Alina Garcia
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Alina Garcia
|image = Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia (cropped).jpg
|caption = Official portrait, 2025
|office = 1st Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections
|term_start = January 7, 2025
|term_end =
|predecessor = Position established
|successor =
|state_house1 = Florida
|district1 = 115th
|termstart1 = November 3, 2022
|termend1 = November 5, 2024
|preceded1 = Vance Aloupis (redistricting)
|succeeded1 = Omar Blanco
|birth_date =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Republican
|education = Miami Dade College
|spouse =
|children = 3
|occupation = Businesswoman • politician
}}
Alina Garcia is a Cuban American businesswoman, civil servant, and politician serving as the first Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2022 to 2024.
Early life and career
Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to the United States. She graduated from Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Miami Dade College.{{Cite web |title=Alina Garcia - Supervisor of Elections |url=https://www.miamidade.gov/global/government/biographies/elections.page |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=miamidade.gov }}
Alina Garcia has worked in the public sector for over 30 years. She was a Legislative Aide in Tallahassee beginning in 1992. Garcia has worked for Republican leaders such as Jimmy Patronis, Esteban Bovo, the mayor of Hialeah, and many more public servants in Miami-Dade County. When U.S. Senator Marco Rubio was chosen to serve in the Florida House of Representatives in 1999, she was his first legislative assistant.{{Cite web |title=Alina Garcia Republican For State Representative |url=https://alinagarciaflorida.com/ |access-date=2023-06-01 |website=alinagarciaflorida.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531020044/https://alinagarciaflorida.com/ |url-status=live }}
Florida House of Representatives
{{main|2022 Florida House of Representatives election}}
In May 2022, Garcia announced her candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives from the 115th District.{{cite web |last=Pearson |first=Christopher |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Alina Garcia announces run for Florida House Dist. 115 |url=https://communitynewspapers.com/kendallgazette/alina-garcia-announces-run-for-florida-house-dist-115/ |website=communitynewspapers.com |access-date=February 7, 2025 }} After winning the Republican primary, she defeated Democratic nominee Christie Davis in the general election with 59% of the vote.{{cite news |last=Park |first=Clayton |date=March 29, 2023 |title=THE LIST: Florida lawmakers with real estate, construction and development ties |url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/state/2023/03/29/at-a-glance-current-florida-lawmakers-with-real-estate-ties/69947189007/ |newspaper=The Daytona Beach News-Journal |access-date=February 7, 2025 }}{{Cite web |title=Alina Garcia |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Alina_Garcia |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}
While in office, Garcia voted for Florida House Bill 999.{{cite web |last=Acevedo |first=Nicole |date=June 6, 2023 |title=Republican legislators who backed DeSantis immigration law appear to downplay its potential impact |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/republican-lawmakers-backed-desantis-immigration-law-appear-downplay-p-rcna88000 |publisher=CNBC |access-date=February 7, 2025 }}{{cite web |last=Tuyetnhi Tran |first=Emi |date=February 14, 2024 |title=Florida bill that would require schools to teach history of communism spurs debate |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/florida-communism-education-bill-spurs-debate-hearing-rcna138863 |publisher=CNBC |access-date=February 7, 2025 }}
In February 2024, Garcia announced she would not seek re-election to the state house.{{cite web |last=Manjarres |first=Javier |date=February 15, 2024 |title=Rep. Alina Garcia Will Not Seek Reelection to Florida House |url=https://floridianpress.com/2024/02/rep-alina-garcia-will-not-seek-reelection-to-florida-house/ |publisher=The Floridian |access-date=February 7, 2025 }}
Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections
File:Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, January 2025.jpg
For 66 years, the Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections was appointed by the county's mayor.{{cite web |last=Rynor |first=Morgan |date=January 13, 2025 |title=Alina Garcia sworn in as Miami-Dade's new elections supervisor |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/video/alina-garcia-sworn-in-as-miami-dades-new-elections-supervisor/ |publisher=CBS News |access-date=February 7, 2025 }} In 2018, a state constitutional amendment was passed that made the position an independent, elected office, along with the roles of Miami-Dade County tax collector, property appraiser, and sheriff.{{Cite web |title=Report Regarding Transition to Constitutional Offices |url=https://documents.miamidade.gov/mayor/memos/08.04.23-Report-Regarding-Transition-to-Constitutional-Offices-A-Combined-Response-to-Directives-221383-221086-221017-221018-and-221381.pdf |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=miamidade.gov }}
On February 15, 2024, Garcia announced that she would run for Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections. Her Democratic opponent was former Republican state representative Juan-Carlos Planas.{{cite web |last1=Greenwood |first1=Max |title=State Rep. Alina Garcia says she will run for Miami-Dade elections chief |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article285535832.html |publisher=Miami Herald |access-date=4 April 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240216035212/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article285535832.html |archive-date=16 February 2024 |date=15 February 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}} During the course of the campaign, in late October 2024, she made headlines for heckling former US Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell apparently in response to Mucarsel-Powell and her teams remarks to Senator Rick Scott.{{cite web |last1=Milberg |first1=Glenna |title=Republican running for Miami-Dade elections head heckles Democratic Senate candidate |url=https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/10/28/republican-running-for-miami-dade-elections-head-heckles-democratic-senate-candidate/ |publisher=WPLG |access-date=11 January 2025 |date=28 October 2024}} She was quoted as having said: "But I am not the Supervisor of Elections and I have a right to my own opinion, everybody has the right to an opinion." She and Planas had both stated they were committed to a nonpartisan elections department. During her campaign, she was endorsed by President Donald Trump.{{cite web |last=Leonard |first=Kimberly |date=January 15, 2025 |title=The Trumpification of Miami-Dade |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2025/01/15/the-trumpification-of-miami-dade-00198330 |publisher=Politico |access-date=February 7, 2025 }} Garcia ultimately won the race with 55.84% of the vote. https://enr.electionsfl.org/DAD/3713/Summary/
On January 7, 2025, Garcia was sworn into office as the first elected supervisor of elections of Miami-Dade County.{{cite web |last=Scheckner |first=Jesse |date=January 7, 2025 |title=Constitutional officers installed in Miami-Dade, where a GOP wave helped deliver a sweep |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/714343-constitutional-officers-installed-in-miami-dade-where-a-gop-wave-helped-deliver-a-sweep/ |publisher=Florida Politics |access-date=February 7, 2025 }}
Personal life
Garcia is a Roman Catholic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4899|title=Alina Garcia - 2022 - 2024 ( Speaker Renner )|website=www.myfloridahouse.gov|access-date=2023-05-30|archive-date=2023-05-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511170849/https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4899|url-status=live}} She is a mother of three and grandmother of 11. Her brother, Monsignor Willie Peña, serves as the pastor of Saint Bernardita in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change
| title =Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections election, 2024{{cite web|title=Ballotpedia|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Alina_Garcia|website=ballotpedia.org}}
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|candidate = Alina Garcia
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|votes = 579,770
|percentage = 55.8
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|candidate = Juan-Carlos Planas
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|votes = 458,337
|percentage = 44.2
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 1,038,107
| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change
| title =Florida House of Representatives District 115 election, 2022{{cite web|title=Ballotpedia|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Alina_Garcia|website=ballotpedia.org}}
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|candidate = Alina Garcia
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|votes = 40,393
|percentage = 58.5
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|candidate = Christie Davis
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|votes = 28,696
|percentage = 41.5
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 69,089
| percentage = 100.00
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Florida House of Representatives}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Alina}}
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:County constitutional officer (Florida)
Category:Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:Catholic politicians from Florida
Category:Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida
Category:American politicians of Cuban descent