Luis Garcia (politician)
| Luis R. Garcia, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 107 district |
|
|
In office 2006 - Present |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 8, 1945 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Firefighter, Paramedic |
Luis R. Garcia, Jr. is a retired Miami Beach, Florida Fire Department Chief and Democratic politician who serves as the Representative for District 107 of the Florida House of Representatives. He was first elected to the Florida House in 2006 and was reelected in 2008 and 2010.
On April 3, 2012 Luis Garcia announced that he would challenge Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro for Miami-Dade County Commission seat, District 5.
Garcia was born in Marianao, Cuba on December 8, 1945 and moved to Florida in 1960. He was certified as an E.M.T. in 1974, and as a paramedic in 1977. He earned his Associate of Science degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1990 in Emergency Medical Services Management. In 1997, he completed training as an Executive Fire Officer at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Garcia, has been serving the residents of Miami-Dade County for the last 36 years. Early in his life, Garcia demonstrated his commitment to public service when he joined the Miami Beach Fire Department; the first Cuban-American to serve with the Miami Beach Fire Department.
In 1996, as a testament to his commitment to his community and the well-being of the residents of Miami Beach, Garcia was named as the city's first Cuban-American Fire Chief. Under his watch, fire-related deaths were reduced to zero in 2 years. Identifying the vulnerability of Miami Beach during hurricane season, he launched a public awareness on "hurricane evacuation" and "high rise fire safety" that aired on public television.
After retiring as Miami Beach Fire Chief in 1999, Garcia successfully ran for the Miami Beach City Commission and continued to serve in that capacity for 7 years. As a Commissioner of Miami Beach, Garcia worked with bipartisan support to introduce the Florida Fire Safety Bill in 2002-03, sponsored by former State Representative Gus Barreiro (R-Miami) and former State Senator Ron Silver (D-Miami). This legislation ensures that safety violations identified by Fire departments do not go ignored. He also created the Senior Crime Task Force to protect Miami Beach’s elderly citizens and the Condo Task Force to identify and deal with condominium legislation to protect the rights of individual owners.
...
Wikipedia