View source for Alex Penelas

{{Short description|American politician}}
{{COI|date=August 2019}}
{{Verifiability|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Alex Penelas
|image=File:Mayor Alex Penelas photo circa 2002.jpg
|image_size=170px
|office= [[List of mayors of Miami-Dade County, Florida|5th Mayor of Miami-Dade County]]
|predecessor=[[Stephen P. Clark]] (Metropolitan Dade County) 
|successor=[[Carlos Álvarez (American politician)|Carlos Álvarez]]
|term_start=October 1, 1996
|term_end=November 6, 2004
|office1 = Member of the [[Government of Miami-Dade County|Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners]]<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1" />
|term_start1 = 1990
|term_end1 = 1996
|office2 = Member of the [[Hialeah, Florida|Hialeah City Council]]<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":1" />
|term_start2 = 1987
|term_end2 = 1990
|birth_name = Alexander Penelas
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1961|12|18}}
|birth_place=[[Miami]], [[Florida]], U.S.
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse=Lilliam
|children=3
|residence=
|party=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|relations=
|alma_mater=[[St. Thomas University (Florida)|St. Thomas University]] <small>([[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]])</small><br>[[University of Miami]] <small>([[Juris Doctor|J.D.]])</small>
|occupation=
|profession=Lawyer<br>Politician
|religion=
|signature=
|website=
|footnotes=
}}

'''Alexander Penelas''' (born December 18, 1961) is an American attorney who is the former mayor of [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]], Florida.

==Education and personal life==
Penelas, an American of [[Cuban Americans|Cuban descent]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Hanks|first=Douglas|date=23 July 2020|title=Seeking third term as county mayor, Alex Penelas banks on fond memories in Miami-Dade|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article244087127.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817181254/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article244087127.html |archive-date=2020-08-17 |access-date=|website=Miami Herald}}</ref> attended [[St. Thomas University (Florida)|St. Thomas University]] and graduated in 1981 with a degree in political science.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Torres|first=Ginelle|date=10 November 2004|title=PENELAS RETURNS TO ALMA MATER AS PROFESSOR|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-11-10-0411100142-story.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701000045/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-11-10-0411100142-story.html |archive-date=2021-07-01 |access-date=2020-12-01|website=South Florida SunSentinel|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alexander Penelas Mayor |url=https://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/reports/co2-1997.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222185700/https://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/reports/co2-1997.pdf |archive-date=22 Feb 2020 |website=Miami Govt.}}</ref> In 1985, he received his [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]] degree from the [[University of Miami School of Law]],<ref name=":0" /> where he graduated ''cum laude'' and was inducted into the university's [[Iron Arrow Honor Society]].<ref>
[http://www.nndb.com/org/483/000056315/ Iron Arrow Honor Society at Notable Names Database.]</ref>

Penelas and his wife, Lilliam, have two adult sons, William and Christopher, and a younger daughter, Alexandra.<ref name=":0" />

==Political life==

Alex Penelas served on the city council of [[Hialeah, Florida]] from 1987 to 1990.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In 1990, he was elected to serve as a county commissioner in Dade County.<ref name=":0" />

===Miami-Dade Mayor===
Penelas ran in 1996 for Mayor of Dade County, renamed Miami-Dade County in 1997.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Penelas advanced to the runoff for Mayor against fellow commissioner [[Arthur Teele]].<ref name=":2" /> Penelas scored 37% to Teele's 25% with former [[mayor of Miami]] [[Maurice Ferre]] and [[Xavier Suarez]] in third and fourth.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Navarro|first=Mireya|date=1996-09-04|title=The Race for Mayor of Dade County Is Headed for a Runoff (Published 1996)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/04/us/the-race-for-mayor-of-dade-county-is-headed-for-a-runoff.html|access-date=2020-12-01|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In the run-off Penelas soundly beat Teele with 60.56% to Teele's 39.44%.<ref name=":0" /> Penelas ran for reelection in 2000 and beat Miami Dade Commissioner [[Miguel Diaz de la Portilla]] with 51.6% to Diaz de la Portilla's 20.9%. Because Penelas reached the 50% threshold, a runoff was not needed.

As mayor, he vocally opposed the [[Elián González|repatriation of Elián González]] in 2000, but was not successful in stopping the repatriation.<ref name=":0" />

===2004 Senate campaign===

In 2004, Penelas was term-limited as mayor and ran for [[2004 United States Senate election in Florida]]. This was the first open Senate seat since 1980, it was being vacated by longtime incumbent and Dade County native [[Bob Graham]].<ref name=":0" /> Penelas finished third in the primary, behind [[Betty Castor]] and [[Peter Deutsch]].<ref name=":0" /> His campaign was made more difficult when [[Al Gore]] called him "the single most treacherous and dishonest person I dealt with during the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]] campaign anywhere in America."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sokol|first1=Brett|title=The D Word|journal=Miami New Times|date=May 26, 2005|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/the-d-word-6340382}}</ref>

=== 2020 mayoral bid ===
{{main article|2020 Miami-Dade County mayoral election}}
In April 2019, Penelas announced his campaign for re-election to the office of Miami-Dade County Mayor, a position he previously occupied for eight years. Penelas initially led in most polls but finished in third in the first round behind [[Daniella Levine Cava]] and [[Esteban Bovo]].<ref>{{Citation | last = Hanks | first = Douglas | title = Running for county mayor again, Alex Penelas snags Miami-Dade's top donor (so far) | newspaper = Miami Herald | date = 14 May 2019 | url = https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article230383894.html | access-date = 15 May 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/31/Perspective/Alex_Penelas_confront.shtml "Alex Penelas Contronts a Tough Critic: His Own Party"], ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'', August 31, 2003.
*[http://www.univision.net/corp/en/pr/Miami_17122004-1.html "Alex Penelas, former Miami-Dade Mayor, to Provide Political Commentary and Analysis for Univision"], [[Univision]] statement, December 17, 2004.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060913210957/http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=6666 "Al Politics Is Loco"], ''[[The American Spectator]]'', June 8, 2004.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061209124650/http://www.ncaaticketsnow.com/miami-tickets.asp Alex Penelas at University of Miami Famous Alumni].
*{{C-SPAN|50895}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | before=Position abolished 1993-1996 | title=[[List of Mayors of Miami-Dade County, Florida|Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida]] | years=1996-2004 | after=[[Carlos Alvarez (mayor)|Carlos Alvarez]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Mayors of Miami-Dade County}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penelas, Alex}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Florida]]
[[Category:21st-century mayors of places in Florida]]
[[Category:American politicians of Cuban descent]]
[[Category:Florida Democrats]]
[[Category:Mayors of Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:Politicians from Miami]]
[[Category:St. Thomas University (Florida) alumni]]
[[Category:University of Miami School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Florida city council members]]
[[Category:Television personalities from Florida]]