housing is the Only Issue that Matters: His work on co-living and inclusionary zoning remains the most relevant part of his legacy because Miami’s affordability crisis has only gotten worse since he left office.
If you're looking to get involved in the next chapter of Miami's growth, start by looking at the City of Miami Planning and Zoning meetings. That's where the real power is held, and it's where Russell spent most of his time fighting. Whether you loved him or hated him, you can’t deny that he changed the script for what a Miami politician is supposed to look like.