Michael Góngora

Michael Góngora
Former member of the Miami Beach City Commission
In office
2006–2013
Personal details
Residence Miami Beach, Florida
Alma mater University of Miami
Profession Lawyer
Website michaelgongora.com

Michael Góngora (born 1970) is an American politician from Miami Beach, Florida who served on the Miami Beach City Commission. Besides his legal practice, Gongora currently serves as a legal and political analyst and is regularly featured on many Spanish networks including Telemundo, America Teve and Mira TV.

Education

Góngora attended the University of Miami School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor (cum laude).[1] After graduation, he was a partner in his own firm in Miami Beach before joining Becker & Poliakoff. Góngora is currently a partner at Becker & Poliakoff where he is the lead community association litigator in the Miami office.[1]

Political career

Góngora was Miami Beach's first and only openly gay elected commissioner and vice mayor.[2] Góngora was also the first openly gay Hispanic to win elected office in the State of Florida.[2] As commissioner, he pushed for the first citywide recycling program, founded the city sustainability committee and helped create a sustainability plan designed to encourage developers to erect greener buildings. Gongora was active in passing a stormwater master plan to resolve flooding in the City of Miami Beach.[3]

In 2013 he ran for mayor of Miami Beach but lost to Philip Levine, coming in second place out of four candidates running with nearly forty percent of the vote following a recount.[4] It was later found that Levine had spent approximately $2,000,000 to receive 5,639 votes in the most expensive election in the history of Miami Beach.[5]

Offices held

Prior to being elected to the Miami Beach Commission, Góngora held local elected and appointed leadership and governmental roles throughout Miami-Dade County, including:

Environmental issues

Góngora created the first Green Ad Hoc Committee (now referred to as the Sustainability Committee) for Miami Beach in 2007.[7] This committee created a sustainability plan, and focused on ways of improving recycling within the city.

LGBT issues

Góngora's involvement with the LGBT community in Miami Beach includes advocating for the creation of the city’s Human Rights Commission, and works with local organizations such as the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce as well as local, state and national groups such as Aqua Foundation, Gay Pride Committee, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Trevor Project, SAVE Dade, Equality Florida, and Unity Coalition.[6] He introduced resolutions to the City Commission in support of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, S. 424/H.R. 1024), and the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act against cyberbullying, in the U.S. House of Representatives.[8] He hosts or sponsors events by SOBAP (South Beach AIDS Project), GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Alliance) and the Trevor Project, the only national 24/7 suicide prevention helpline for LGBT youth.

Civic work

Góngora is involved in civic organizations in Miami Beach. He was the chairman of the Environmental Coalition of Miami and the Beaches (ECOMB) from 2007-2009.[1]

He was legal advisor to the Miami Beach Latin Chamber of Commerce.[1]

He served as a Director for the Advisory Board for Neighborhood Lending Partners, a lending consortium designed to provide 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. Góngora also served as president of the Miami Beach Bar Association, the local lawyers association.[1] During his tenure in 2007 the Miami Beach Bar Association opened the North Beach Pro Bono Law Clinic, staffed by volunteer attorneys that provide pro bono consultations with qualifying residents.[7]

On a national level, Góngora is a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). He was on the Florida Host Committee for the annual NALEO conference held in Florida in 2012.[9]

In 2014, Gongora was invited to join the executive board of the World Outgames being hosted in Miami Beach in 2017, the first city in the United States to do so. As Vice Mayor, Gongora had been part of the delegation in February 2013 to travel to Antwerp, Belgium and compete for Miami Beach to host the games.[10]

Awards, honors, and distinctions

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Michael C. Góngora, Community Association Lawyer, Miami, FL". Becker & Poliakoff.
  2. 1 2 David L Wylie (2 April 2012). "Michael Gongora: Passionate about Miami Beach". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  3. ↑ "Goodbye, Miami". Rolling Stone. 20 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "Philip Levine Wins Recount to Become Miami Beach Mayor". NBC Miami. 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
  5. ↑ http://www.politicalcortadito.com/2013/11/05/miami-beach-mayors-post-costs-philip-levine-plenty/
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Christiana Lilly (17 July 2013). "Michael Góngora Hopes to Become Miami Beach's First Openly Gay Mayor". South Florida Gay News.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "2012 Humanitarian Awards". Miami Fashion Week.
  8. ↑ Steve Rothaus (2 October 2013). "SAVE Dade endorses Beach candidates Michael Góngora, Sherry Roberts, Jorge Exposito, Matti Bower". Miami Herald.
  9. ↑ "Politics: Gongora Hears From Obama and Romney at National Latino Conference". Miami SunPost. 28 June 2012.
  10. ↑ http://wiremagazine.tumblr.com/post/45350728773/pride-and-progress
  11. ↑ http://southfloridagaynews.com/Community/michael-c-gongora-hispanic-gay-and-elected.html
  12. ↑ https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/becker-poliakoff-attorney-michael-gongora-181110100.html
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