Carlos Hernández (politician)

Carlos Hernández (born March 8, 1961 in Camagüey, Cuba) is a Cuban-born American politician. Hernández served as the Mayor of Hialeah, Florida, from May 2011 to November 2021.[3] He became acting mayor in 2011 upon the resignation of his predecessor, Julio Robaina, who left the Hialeah mayoral office to pursue an unsuccessful campaign for Mayor of Miami-Dade County.[3]

Carlos Hernández
Mayor of Hialeah, Florida
In office
May 2011 – November 2021
Preceded byJulio Robaina
Succeeded byEsteban Bovo
Member of the Hialeah City Council
from the 6th district
In office
November 30, 2005 – May 23, 2011
Preceded byRoberto Casas[1]
Succeeded byPaul "Pablito" Hernandez[2]
Personal details
Born (1961-03-08) March 8, 1961
Camaguey, Cuba
Political partyRepublican
SpouseNancy Hernández
ResidenceHialeah, Florida
ProfessionPolitician, retired police officer

Hernández was raised in Hialeah, Florida. He received a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.

Hernández was elected to the Hialeah city council in November 2005.[3] He was further elected council president in 2007 and again in 2009 by the members of the council.[3] Under the Hialeah city charter, Hernández, who was still council president in 2011, became Mayor of Hialeah upon the resignation of former Mayor Julio Robaina in 2011.[3]

Carlos Hernández won a full term in the 2011 Hialeah mayoral election.[4]

Ethics violation

In July 2015, the Miami-Dade County Ethics Commission made findings that Hernández had lied twice in an October 2011 press conference about high-interest loans of $180,000 to a convicted Ponzi schemer. He was fined $3,000 by the Miami-Dade County Ethics Commission.[5][6]

On November 7, 2015, Hernández sent 28 buckets filled with pennies and nickels via a truck to pay the fine despite being ordered to pay with a check. The payment was refused and the Commission is now suing him for refusing to pay.[7][8][9]

In May 2016, Hernández delivered 145 boxes of coins to a Miami bank that, in turn, transferred the $4,000 to the Miami-Dade County Ethics Commission.[10][11]

In September 2019 he decided to cut the pay of The City of Hialeah Firefighters by 6% which, on average, is $500 or more per person. He claims that the cut was to raise pensions for other citizens without raising taxes.[12]

References
  1. "Our Campaigns - Hialeah City Council Seat 6 Race - Nov 15, 2005".
  2. "Our Campaigns - Hialeah City Council Seat 6 Race - Nov 03, 2009".
  3. Isensee, Laura (2011-05-26). "Hialeah has new acting mayor". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
  4. "City of Hialeah, Florida - Mayor's Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  5. "Ethics panel: Hialeah mayor lied about loans to convicted Ponzi schemer | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2015-08-11.
  6. "Ethics Commission Charges Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez with Lying". 15 January 2015.
  7. "Hialeah mayor Carlos Hernández: No check for the ethics commission | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2015-12-10.
  8. "County ethics commission sues Hialeah mayor for trying to pay $4K fine with pennies | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2015-11-20.
  9. "Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez tries to pay $4K fine with 28 buckets filled with coins - WPTV.com". Archived from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  10. "Hialeah mayor pays $4,000 ethics fine — in pennies and nickels | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2016-05-06.
  11. "Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez Ends up Paying Ethics Fine in Pennies and Nickles".
  12. "Families of Hialeah firefighters protest against proposed pay cut". 23 September 2019.

Further reading
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