Betty T. Ferguson, a longtime Miami-Dade County commissioner and community activist, has died at 91, according to reports on the death.
Ferguson was first elected to office in 1993 and was recognized many times for her leadership and public service. She was the widow of U.S. District Court Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. and the mother of two children. A park in Miami Gardens, a city she helped establish, bears her name.
Rep.-elect Oliver Gilbert credited her with helping push for single-member districts. He said she believed in amplifying residents’ voices, a approach she carried into her years as District 1 county commissioner and her later work as an activist in North Dade.
Tributes came quickly. Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins called Ferguson a “true trailblazer” and said her legacy would inspire women in public service for generations. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who called Ferguson her first county mentor, said Ferguson taught her to stand up for truth and justice at county hall. The Miami Dolphins also issued a statement describing her as a champion for civil rights and for the people of Miami Gardens.
