Michael Gongora

In Office: 2006-2007 and 2009–2013 Constituency: Miami Beach, Florida Born: Michael Christian Góngora Nationality: United States Residence: Miami Beach Alma Mater: University of Miami Profession: Lawyer Website: http://www.michaelgongora.com

Michael Góngora is Miami Beach’s first and only openly gay elected commissioner and vice mayor. Commissioner Góngora was also the first openly gay Hispanic to win elected office in the State of Florida. In November 2006, Commissioner Michael Góngora was first elected as a Commissioner of Miami Beach. An environmental advocate, in his first year in office Commissioner Góngora created and chaired the first City of Miami Beach’s Green (now known as the Sustainability Committee). Prior to his election, Michael was a long-term community activist having chaired the Environmental Coalition of Miami & the Beaches, (the) Miami Beach Latin Chamber of Commerce, (the) Miami Beach Bar Association and serving as a Special Master for the City of Miami Beach over code compliance. Since being re-elected in 2009 to the Miami Beach Commission, he is focused on green initiatives and was instrumental in the implementation of the Sustainability Plan for Miami Beach. Currently he chairs the Miami Beach’s Sustainability Committee and is Vice-Chair of Miami Beach’s Land Use & Development Committee.

Background

Commissioner Góngora was born in Doctor’s hospital in 1970 in Miami, FL to a Cuban born father and American born mother. In 1960 Commissioner Góngora’s father, who was eleven years old at the time, migrated from Cuba with Michael’s grandparents and his older brother and sister to escape Castro’s communist dictatorship. As a child Commissioner Góngora’s grandparents , Papa and Mama, taught him to speak & read Spanish sharing many stories of life in Cuba.

Commissioner Gongora was active in community theater from a young age and became a member of Screen Actors Guild while in college after landing a principal role in a Subway commercial.

Commissioner Góngora attended the University of Miami on a partical academic scholarship and earned his BS in Communications but thereafter decided to attend the University of Miami College of Law where he earned his J.D. (cum laude). After graduation, he was a partner in his own firm in Miami Beach before joining Becker & Poliakoff. Commissioner Gongora is currently a partner at Becker & Poliakoff where he is the lead community association litigator in the Miami office. His experience consists of representing community associations and includes handling vendor contracts, association declarations and disputes that may arise from these and other issues. Prior to being elected to the Miami Beach Commission, Commissioner Góngora held numerous local elected and appointed leadership and governmental roles throughout Miami-Dade County, including:

• Member, Miami Beach Community Development Advisory Committee
• Member, Miami Beach, Zoning Board of Adjustment
• Member, Miami Beach, Design Review Board
• Special Magistrate, Miami Dade County, Value Adjustment Board for Property Tax Appeals
• Special Master, Miami Beach Code Enforcement
• Member, Miami Beach, Condominium Reform Task Force
• City of Miami Beach Mayor's Blue Ribbon Tourism Taskforce, after 9/11
• Vice Chair, City of Miami, Code Enforcement Board

Accomplishments

Commissioner Michael Góngora has made green initiatives his top priority. He created the first Green Ad Hoc Committee (now referred to as the Sustainability Committee) for the City of Miami Beach in 2007. Due to his leadership, the City of Miami Beach’s Sustainability Committee is a model for other cities. The purpose of the Miami Beach Sustainability Committee it to identify and promote policies with the City of Miami Beach aimed at achieving a sustainable environment, as well as minimize negative impacts and maximize benefits to the environment. Commissioner Góngora has been instrumental in ensuring the implementation of the policies and practices that are brought up at the Sustainability Committee to the City Commission. In 2007,Commissioner Góngora prioritized two sustainable goals. One goal was for the City of Miami Beach to create a Sustainability Plan and the other goal was to focus on ways of improving recycling within the City. Due to Commissioner Góngora’s leadership and persistence, the City of Miami Beach implemented the Sustainability Plan in January 2011 and recently established an ordinance creating a Citywide Recycling Program for Multifamily and Commercial Establishments. In addition, recycling and sustainable initiatives have become criteria in most governmental contracts awarded by the City of Miami Beach. Below is a brief summary of the two initiatives Commissioner Góngora implemented:

• City of Miami Beach Sustainability Plan: The Sustainability Plan provides structure and focus to policies and initiatives in order to successfully enhance community sustainability. The Plan is comprised of program areas, goals, indicators, targets and initiatives. Program areas are those topics within which to concentrate economic, environmental and social improvement efforts. Program areas include:

• Green Building and Housing
• Solid Waste Management
• Water Conservation and Quality
• Energy Conservation
• Alternative Transportation
• Natural Resources and Ecosystem Management
• Community Outreach and Participation
• Green Procurement
• Economic Development and Planning
• Air Quality and Climate Change

• Citywide Recycling Program for Multifamily and Commercial Establishments- The City of Miami Beach is currently implementing a citywide recycling program and has already taken action to make recycling containers more accessible throughout city streets.

Commissioner Góngora also assists in many green initiatives events such as Earth Hour, City Hall Farmer’s Market, Dream in Green event, and Growing a Green Restaurant event. Commissioner Góngora also supported the Miami Beach Botanical Garden’s “Go Green, Go Native” environmental expo that was a celebration of native plants and green living with a focus on water conservation, energy management, and preservation of natural resources. He was a guest speaker for the event and participants also were able to take home a free rain barrel. Commissioner Góngora also supported the City’s Dream in Green workshop for residents that provided information on simple measure that help residents conserve energy and water in their homes and save them money.

Commissioner Góngora has also advocated for many quality of life issues on Miami Beach. He was instrumental in the passages of the Recycling and the Short Term Rental ordinances. Commissioner Góngora has made traffic calming on Miami Beach one of his top priorities and worked closely with the La Gorce/Pinetree Association to accommodate their traffic calming needs and continues to monitor traffic and other construction projects throughout the City of Miami Beach and that impact the City of Miami Beach.

Commissioner Góngora has a long history of involvement with the LGBT community in Miami Beach. Commissioner Góngora has brought numerous LGBT causes before the Miami Beach Commission and advocated for the creation of the city’s Human Rights Commission. Commissioner Góngora has a long history of involvement with the LGBT community in Miami Beach. By working with local organizations such as the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce as well as local, state and national groups such as Unity Coalition, Pridelines, Equality Florida and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Care Resource, he keeps LGBT issues present in civic discussions and decisions. He introduced a resolution to the City Commission in support of the United American Families Act (UAFA, S. 424/H.R. 1024). Commissioner Góngora regularly hosts or sponsors events by such community groups such as SOBAP (South Beach AIDS Project), GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Alliance) and the Trevor Project, the nation’s only 24/7 suicide prevention helpline for LGBT youth.

During his tenure as Commissioner, the City of Miami Beach enacted a "Human Rights Ordinance", one of the most progressive and all-encompassing in the country. The Human Rights Ordinance protects against any form of discrimination in the City of Miami Beach. To give teeth to the new ordinance, the City of Miami Beach also created a Human Rights Commission to oversee and monitor complaints.

Civic Accomplishments

Commissioner Góngora is very involved in many civic organizations in Miami Beach. As an environmental advocate, Commissioner Góngora was chairman of the Environmental Coalition of Miami and the Beaches (ECOMB) from 2007-2009. Under his leadership, ECOMB developed and implemented various programs such as anti-litter campaign, recycling program and ecosystem preservation program.

Commissioner Góngora has also been involved with chambers of commerce on Miami Beach. Commissioner Góngora has served on the Board of Governors for the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and was president of the Miami Beach Latin Chamber of Commerce for three terms.

A long time advocate of affordable housing, he served as a Director for the Advisory Board for Neighborhood Lending Partners , a lending consortium that provides funding to build affordable housing. He also represented the City of Miami Beach at Florida Atlantic University in a program for elected officials to help implement and design projects in their municipalities. Commissioner Góngora also served as president of the Miami Beach Bar Association , the local lawyers association. During his tenure in 2007 the Miami Beach Bar Association opened the North Beach Pro Bono Law Clinic. The Clinic is staffed by volunteer attorneys that provide complimentary consultations with qualifying residents.

On a national level, Commissioner Góngora is a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). He is on the Florida Host Committee for the annual NALEO conference to be held in Florida in 2012.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

In 2003, the Sun Post newspaper named Commissioner Góngora as one of the “Power 50 of Miami.”

In 2003, Commissioner Góngora was a City of Miami Beach Key Recipient for Outstanding Service to the Community.

In 2006, South Florida CEO Magazine selected Commissioner Góngora as a Next Gen Leader.

In December 2006, Commissioner Góngora was chosen as Wire Magazine Person of the Year.

In January 2007, Commissioner Góngora was featured in Ocean Drive magazine as “The New Face of Miami Beach Politics.”

In 2007, Commissioner Góngora was a City of Miami Beach Key Recipient for his Outstanding Service to the Community.

In 2007, Commissioner Góngora was featured in Wire Magazine as “Why Michael Góngora Deserves to Be Re-Elected.”

In 2009, Commissioner Góngora was a recipient for Business Leader Events 2009 South Florida Movers & Shakers Award.

In 2009, Commissioner Góngora was selected as the Florida Trend's Florida Legal Elite 2009.

In 2009, Commissioner Góngora was featured in the Daily Business Review, Special Report: New Partners Recognition of Promotion to Partner.

In June 2011, Commissioner Góngora was invited to speak at the Commencement Ceremony for the University of Caserta on June 4 to promote tourism for the City of Miami Beach with a special emphasis on cultural tourism exchanges from Italy. The speech was given to tourism students who were graduating and with the express purpose of promoting Miami Beach as a tourism destination to them. As a special token, the University of Caserta issued Commissioner Góngora an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Faculty of Touristic Science.

In July 2011, Commissioner Gongora was named one of the Top Ten Innovators in Miami-Dade County by the Sunpost newspaper.