Mykita Cherry-Prime Centers Housing, Education, and Accessibility in Bid for Miami Gardens Council Seat 4 

The veteran educator says years of community advocacy, not election-season promises, are the foundation of her campaign.

Mykita Cherry-Prime wants voters to see her as more than a candidate appearing during election season. The longtime educator and community advocate says she has spent years doing the work and intends to bring that same consistency to Miami Gardens City Council Residential Area Seat 4.

Cherry-Prime is one of three candidates seeking the nonpartisan seat in the Aug. 18 election, alongside entrepreneur and youth football leader Roderick “Rod” Mack and substitute teacher and salon owner Angela Maria Wynter. The winner will serve a four-year term. Current Seat 4 Councilwoman Katrina Wilson is term-limited.

During an interview on Hy-Lo News’ Can We Talk podcast, Cherry-Prime grounded her campaign in the city that raised her, the schools that educated her and the family she continues to raise there.

“This is your friend, your neighbor, your daughter, your cousin, your child’s teacher and your church member,” Cherry-Prime told Miami Gardens voters.

Cherry-Prime grew up in what is now Miami Gardens and attended Myrtle Grove Elementary and Lake Stevens Middle School. She is a veteran Miami-Dade County Public Schools educator who works at Miami Norland Senior High School. She is also a wife and mother of four sons.

Her community résumé includes service with Live Healthy Miami Gardens, the Center for Family and Child Enrichment, the Miami-Dade chapter of the Florida A&M University National Alumni Association and the city’s Progressive Young Adults Advisory Committee. She said her work has included health advocacy, mentoring, scholarship support and free college and career readiness assistance.

Cherry-Prime ran for Seat 4 in 2022 and while she didn’t secure the seat, she says she continued serving after that election ended.

“I have never stopped and given up,” she said. “I have continued to show up for the community, and I will continue to show up for the community.”

Housing affordability sits at the center of her 2026 campaign. Cherry-Prime shared the story of an aunt who she said plans to leave Miami Gardens because local senior housing is either too expensive or has income restrictions that exclude her household.

“Housing is my number one thing,” Cherry-Prime said. “I see a lot of seniors that are getting aged out of their homes, and to me, that’s just not OK.”

She said new residential developments should set aside a share of units for Miami Gardens residents, suggesting a target in the range of 15% to 20%, though such a requirement would need legal review and council approval. She also said the city should reconsider its home purchase assistance rules, including what she described as a $382,000 purchase price ceiling that no longer reflects much of the local market.

Cherry-Prime said affordability may require the city to examine its spending choices and redirect more resources toward seniors, housing assistance and other essential needs.

On stadium traffic, she focused on making existing residential lanes work as intended. Cherry-Prime said she has used a city-issued residential decal and still found herself sitting in long event day backups. She called for the city to rework and expand the resident lanes, improve traffic routing and pay closer attention to seniors who may be less comfortable using side streets.

“We have to fix it because we can’t depend on anyone else to fix our issues,” she said.

Her public safety platform includes rebuilding relationships between residents and law enforcement through community policing, faith-based partnerships and greater awareness of existing youth and police programs. On complaints about RVs being used as unauthorized dwellings, she said she would consult city attorneys and code enforcement officials about creating a lawful, easier way for residents to submit tips without trespassing or invading a neighbor’s privacy.

Cherry-Prime also stressed empathy when residents come before the council frustrated or angry. She recalled watching a woman speak at a council meeting about tens of thousands of dollars in code violations while her fire-damaged home was being rebuilt.

“You have to put yourself in that resident’s shoes,” Cherry-Prime said. “If you sign up for this job, uncomfortability, critique and all of that other kind of stuff is going to be constant. You have to remain consistent and get your job done.”

If elected, Cherry-Prime said she would hold town halls and roundtable discussions and would push the city manager for answers on the delayed redevelopment of Myrtle Grove Park. She said the voter-selected plan for the park should be respected and that the project should move forward without further delay.

She also called for expanded swimming lessons, summer programs and youth opportunities, drawing on her experience as a teacher and mother. Her goal, she said, is to build a Miami Gardens her sons will want to return to as adults.

Cherry-Prime ended with a message built around accessibility. 

“You see me in the grocery stores. You see me at the corner store. You see me at the library because I live in the city,” she said. “I’m humbly asking for your vote to vote for someone that you can trust and someone that you see.”

Miami Gardens’ municipal election is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. Because Seat 4 is a residential area seat, voters should confirm that they live within the district and verify their registration and polling information with the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections.