Alex Díaz de la Portilla | |
Image Name: | Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla.png |
Office: | Member of the Miami City Commission from the 1st district |
Term Start: | January 7, 2020 |
Term End: | September 15, 2023 |
Preceded: | Willy Gort |
Succeeded: | Miguel Angel Gabela |
Office1: | Majority Leader of the Florida Senate |
Term Start1: | November 2008 |
Term End1: | November 2010 |
Preceded1: | Daniel Webster |
Succeeded1: | Andy Gardiner |
Office2: | Member of the Florida Senate |
Term Start2: | January 25, 2000 |
Term End2: | November 2, 2010 |
Preceded2: | Alberto Gutman |
Succeeded2: | Miguel Díaz de la Portilla |
Constituency2: | 34th district (2000–2002) 36th district (2002–2010) |
State House3: | Florida |
State3: | Florida |
District3: | 115th |
Term Start3: | November 8, 1994 |
Term End3: | January 25, 2000 |
Preceded3: | Carlos A. Manrique |
Succeeded3: | Renier Díaz de la Portilla |
Birth Date: | 25 August 1964 |
Birth Place: | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
Profession: | Political Consultant |
Party: | Republican |
Relations: | Miguel Díaz de la Portilla (brother) Renier Díaz de la Portilla (brother) |
Spouse: | Claudia Davant (divorced) [1] |
Alejandro Díaz de la Portilla (born August 25, 1964) is a political consultant and former politician from Florida. A Republican, Díaz de la Portilla was a City of Miami Commissioner for District 1[2] and a member of the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2010, representing parts of Miami-Dade County. He also served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 until his election to the Senate.[3]
Díaz de la Portilla was born and raised in the Little Havana community of Miami.[4] His career in politics began in 1994, when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, District 115. Díaz de la Portilla served in the Florida House until 2000, when he was elected to the Florida Senate in a special election.[5] He was reelected to the Senate three times. He served as president pro tempore from 2002 to 2004.
Díaz de la Portilla ran for the Florida House of Representatives in 2012, for the Florida Senate in 2017, and for the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2018. In 2019, Díaz de la Portilla won a run-off election for the Miami Commission to represent Miami’s District.
In September 2023, Díaz de la Portilla was arrested on charges of money laundering, bribery, criminal conspiracy, and illegal compensation for official acts.[6] The arrest affidavit[7] cited a combined 14 charges against Díaz de la Portilla and William “Bill” Riley Jr., an attorney and lobbyist. Díaz de la Portilla pleaded not guilty.
He left office on September 15, 2023, after Governor Ron DeSantis suspended him from serving.[8] The commission voted to leave the seat vacant until the November election.[9] On November 21, 2023, Díaz de la Portilla was defeated by Miguel Angel Gabela in the election for Miami Commissioner District 1.[10]
Díaz is one of the four children of Cuban exiles Miguel Ángel Díaz Pardo and Fabiola Pura de la Portilla García. His paternal great-grandfather served in the Cuban Senate; two of his sons served simultaneously in the Cuban House of Representatives. His maternal great-grandfather served as the Cuban Minister of Justice.
His brothers have also held elected office:
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