Miguel Díaz de la Portilla
| Miguel Díaz de la Portilla | |
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district |
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Assumed office 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Rene Garcia |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 36th district |
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In office 2010–2012 |
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| Preceded by | Alex Díaz de la Portilla |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Braynon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 30, 1963 Miami, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Miami (B.A.) University of Miami Law School (J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney at Arnstein & Lehr LLP |
| Religion | Christianity |
Miguel Díaz de la Portilla (born January 30, 1963) is a Miami-Dade based attorney and is the Former Chairman of the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee, representing the newly re-districted 37th District, which includes western Miami-Dade County, since 2012. He served as Florida State Senator for South Florida till November 2016.
De la Portilla's great-grandfather served in the Cuban Senate, while two of his great-uncles) served simultaneously in the Cuban House of Representatives. A graduate of Miami’s Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, de la Portilla went on to earn his bachelor's degree and Juris Doctorate at the University of Miami.
De la Portilla began his career in public service as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, where he served as Chair of the Transportation Committee, as well as Chairman of the Board. He served as Florida State Senator for South Florida till November 2016. When the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission signed off on controversial limits for toxic compounds that can go into Florida’s surface waters, de la Portilla called on Governor Scott to do a do-over and reconsider their position.
In 2014, de la Portilla was downgraded to a "F rating" by the National Rifle Association. On February 19, 2016, USF Executive Director and NRA Past President Marion P. Hammer sent a "Florida Alert!" to USF & NRA Members and Friends regarding de la Portilla's actions. Portilla rejected several key gun bills including HB4001, HB163, and SB68.
When dealing with campus carry, de la Portilla took meetings with university presidents, college police chiefs, faculty members, and students from around the state. All of them voiced their opposition to the bill. It’s not clear whether the bills would have passed had de la Portilla allowed them to come up for vote, but there are 26 Republicans and 14 Democrats in the Senate, and approval for either measure would have required only a simple majority. In an interview with Sun Sentinel reporter Dan Sweeney, Diaz de la Portilla stated, "I don't think I'm an anti-gun guy. I'm a pro-common sense guy."
In April 2016, de la Portilla was recognized nationally by the American Psychiatric Association for championing efforts to address the need to improve mental health services in the Criminal Justice system in the state of Florida.
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