On Tuesday night, Mark Samuelian became the first Armenian American elected official in Miami-Dade County history.

MIAMI BEACH, FL –On Tuesday night, Mark Samuelian won his race for the Miami Beach City Commission. With all precincts reporting, Samuelian received 7,535 votes out of a total of 11,111 votes cast, or 67.82%. He is the first Armenian American to hold public office in Miami-Dade County.

In a wild race that once had five people vying for the Group II seat, Mark Samuelian stayed above the fray throughout the campaign. He ran a clean, professional, and solid grassroots campaign, and he kept working until the very end, despite his opponents’ woes.

Miami Beach Commissioner-Elect Mark Samuelian and Florida Armenians Editor Taniel Koushakjian on Election Night, Tuesday, November 7, 2017.

Surrounded by family, friends, and supporters at the Betsy Hotel in South Beach, Samuelian shared the big news to a long and celebratory applause. In his victory speech, he outlined his governing principles and campaign priorities. He reiterated his vow to work hard to ensure his policies are adopted and that residents are well represented on the commission.

In addition to Samuelian, two other FLArmenians.com endorsed candidates won their races. Dan Gelber was elected Miami Beach Mayor with 82.38%, and Michael Gongora was elected to the Miami Beach Commission Group III seat with 64.81%.

“Florida Armenians congratulate all the winners in Miami Beach and throughout Miami-Dade County,” stated Florida Armenians Editor Taniel Koushakjian. “We are especially proud of Mark Samuelian on his historic, and resounding victory. I expect there to be many more Armenian Americans holding public office in Florida in the years to come,” Koushakjian said.