Alex Díaz de la Portilla
Former member of the
Miami City Commission
from the 1st district
In office
January 7, 2020 – September 15, 2023
Preceded byWilly Gort
Succeeded byMiguel Angel Gabela
Majority Leader of the Florida Senate
In office
November 2008 – November 2010
Preceded byDaniel Webster
Succeeded byAndy Gardiner
Member of the Florida Senate
In office
January 25, 2000 – November 2, 2010
Preceded byAlberto Gutman
Succeeded byMiguel Díaz de la Portilla
Constituency34th district (2000–2002)
36th district (2002–2010)
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 115th district
In office
November 8, 1994 – January 25, 2000
Preceded byCarlos A. Manrique
Succeeded byRenier Díaz de la Portilla
Personal details
Born (1964-08-25) August 25, 1964
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseClaudia Davant (divorced) [1]
RelationsMiguel Díaz de la Portilla (brother)
Renier Díaz de la Portilla (brother)
ProfessionPolitical Consultant

Alejandro Díaz de la Portilla (born August 25, 1964) is a political consultant and former politician from Florida. A Republican, Díaz de la Portilla was a City of Miami Commissioner for District 1[2] and a member of the Florida Senate from 2000 to 2010, representing parts of Miami-Dade County. Previously, he served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1994 until his election to the Senate.[3]

In September 2023, Diaz de la Portilla was arrested on charges of money laundering, bribery, criminal conspiracy, and illegal compensation for official acts.[4] The arrest affadavit[5] cited a combined 14 charges against Díaz de la Portilla and William “Bill” Riley Jr., an attorney and lobbyist. Diaz de la Portilla pleaded not guilty.

He left office on September 15, 2023, after Governor Ron DeSantis suspended him from serving.[6] The commission voted to leave the seat vacant until the November election.[7] On November 21, 2023, Diaz de la Portilla was defeated for Miami Commissioner District 1 by Miguel Angel Gabela.[8]

Early life and career

Díaz de la Portilla was born and raised in the Little Havana community of Miami.[9] His career in politics began in 1994, when he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, 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.[10] 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, Diaz de la Portilla won a run-off election for the Miami Commission to represent Miami’s District 1.

Family

Díaz is one of the four children of Cuban exiles 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:

Electoral history

Florida House of Representatives, 1990-1998

1990 Republican Primary, Florida House District 114
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bruce Hoffman 2,270 52.9%
Republican Thomas "Tom" Borell 1,020 23.8%
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 1,000 23.3%
Total votes 4,290
1992 Republican Primary, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 1,953 36.4%
Republican Carlos Manrique 1,250 23.3%
Republican Manuel Casas 671 12.5%
Republican Hugo D. Menendez 554 10.3%
Republican Luis Rodriguez 523 9.8%
Republican Raul Perez Sanz 410 7.6%
Total votes 5,361
1992 Republican Primary Runoff, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Carlos Manrique 1,612 53.8%
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 1,386 46.2%
Total votes 2,998
1994 Republican Primary, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 6,787 70.7%
Republican Carlos Manrique 2,809 29.3%
Total votes 9,596
1994 General Election, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla Unopposed –
1996 Republican Primary, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 8,968 87.8%
Republican Fred A. Naaman 1,249 12.2%
Total votes 10,217
1996 General Election, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla Unopposed –
1998 Republican Primary, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 2,747 57.7%
Republican Bernie Navarro 2,016 42.3%
Total votes 4,763
1998 General Election, Florida House District 115
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla Unopposed –

Florida Senate, 1999-2006

December 14, 1999 Special Republican Primary, Florida Senate District 34
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 6,545 57.7%
Republican Carlos L. Valdes 3,780 33.3%
Republican Charles Rousseau 596 5.3%
Republican Arthur Arnau 429 3.8%
Total votes 11,350
January 25, 2000 Special General Election, Florida Senate District 34
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla Unopposed –
2000 General Election, Florida Senate District 34
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla Unopposed –
2002 Republican Primary, Florida Senate District 36
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 15,439 49.2%
Republican Carlos Lacasa 13,186 42.0%
Republican Mike Gorrie 2,764 8.8%
Total votes 31,389
2002 General Election, Florida Senate District 36
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 66,945 100.0%
write-ins 6 0.0%
Total votes 66,951
2006 General Election, Florida Senate District 36
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 50,879 99.9%
write-ins 30 0.1%
Total votes 50,909

Post-Senate electoral career

2012 Republican Primary, Florida House District 112
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 4,396 58.8%
Republican Gustavo Barreiro 3,075 41.2%
Total votes 7,471
2012 General Election, Florida House District 112
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic José Javier Rodríguez 28,053 53.7%
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 24,195 46.3%
Total votes 52,248
July 25, 2017 Special Republican Primary, Florida Senate District 40
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican José Félix Díaz 7,678 57.8%
Republican Alex Díaz de la Portilla 3,398 25.6%
Republican Lorenzo J. Palomares 2,217 16.7%
Total votes 13,293

References

  1. ↑ https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2015/11/high-court-sides-with-diaz-de-la-portilla-in-divorce-case-027625
  2. ↑ Flechas, Joey (27 October 2019). "With experience and baggage, Alex Diaz la Portilla runs for Miami's District 1 seat". Miami Herald.
  3. ↑ https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/24364/alex-diaz-de-la-portilla
  4. ↑ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/miami-commissioner-alex-diaz-de-la-portilla-arrested-on-money-laundering-bribery-charges/ar-AA1gJ6K6?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=29c14efbf6bd4b39be337a5a0862f51d&ei=13
  5. ↑ AGUILA, GRETHEL (September 15, 2023). "Miami Commissioner Díaz de la Portilla arrest affidavit document". Miami Herald. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Vazquez, Chris Gothner, Louis Aguirre, Christina (2023-09-15). "DeSantis suspends Alex Diaz de la Portilla from Miami commission following charges". WPLG. Retrieved 2023-10-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "Commissioners vote to leave Alex Diaz de la Portilla's seat vacant until November election". ABC News: Local 10. September 24, 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Municipal Run-Off Elections". Miami-Dade County. Miami Dade County. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  9. ↑ https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article279331429.html
  10. ↑ https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=31819
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