Jimmy L. Morales
| Jimmy Morales | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 30, 1962 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Coral Gables, Florida |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (A.B., J.D.) |
Jimmy L. Morales (born April 30, 1962) is a lawyer and politician from Miami Beach, Florida. He is the City Manager of Miami Beach, where he was born and raised, and he currently resides in Coral Gables.
Background and career
Morales graduated as salutorian from Miami Beach Senior High School. In 1984 he graduated from Harvard University (magna cum laude), where he became a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. In 1987 he graduated from Harvard Law School (magna cum laude). Morales is a member of the Dade County Bar Association, the Cuban American Bar Association, the National Hispanic Bar Association, and the Inter-American Bar Association.
He is married to Dori Foster-Morales. He has two children: a daughter, Nora Leigh, who has Autism, and a son, Peter Jay.
He was first elected to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners[1] in October 1996 to represent District 7, and was reelected to serve a second term on September 5, 2000. His Commission district included South Miami, Key Biscayne, portions of Miami, Coral Gables and Pinecrest. He ran for Mayor in 2004 for Miami-Dade County, but lost to Carlos Alvarez.
Morales serves as the Chairperson of the Mayor's Task Force on Efficiency and Competition and also as Chairman of the Commission's Budget and Finance Committee. He was recently appointed to the NACo Deferred Compensation Advisory Committee and the National PTA Hispanic Advisory Board. He also serves as the County's representative to the Downtown Development Authority, the Dade League of Cities and the Florida Association of Counties.
He has served on various not-for-profit boards, including the Dade Community Foundation, the American Red Cross, Crimestoppers of Dade County, the East Little Havana Community Development Corporation, Aspira of Florida, and the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida. Morales is a graduate of both the Leadership Miami and Leadership Florida Programs.
Before becoming Manager of the City of Miami Beach, Morales was a shareholder and member of the board of directors of the Miami law firm of Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. His practice focused on land use, eminent domain, municipal and county law, and governmental affairs.
Positions
- Current City Manager for the City of Miami Beach
- Current Special Master for the City of Miami Gardens
- Former City Attorney for the City of Doral
- Former City Attorney team for the City of Marathon
- Former Special Master for the City of Sunny Isles Beach
- Former Chief Special Master for the City of Miami Beach
- Former Member of the Board of Miami-Dade County Commissioners, District 7 (1996–2004)
- Former Chairman of the Code Enforcement Board for the City of Miami
Professional and community involvement
- American Red Cross, former Board Member
- Aspira of Florida, former Board Member
- Autism Speaks, Walk Co-Chairman 2006 and 2007
- Miami-Dade County liaison to the Miami Downtown Development Authority and the Miami-Dade League of Cities 1997-2004
- Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade County, former Board Member
- Dade Foundation, past Chairman, current Board Member
- East Little Havana CDC, former Board Member
- Florida Association of Counties, past Member
- The Florida Bar, Eminent Domain Committee and the Annual Meeting Committee, current Board Member
- Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida, former Board Member
- Leadership Florida, Graduate
- Leadership Miami, Graduate
- Livability Task Force of the Miami-Dade Alliance for Human Services, Chairman
- National PTA Hispanic Advisory Board, former Member
- Neighborhood Lending Partners of South Florida, Board Member
- University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Advisory Board Member
- WLRN Community Advisory Board, Member
- 5,000 Role Models of Excellence Project, Mentor
Recognition
- Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Bill Colson Leadership Award for Outstanding Leadership and Superior Ability (2000)[1]
- First Annual McClaskey Leadership Award from the Guardianship Program of Dade County
- Ambassador of the Arts medal from the Dade Cultural Alliance
- Civic Trailblazer award from the Miami-Dade Alumni Chapter of Bethune-Cookman College
- Inducted into the Miami Beach Senior High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame
- South Florida Legal Guide "Top Lawyers in South Florida" (2008–2009)
- Florida Super Lawyers (2006–2009)