Bryan Avila (born June 25, 1984) is an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who currently serves as a member of the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in ...

, representing the 39th District. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 111th District, which includes parts of

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

and

Hialeah Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Miami metropolitan area, whi ...

in northeastern Miami-Dade County, since 2014. Avila will be term limited in 2022 and has announced his intention to run for Miami Dade County commission district 6.

History

Avila was born in

Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Miami metropolitan area ...

. He graduated from

Miami Springs High School Miami Springs Senior High School is a secondary school located at 751 Dove Avenue in Miami Springs, Florida, United States; its principal is Alfred Torossian (2020–Present). The school is part of Miami-Dade County Public School's nationally ac ...

in 2002. He attended

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College S ...

, receiving his

associates degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

in 2004, and graduated from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2006. Avila went on to attend

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

, where he graduated with a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Criminal Justice as well as a Master of Public Administration degree in 2010. In 2011, Avila was appointed to serve on the Planning and Zoning Board for the City of Hialeah. The following year, he was appointed to the city's Scholarship Board. In 2013, Avila was elected as the vice-chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County and served until his election to the Florida House of Representatives. Avila is married to his high school sweetheart, Cindy Gil-Avila. In 2015, their daughter, Olivia, was born.

Campaign for State House

In 2014, Avila ran to succeed incumbent State Representative Eduardo González, who was unable to seek re-election due to Florida term limits. He faced Alexander Anthony, a former candidate for Mayor in Miami Springs in the

primary. Avila campaigned on improving the state's economy, cutting taxes, expanding educational opportunities, reducing the size of government, and eliminating

corporate welfare Corporate welfare is a phrase used to describe a government's bestowal of money grants, tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment for corporations. The definition of corporate welfare is sometimes restricted to direct government subsidie ...

. He earned the endorsement of the '' Miami Herald'', which, though it recommended his candidacy, criticized his opposition to

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and per ...

expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Avila ended up defeating Anthony by a wide margin. He won the Republican primary with 60% of the vote and advanced to the general election, where he faced Mariano Corcilli, the Democratic nominee. This time, he did not earn the endorsement of the ''Miami'' ''Herald'', which supported his opponent over his opposition to Medicaid expansion. Ultimately, it was not a close election with Avila defeating Corcilli in a landslide, winning 67% of the vote.

Florida House of Representatives

During his first term in office, Avila authored pieces of legislation such as providing a property-tax exemption for low-income seniors, streamlining the tax appeals process, establishing in-state tuition for all active duty service members, reforming HIV testing, and implementing distance requirements for Assisted Living Facilities. In 2016, Avila ran for re-election and defeated Sevi Miyar, the Democratic nominee and a high school teacher. Avila was recognized for his accomplishments during his first term in office and received the endorsement of the Miami Herald, which praised him as a rising star. He went on to win 59% of the vote and was sworn in for his second term on November 22, 2016.

Campaign for the Miami Dade County Commission

Term limited from his house seat in 2022, Avila announced his candidacy for Miami Dade County Commission District 6. The incumbent, longtime Commissioner Rebecca Sosa will also be term-limited making the seat open for the first time since Sosa won in 2001. Avila's only other opponent in the race is diversity consultant Ibis Valdes. However he would reverse his decision and instead run for the Florida Senate.

Florida Senate

After withdrawing from the race for Miami-Dade Commissioner, he instead ran for an open seat in the 39th District, which was left vacant by fellow Republican

Manny Díaz Jr. Manny Díaz Jr. (born March 2, 1973) is an American politician who is currently serving as the 28th Education Commissioner of Florida. Díaz was a member of the Florida Senate from 2018 to 2022, representing the 36th district, which encompas ...

who was appointed by governor Ron DeSantis as Florida's Commissioner of Education, winning right away in November 8, 2022 as he faced no opposition.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives - Bryan AvilaBryan Avila for State Representative
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Avila, Bryan 1984 births 21st-century American politicians American politicians of Cuban descent Florida International University alumni Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Republican Party Florida state senators People from Hialeah, Florida University of Miami alumni Latino conservatism in the United States