Mack Bernard Explained

Mack Bernard
State Senate:Florida
District:24th
Term Start:November 5, 2024
Predecessor:Bobby Powell
Succeeding:Bobby Powell
Office1:Member of the
Palm Beach County Commission
from the 7th district
Term Start1:November 22, 2016
Predecessor1:Priscilla Taylor
State House2:Florida
State2:Florida
District2:27th
Term Start2:September 22, 2009
Term End2:November 6, 2012
Predecessor2:Priscilla Taylor
Successor2:Larry Lee Jr.
Birth Date:4 March 1976
Birth Place:Port au Prince, Haiti
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Shawn Bernard
Children:3
Profession:Lawyer, business executive

Mackenson "Mack" Bernard (born March 4, 1976) is a Haitian-born American politician.[1] He lives in Boynton Beach, Florida. Bernard moved to Florida in 1986.

Political career

He was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2009 as a Democrat in the 27th district.[2]

In 2012, Bernard ran for a seat in the 27th district of the Florida Senate, facing fellow Representative Jeff Clemens. Clemens won the endorsement of labor unions AFL-CIO and SEIU, while Bernard received the endorsement of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.[3] In the end, Clemens was able to narrowly defeat Bernard by only seventeen votes in the primary election.[4] Bernard held out hope, however, that Clemens's victory would be overturned and filed a lawsuit to have forty absentee ballots counted. A judge in Tallahassee ruled against Bernard but allowed nine provisional ballots to be counted, which would not have been enough to allow Bernard to emerge victorious.[5] In the general election, Clemens remained on the ballot as the Democratic nominee, and was elected unopposed.

In June 2024, Bernard was elected to the Florida Senate as he was the sole candidate to file in a special election to succeed Bobby Powell. The move was done as part of a "seat swap" while Powell runs for Bernard's seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.[6]

Personal life and career

Bernard holds a Juris Doctor with honors from University of Florida Levin College of Law. He earned a teaching fellowship for legal research and writing. Bernard was a member of the University of Florida Trial Team that participated in national competitions. After passing the Florida Bar examinations, Bernard earned an Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida in 2003.

References

  1. Web site: Representative Mack Bernard. myfloridahouse.gov. Florida House of Representatives. July 17, 2012.
  2. Web site: Mack Bernard Official Site . July 17, 2012.
  3. Web site: SD 27: Two Dem State Reps Battle for Open Florida Seat in Palm Beach County. July 31, 2012. May 28, 2013. Sunshine State News. Kevin. Derby.
  4. Web site: After recount, Clemens defeats Bernard by 17 votes in Florida Senate District 27. August 18, 2012. May 28, 2013. Palm Beach Post. Christine. Stapleton.
  5. Web site: Provisional ballots to be counted in Mack Bernard, Jeff Clemens Senate race. September 17, 2012. May 28, 2013. WPTV-TV. Ryan. Calhoun. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121030150356/http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/political/provisional-ballots-to-be-counted-in-bernard-clemens-senate-race. October 30, 2012.
  6. Web site: 'So thankful': Mack Bernard coasts into Florida Senate seat unopposed. June 11, 2024. June 12, 2024. floridapolitics.com.