Democrat · Florida's 24th District · 2026
Oliver Gilbert
Gilbert grew up in Miami Gardens with an Adventist schoolteacher mother and a Baptist preacher father.
Biography
Oliver Gilbert grew up in Miami Gardens with a Seventh-day Adventist teacher for a mother and a Baptist preacher for a father.1 He attended Parkview Elementary, Parkway Middle and Miami Norland Senior High School.1 His campaign account includes nights living in his car while attending Florida A&M, and later commuting to law school by bus and Metrorail.1 He and his wife, Walkiria, live in Miami Gardens, and he is a father.2
Gilbert earned a criminal justice degree from Florida A&M and a law degree with honors from the University of Miami, after transferring from St. Thomas.3 He has recalled his father meeting him at the train station after class and asking what he had learned.1 His legal career included work as a prosecutor and law firm partner.2
Elected Miami Gardens mayor in 2012, he served eight years before joining the Miami-Dade County Commission, whose members elected him chairman in December 2022.3 He has also taught criminal justice courses at Miami Dade College and chaired regional transportation planning bodies.3
His campaign emphasizes transit expansion, housing near transportation corridors, accessible health care, schools and opportunities for small businesses.1 He is the Democratic nominee facing Republican Te Mayonna Brown in Florida's 24th District.4
Record and controversies
Earlier campaign finance inquiry closed
A Florida State Attorney inquiry examined Gilbert's 2016 campaign's reporting of a $14,000 payment labeled as a donation; campaign officials told investigators the money actually paid campaign workers and had been mislabeled.5 Prosecutors closed the case in May 2020 without charges, finding insufficient evidence to prove the suspected offenses beyond a reasonable doubt; Gilbert's lawyer maintained that he had acted lawfully.5
County funding for nonprofit administered by an aide
An October 2026 Florida Bulldog report examined approximately $3 million in county funding Gilbert had requested for FYFL United, a nonprofit administered by his deputy chief of staff; the County Commission approved the funding requests.6 Outside ethics advocates called for scrutiny of the arrangement, while Gilbert's office said the nonprofit acted as a fiscal agent without an administrative fee for legitimate youth trips and internship stipends, replacing an organization that had sought a fee.6 The report described concerns and calls for investigation, not a confirmed agency finding of misconduct.6