Miami-Dade County Commission picks a new member from West Miami
Former city of West Miami Vice Mayor Natalie Milian Orbis reacts as commissioners (from left) Vice Chairman Kionne L. McGhee, René Garcia, Oliver G. Gilbert III and Eileen Higgins pulled out her chair at a commission meeting after being appointed as the new county commissioner on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
pportal@miamiherald.com
A longtime county employee and West Miami leader secured a seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday to replace Kevin Cabrera, the District 6 commissioner who left office to become President Donald Trump's ambassador to Panama.
Natalie Milian Orbis, 38, was appointed to Cabrera's seat by a majority of the remaining 12 commissioners, who opted against a special election to instead select someone to fill out the remaining two years on Cabrera's first term. Milian Orbis is a member of the West Miami City Commission and on leave from her full-time post as director of the County Commission's Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board. She's giving up both posts to become a county commissioner and has already filed to run for a full term as the District 6 commissioner in 2026.
'She has been a valuable team member in Miami-Dade County for 18 years,' Chair Anthony Rodriguez said ahead of the vote. Three commissioners, René Garcia, Eileen Higgins and Micky Steinberg, voted against the appointment because they wanted District 6 voters, not commissioners, to pick Cabrera's replacement.
District 6 includes Miami Springs, Virginia Gardens and West Miami, as well as portions of Miami, Hialeah and Coral Gables.
Milian Orbis had no competition for the appointment vote. Another candidate, former Miami Springs Mayor Maria Mitchell, withdrew her application late last week.
'It's an honor to be able to serve,' Milian Orbis told the media after the vote. 'I feel blessed to have this opportunity.' She said she resigned her West Miami post ahead of her private swearing-in as county commissioner.
Milian Orbis did not speak after the appointment vote and left with a Clerk of the Courts staffer to be sworn into office. Rodriguez told her to take a seat on the commission Tuesday once the swearing-in was completed.
The appointment of Milian Orbis, a Republican, keeps the one-seat Democratic advantage in place on the nonpartisan commission since she's replacing a fellow Republican. She's also a Cabrera ally and was the former commissioner's pick to succeed him. Her husband, Manuel Orbis, worked as Cabrera's chief of staff but has since left for a senior position in the independent Miami-Dade Tax Collector's Office.
Though she took the District 6 chair for the first time on Tuesday after the vote, Milian Orbis is no stranger to the dais.
Before joining the Hispanic board staff, Milian Orbis worked for multiple commissioners as a legislative aide, including for Cabrera's predecessor, Rebeca Sosa. Sosa hired Orbis for her first full-time county job in 2006.
With Milian Orbis' county appointment, the West Miami City Commission will need to fill her seat. She was appointed to a vacant seat on the city commission in early 2024, then was elected to a full four-year term later that year.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM.
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