Alina Garcia
Alina Garcia | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 1st Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 115th district | |
| In office November 3, 2022 – November 5, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Vance Aloupis (redistricting) |
| Succeeded by | Omar Blanco |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Havana, Cuba |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Miami Dade College |
| Occupation | Businesswoman • politician |
Alina Garcia is a Cuban American businesswoman, civil servant, and politician serving as the first Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2022 to 2024.
Early life and career
Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to the United States. She graduated from Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Miami Dade College.[1]
Alina Garcia has worked in the public sector for over 30 years. She was a Legislative Aide in Tallahassee beginning in 1992. Garcia has worked for Republican leaders such as Jimmy Patronis, Esteban Bovo, the mayor of Hialeah, and many more public servants in Miami-Dade County. When U.S. Senator Marco Rubio was chosen to serve in the Florida House of Representatives in 1999, she was his first legislative assistant.[2]
Florida House of Representatives
In May 2022, Garcia announced her candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives from the 115th District.[3] After winning the Republican primary, she defeated Democratic nominee Christie Davis in the general election with 59% of the vote.[4][5]
While in office, Garcia voted for Florida House Bill 999.[6][7]
In February 2024, Garcia announced she would not seek re-election to the state house.[8]
Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections
For 66 years, the Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections was appointed by the county's mayor.[9] In 2018, a state constitutional amendment was passed that made the position an independent, elected office, along with the roles of Miami-Dade County tax collector, property appraiser, and sheriff.[10]
On February 15, 2024, Garcia announced that she would run for Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections. Her Democratic opponent was former Republican state representative Juan-Carlos Planas.[11] During the course of the campaign, in late October 2024, she made headlines for heckling former US Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell apparently in response to Mucarsel-Powell and her teams remarks to Senator Rick Scott.[12] She was quoted as having said: "But I am not the Supervisor of Elections and I have a right to my own opinion, everybody has the right to an opinion."[12] She and Planas had both stated they were committed to a nonpartisan elections department.[12] During her campaign, she was endorsed by President Donald Trump.[13] Garcia ultimately won the race with 55.84% of the vote.[14]
On January 7, 2025, Garcia was sworn into office as the first elected supervisor of elections of Miami-Dade County.[15][9]
Personal life
Garcia is a Roman Catholic.[16] She is a mother of three and grandmother of 11.[1] Her brother, Monsignor Willie Peña, serves as the pastor of Saint Bernardita in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[1]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alina Garcia | 579,770 | 55.8 | |
| Democratic | Juan-Carlos Planas | 458,337 | 44.2 | |
| Total votes | 1,038,107 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alina Garcia | 40,393 | 58.5 | |
| Democratic | Christie Davis | 28,696 | 41.5 | |
| Total votes | 69,089 | 100.00 | ||
References
- ^ a b c "Alina Garcia - Supervisor of Elections". miamidade.gov. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ "Alina Garcia Republican For State Representative". alinagarciaflorida.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ Pearson, Christopher (May 31, 2022). "Alina Garcia announces run for Florida House Dist. 115". communitynewspapers.com. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ Park, Clayton (March 29, 2023). "THE LIST: Florida lawmakers with real estate, construction and development ties". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "Alina Garcia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ Acevedo, Nicole (June 6, 2023). "Republican legislators who backed DeSantis immigration law appear to downplay its potential impact". CNBC. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ Tuyetnhi Tran, Emi (February 14, 2024). "Florida bill that would require schools to teach history of communism spurs debate". CNBC. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ Manjarres, Javier (February 15, 2024). "Rep. Alina Garcia Will Not Seek Reelection to Florida House". The Floridian. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ a b Rynor, Morgan (January 13, 2025). "Alina Garcia sworn in as Miami-Dade's new elections supervisor". CBS News. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "Report Regarding Transition to Constitutional Offices" (PDF). miamidade.gov. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
- ^ Greenwood, Max (15 February 2024). "State Rep. Alina Garcia says she will run for Miami-Dade elections chief". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Milberg, Glenna (28 October 2024). "Republican running for Miami-Dade elections head heckles Democratic Senate candidate". WPLG. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
- ^ Leonard, Kimberly (January 15, 2025). "The Trumpification of Miami-Dade". Politico. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ https://enr.electionsfl.org/DAD/3713/Summary/
- ^ Scheckner, Jesse (January 7, 2025). "Constitutional officers installed in Miami-Dade, where a GOP wave helped deliver a sweep". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "Alina Garcia - 2022 - 2024 ( Speaker Renner )". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ "Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org.
- ^ "Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org.