Alejandro Díaz de la Portilla (born August 25, 1964) is an American political consultant and former politician from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. A Republican, Díaz de la Portilla was a City of

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

commissioner for District 1 and a member of the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

from 2000 to 2010, representing parts of

Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...

. He also served in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

from 1994 until his election to the Senate. Former Miami Commissioner Álex Díaz de la Portilla is no longer facing charges following an investigation into alleged bribery and money laundering.

Early life and career

Díaz de la Portilla was born in

Little Havana Little Havana () is a Neighborhoods in Miami, neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the Capital (political), ...

community of

. His career in politics began in 1994, when he was elected to the

, 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. He was reelected to the Senate three times. He served as president ''pro tempore'' from 2002 to 2004.

Later political career

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. The arrest affidavit 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 Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

suspended him from serving. The commission voted to leave the seat vacant until the November election. On November 21, 2023, Díaz de la Portilla was defeated by Miguel Angel Gabela in the election for Miami Commissioner District 1.

Family

Díaz is one of the four children of

Cuban exile A Cuban exile is a person who has been exiled from Cuba. Many Cuban exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they emigrated from Cuba, and why they emigrated. The exile of Cubans has been a dominating factor in C ...

s 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: *

Miguel Díaz de la Portilla Miguel Díaz de la Portilla (born January 30, 1963) is a Cuban-American attorney and politician from Florida. A Republican, he served in the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2016, representing parts of Miami, Coral Gables, and the surrounding area ...

served as a member of the Miami-Dade County Commission from 1993 to 2000 and succeeded Alex in the Florida Senate, serving from 2010 to 2016. * Renier Díaz de la Portilla served two terms on the Miami-Dade County School Board (1996–1998 and 2006–2012). He also succeeded Alex in the House of Representatives, serving one term from 2000 to 2002.

Electoral history

Florida House of Representatives, 1990-1998

Florida Senate, 1999-2006

Post-Senate electoral career

References

External links

Florida Senate - Alex Díaz de la Portilla
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz De La Portilla, Alex 1964 births Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida Living people American politicians of Cuban descent Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Republican Party Florida state senators 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature