Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin (born March 6, 1983) is an American attorney, politician, and professor who has served as the Miami-Dade County clerk and comptroller since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2018 to 2023.
Juan Fernandez-Barquin | |
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![]() Official portrait, 2023 | |
Miami-Dade County Clerk and Comptroller | |
Assumed office June 12, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Harvey Ruvin |
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 118th district | |
In office November 6, 2018 – June 11, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Jeanette Nuñez |
Succeeded by | Mike Redondo |
Personal details | |
Born | Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin March 6, 1983 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Catalina Santaella |
Education | Belen Jesuit Preparatory School |
Alma mater | Florida International University (BA) American University (JD) |
Occupation |
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Early life and career
editFernandez-Barquin was born on March 6, 1983, in Miami, Florida. He graduated from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School and earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Florida International University. He received his Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law.[1]
Fernandez-Barquin served as an assistant public defender in Palm Beach County before returning to Miami in 2013 to open his private law firm.[1]
He serves on the governing board of Jackson Health System and works as an adjunct professor at Miami Dade College.[1]
Florida House of Representatives
editFernandez-Barquin defeated three opponents in the August 28th Republican primary, winning 44.2% of the vote.[2] In the 2018 general election, Fernandez-Barquin won 53.09% of the vote, defeating Democrat Heath Rassner and a third candidate.[3] He was reelected to the state House in 2020 and 2022.
During his tenure, he served as Chair of the Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee and was a member of the State Affairs Committee, Ways and Means Committee, Energy, Communications & Cybersecurity Subcommittee, and Justice Appropriations Subcommittee.[1]
Fernandez-Barquin resigned from the House on June 11, 2023.[4]
Miami-Dade County Clerk
editOn June 9, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Fernandez-Barquin as clerk of the circuit court of Miami-Dade County, following the prior clerk's death.[5] He was officially sworn into office on June 12, 2023. As clerk, he manages an office of 1,300 employees and oversees an annual operating budget of approximately $145 million.[1]
In the 2024 Miami-Dade County Clerk election, Fernandez-Barquin defeated Democratic nominee Annette Taddeo with 55.4% of the vote.[6]
Personal life
editFernandez-Barquin is married to his wife, Catalina Santaella.[1] He is Roman Catholic.
Electoral history
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Juan Fernandez-Barquin (incumbent) | 580,202 | 55.4 | |
Democratic | Annette Taddeo | 464,947 | 44.4 | |
Independent | Rubin Young | 2,074 | 0.2 | |
Total votes | 1,047,223 | 100.00 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Clerk of the Court and Comptroller". miamidadeclerk.gov. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results". Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "Florida Election Watch - State Representative". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin representative page". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ Hanks, Douglas (2023-06-09). "DeSantis names Republican ally to succeed Miami-Dade's longtime Democratic clerk". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ Scheckner, Jesse (November 5, 2024). "Miami-Dade voters keep Juan Fernandez-Barquin as Clerk and Comptroller". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ^ "Ballotpedia". ballotpedia.org.