Fort Lauderdale Commissioners Dean Trantalis and Bruce Roberts will advance to a March 13 runoff election after voters cast their ballots for mayor Tuesday.
With 46 percent of vote, Trantalis came out on top in the three-way race, but he fell short of the 50 percent needed to win the election outright.
Trantalis, who's openly gay, casts himself as a change agent. He's been serving on the city commission since 2009 and is a longtime champion of equal rights.
Trantalis and Roberts, the former chief of police for Fort Lauderdale, are vying to replace longtime Mayor Jack Seiler.
As a result of Tuesday's election, community activist Charlotte Rodstrom, a former city commissioner, was eliminated from the race.
The next mayor will take the reins as the city struggles to properly maintain failing water and sewer pipes, control heavy traffic, deal with persistent homelessness and handle a wave of dense development.