Manuel A. Diaz, Mayor

Having never before held elected office, Mayor Diaz is now recognized as one of America’s most innovative Mayors, chosen to lead the United States Conference of Mayors as its president beginning in the Summer of 2008.

When he first took office, Miami city government was bankrupt, held junk bond status, and was under a state financial oversight board.  Mayor Diaz pursued a vast administrative overhaul that brought with it financial stability, healthy level of financial reserves, continued tax cuts, lowered millage rates, and an A+ bond rating on Wall Street. 

The City further lowered costs, improved performance and introduced private sector business approaches that have lead to better service delivery and recognition awards for several city departments.

Internal operational excellence has allowed Mayor Diaz to pursue capital reinvestment and quality of life initiatives in long abandoned and forgotten neighborhoods.  Plans include a billion dollar Capital Improvement Plan that will rebuild the city’s infrastructure without levying new taxes and Miami 21 (http://www.miami21.org/), a revolutionary land use and zoning master plan that incorporates new urbanism and smart growth.  

Guided by principles of conservancy and sustainability, Mayor Diaz has launched an expansive effort to “green” the city, erasing decades of environmental neglect.  He is a signatory to the Mayor’s Climate Protection agreement, pledging to reduce global warming emissions.  Diaz has also promoted “Green Building” throughout the City and has pledged to convert the city fleet to hybrid or other fuel efficient vehicles by 2012.  His efforts have earned him recognition by Vanity Fair Magazine as one of North America’s leading environmental conscious Mayors.

Mayor Diaz brought former Philadelphia and New York Police Chief John Timoney to return public confidence to the Miami Police Department.  On the day Chief Timoney took office, a dozen officers faced federal charges for improper shootings.  After instituting what is regarded as one of the nation’s most progressive shooting policies, Miami Police went 20 months without firing a shot, a claim no other major American city can make.  The Miami Police Department has now become an international model for law enforcement, placing Miami as one of the top five U.S. cities in crime reduction, having reduced crime rates in every category and in every neighborhood to new lows. 

The Mayor also joined the National Drug Czar to launch the City of Miami Drug Strategy Plan, treading new ground in coordinating the work of all interrelated agencies to address the multi-dimensional issues related to substance abuse with a coordinated effort to reduce the scourge of drugs in the city.

Private investment has poured into Miami, increasing to well over $30 billion dollars worth of development projects at various stages in the planning and construction process, bringing with it a changed Miami skyline along with thousands of new jobs.  As a result, Miami has become a national leader in job creation, with unemployment cut by more than half since 2001, from above 12% when Mayor Diaz took office to 4% or full employment. 

This boom has dramatically improved Miami’s tax base, which grew by over $7 billion in 2006 to a new all-time high of $34 billion.  Yet, the City’s millage rate has been reduced every year since Diaz took office, presently at its lowest rate in half a century, resulting in $128 million returned to tax payers.

The city has also increased its production of affordable housing by leveraging public/private investments toward 3500 affordable units since 2001 at a combined public and private investment surpassing $600 million with a billion dollar investment pledged by 2010. 

Poverty reduction efforts have also been launched, including ACCESS Miami, uniting City resources with public, private, and non-profit sectors, offering tools and education that enable City residents to break out of poverty through financial literacy seminars, workshops, free tax preparation sites, EITC reclamation, training, and more.

Mayor Diaz has contributed greatly towards improving Miami’s public schools through mentoring programs, funding and sponsorship initiatives, and a progressive Education Compact with Miami-Dade Public Schools that will ensure that current and future generations of Miamians have access to quality public education.

Miami’s world-class reputation is now attracting new residents from all over the world.  An impressive 10% population growth over the past three years is furthered by estimates suggesting an increase by 30% by the end of this decade.  This is a startling contrast to the combined 7 percent growth experienced during the 70s, 80s and 90s.  Miami also boasts perhaps the most diverse population of any city in the United States, with over 60% of its residents of foreign origin.

In September of 2006, the Mayor was able to attract other mayors from throughout the hemisphere to host the first ever Mayor’s Hemispheric Forum, a gathering of leaders from North, Central, South America and the Caribbean aimed at strengthening ties between Miami City Hall and mayors from across the hemisphere. The forum also served as an opportunity for the region's big-city stewards to offer insights and success stories that might be helpful to their counterparts.

Mayor Diaz has received numerous international recognition for his work, including Hispanic Magazine, American Economia, and the Urban Land Institute each naming Miami among the top cities in the hemisphere.  And, the influential British magazine Wallpaper named Miami the “Best City in the World.”

Mayor Diaz has been recognized with the 2006 Government Award by Hispanic Magazine, the 2004 Urban Innovator of the Year by the Manhattan Institute, 2004 Business Leader of the Year Award by SouthFloridaCEO Magazine, and was named an “Outstanding American by Choice” by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.

He serves on the advisory board for the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Civic Innovation, the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Urban Research, the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, and was chosen as a judge for the Rudy Bruner Award for excellence in urban design.

Born on November 5, 1954, in Havana, Cuba, Diaz immigrated to the United States with his mother, Elisa, in 1961.  Growing up in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, Diaz attended Belen Jesuit Prep School, Miami-Dade College, Florida International University and the University of Miami’s School of Law.

Diaz is a partner in the law firm of Diaz & O’Naghten, L.L.P. He is married to Robin Smith and has four children; Manny, Natalie, Bobby, and Elisa. He also has three grandsons, Colin, Gavin and Manny.