Barbara Muhammad Sharief (born November 7, 1971) is an American politician and nurse. Serving as a
Broward County
Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...
commissioner from 2010 - 2021, she was appointed mayor from 2013 to 2014, and again from 2016 to 2017. She is the county's first African-American female and Muslim mayor. Sharief is also a former Miramar city commissioner and vice mayor. In September 2022, she announced her candidacy for Florida's 35th Senate District in the 2024 election.
Early life and education
Sharief was born in
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
, and grew up in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and Broward County, one of eight children of a self-employed clothing salesman and a retired schoolteacher. In 1985, at age 14, her father, James Muhammad Sharief, was shot and killed by a 15-year-old robber. She began work soon after to support her family.
Sharief attended
North Miami Senior High School
North Miami Senior High School (NMSHS) is a public high school in North Miami, Florida, United States. Located at 13110 NE 8th Avenue, The school opened as Edward L. Constance Junior-Senior High School in 1951; with 1,500 students in 7th, 8th and ...
. After high school, she earned an
Associate of Science in Nursing
An Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) is a tertiary education nursing degree which typically takes 2–3 years to complete. In the United States, this type of degree is usually awarded by community colleges or similar nursing schools. Some f ...
from
Miami Dade Community 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 ...
followed by a
registered nurse
A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...
diploma from
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Jackson Memorial Hospital (also known as "Jackson" or abbreviated "MJMH") is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine, and the largest hospital in the United States with 1,5 ...
School of Nursing. She later attained a
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN, BScN) also known in some countries as a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) or Bachelor of Science (BS) with a Major in Nursing is an academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by an accredited ...
, a
Master of Science in Nursing
A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is an advanced-level postgraduate degree for registered nurses and is considered an entry-level degree for nurse educators and managers. The degree also may prepare a nurse to seek a career as a nurse administr ...
nurse practitioner
A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse and a type of mid-level practitioner. NPs are trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose disease, formulate and prescribe m ...
certification from
Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, 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 uni ...
. She then earned a
Doctor of Nursing Practice
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a professional degree in nursing. In the United States, the DNP is one of three doctorate degrees in nursing, the others being the research degrees PhD and the Doctor of Nursing Science. Internationally, ...
from
Wilkes University
Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students (both full and part-time). Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and bec ...
Career
Nursing
After graduation, Sharief worked for
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Jackson Memorial Hospital (also known as "Jackson" or abbreviated "MJMH") is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine, and the largest hospital in the United States with 1,5 ...
, followed by a national home health agency. In 2001, she founded South Florida Pediatric Homecare, Inc. The company provides home healthcare services for children and adults who would otherwise need to stay in a hospital or
intensive care
Intensive care medicine, also called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes pro ...
environment.
Politics
In 2009, Sharief was elected to the Miramar City Commission. She served as the
vice mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected dep ...
in 2010. While serving on the City Commission, she donated her annual salary to charities. In May 2010, Sharief filed to run for the Broward County Commission District 8 seat being vacated by Diana Wasserman-Rubin. In November 2010, she was elected to serve the residents of the cities of Miramar,
Pembroke Pines
Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. The population of Pembroke Pines is 171,178 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous c ...
,
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* W ...
,
Southwest Ranches
Southwest Ranches is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban community part of the Miami metropolitan area and is located on the eastern edge of the Everglades, 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Fort Lauderdale and abo ...
, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Park and West Park. In 2012, she was named vice mayor of Broward County. In November 2013, the County Commission voted unanimously to appoint Sharief Broward's first African-American female mayor. In November 2014, she was re-elected to a second four-year term on the County Commission. In November 2015, Sharief was named vice mayor for the second time. In November 2016, Sharief was re-appointed mayor for the second time.
As county commissioner, Sharief served on several boards including the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization and on the Large Urban County Caucus and the Health Steering Committee for the
National Association of Counties
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is an organization that represents county governments in the United States. In 2016, Sharief was elected President of the Florida Association of Counties. She is also a member of the National Democratic County Officials, the Urban League of Broward County, Miramar–Pembroke Pines Chamber of Commerce's Governmental Affairs committee, the Caribbean American Democratic Club, and Minority Women Business Enterprises.
Over the course of her political career, Sharief has been focused on the financial health of her constituents, enacting programs to provide foreclosure assistance and help residents get through the economic slump. She created Commissioner on a Mission, a program focused on the elderly, foreclosure, and unemployment issues. In 2013, Sharief proposed a countywide ban on
pit bull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
s, similar to the one implented in neighboring Miami-Dade County. She later withdrew requests for the ban in favor of calling for regulations on dog owners and new funds for animal control. Sharief was also instrumental in advocating for the completion of the Pembroke Road overpass off Miramar Parkway and Pines Boulevard. As mayor, Sharief oversaw the immediate response to the
Fort Lauderdale airport shooting
On January 6, 2017, a mass shooting occurred at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, United States, near the baggage claim in Terminal 2. Five people were killed while six others were injured in the shoot ...
.
Lawsuits
In 2013, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration concluded in a routine audit that Sharief's firm overbilled
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 pers ...
for patient services by close to $500,000. The audit found that from June 2007 to March 2011, SFPH was overpaid for some services that were not covered by Medicaid. Sharief disputed the audit results, but agreed to "settle the matter rather than fight and continue to mount legal fees." In May 2013, Sharief signed an agreement to repay $540,328 over three years, an amount that includes the Medicaid overcharges as well as additional fines and costs According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, the settlement agreement did "not constitute an admission of wrongdoing or error by either party with respect to this case or any other matter."
In April 2014, the Florida Commission on Ethics announced that it had found probable cause to believe that Sharief violated state ethics laws and the state constitution by failing to properly disclose her financial interests for three years. An
ethics commission
In the United States, an Ethics Commission is a commission established by State law or county or city ordinance to investigate dishonest or unethical practices by public employees and elected officials.
See also
* California Fair Political Pract ...
investigator recommended that the Commission rule against Sharief, finding that she had filed inaccurate financial disclosure forms in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Sharief disputed the claims, but agreed to settle with the commission and paid a $1,000 fine for each violation. The Office of the
State Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
cleared Sharief of any wrongdoing stating there was no evidence that she "fraudulently falsified any document belonging to any public office in this state."
In July 2022, Barbara Sharief sued political opponent
Lauren Book
Lauren Frances Book (born October 12, 1984) is an American politician and former educator who has served in the Florida Senate since 2016, representing parts of Broward County. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been the Senate's minority ...
and a political committee after numerous, libelous ads were circulated to the residents of Florida’s new 35th Senate District via mail, email, and text message allegedly paid for by Book and the committee.
Personal life
While Sharief has stated that she has not visited a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
since she was a teenager, she considers her position as Broward County's first Muslim mayor an important platform against prejudices against Muslim people. She has three daughters and currently resides in
Miramar, Florida
Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which is home to approximately six million people.
History
Miramar wa ...