Lesbian Activist Leads Recall of Miami-Dade Commissioner

Lesbian activist Vanessa Brito led a successful effort to recall longtime Miami-Dade commissioner Natacha Seijas on Tuesday.

According to The Miami Herald, almost 90% of voters in District 13 backed the recall of Seijas, who has helmed the area for 18 years. She became a recall target last year after she voted for a budget that raised property taxes in the area hard hit by the real estate crisis and also raised salaries for county employees.

Brito, a 27-year-old board member of Unity Coalition, a Hispanic LGBT political group, was assisted by Michael Pizzi, the mayor of Miami Lakes.

"Brito started Miami Voice, a political action committee, to target county commissioners who had supported the budget," reports the Herald. "The group had little money, but it got help from Pizzi, a long-time opponent of Seijas with a knack for political theater. The group garnered sufficient petitions to force a vote only for Seijas."