Florida Judge Who Blocked Trump Library Suffers Election Defeat

More than 224,000 ballots were cast in the razor-thin contest, delivering an upset victory to Alvarez and ending Ruiz’s lengthy tenure on the Miami-Dade bench.

Alvarez’s victory is particularly notable given her relatively limited courtroom experience compared with the veteran judge she defeated.

During her five years as an attorney, Alvarez has worked primarily on civil litigation, insurance disputes and matters involving homeowners associations and condominium law.

Despite that legal experience, Alvarez acknowledged during the campaign that she has never taken a case through trial before either a jury or a judge, the Miami Herald reported.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Alvarez said she was “overwhelmed with gratitude for the extraordinary trust the voters of Miami-Dade County have placed in me.”

“Thank you, Miami-Dade, for this profound honor,” Alvarez said. “I look forward to working hard every day to serve this incredible community.”

For her part, Ruiz also thanked her supporters, adding that serving the Miami-Dade area was an honor.

“I look forward to the future with optimism. When one door closes, another always opens,” Ruiz said.