The election was held coincidingly with a vote that also saw Miami-Dade county commissioner Natacha Seihjas also successfully recalled.[1]
In terms of population, the county was considered the largest United States municipality to recall its executive.[2][3] The county was also, at the time, the second-largest recall vote of any kind in the United States, after the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election.[4]
Months after the vote, a special election was held to fill the vacant mayoralty.[5]
The recall effort against Mayor Álvarez began in late-September 2011, shortly after the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners passed a budget which both raised property taxes and increased the salaries of county employees.[1][6] The property tax increase was harshly received by voters of the county, who were still notably reeling from the impact of the Great Recession.[7]