Alexander Diaz brings an exceptional record of experience and accomplishment to his role as the Town Manager of Golden Beach. His background in municipal government – where he worked collaboratively with all sectors of state, county and local government – makes him uniquely qualified to handle the multi-faceted tasks associated with coordinating multiple community projects and personnel.
Mr. Diaz received his Bachelors Degree from the University of North Florida and his Masters in Public Administration from Florida International University. He was elected Student Body Vice-President then President during his junior and senior years respectively. As Student Body President, Diaz managed 12 departments, 153 staff members, and a budget of $2.3-million. He also served as spokesperson to the university administration, Florida Board of Regents, State Legislature, and Members of the Congressional Delegation. Upon graduation, Diaz completed an Executive Internship in the Office of Senator Bob Graham during the 105th Congress of the United States Senate.
Formerly, Mr. Diaz was the Assistant Director for Administration/Legislative Affairs Coordinator for the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department where he managed a budget in excess of $134-million, a staff of 247, and was responsible for the Human Resources Division, Support Services Section, Communications Center, Stores/Procurement Section, and Fleet Management. He acquired extensive experience with labor bargaining agreements, procurement, recruiting, fair employment, emergency operations and communications. As State Legislative Coordinator on behalf of the County Manager’s Office for the 2006 State Legislative Session, he helped to secure funding in excess of $300 million dollars to further the capital and operational needs of Miami-Dade County.
Hired in March of 2007 at the age of 29, Mr. Diaz is believed to be the youngest Town Manager in the history of Miami-Dade County. Since then Mr. Diaz has built an extensive list of accomplishments. He brought free Wi-Fi to all Town residents, provided PDA’s to staff members, installed portable radios in all city vehicles, and equipped police vehicles with laptop computers. He achieved considerable savings by partnering with nearby communities instead of contracting private companies for Town services.
His most noteworthy accomplishment to date has been the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan – a project that was implemented in 2008 and continues to grow and provide for the residents of the Town. His first action was to slash the budget from $40-million to $20.8-million. With the subsequent resident approval in a special election on November 6th, 2007, the Town was then able to secure a General Obligation Bond for $14.5-million representing 70% of the CIP budget.
As more facets were added to the project, the costs doubled to $48-million, however the remaining balance of $33.5-million was attained through budgetary diligence and State and Federal Grant dollars – due to the hard work and fiscal prudence of Mr. Diaz. In 2016, he was able to refinance the General Obligation Bond, providing an additional savings to residents of over $500-thousand. All while maintaining an “AA” bond rating from Moody’s Investment – which is no small feat for a small Town, such as Golden Beach. This was the first time the Town would receive such a rating.
The Capital Improvement Program consisted of undergrounding utilities (light, cable, phones), installation of new water lines, fully implementing a comprehensive stormwater system, installation of sidewalks, enhanced landscaping, and installation of a one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art security system and motion detectors which will monitor the beachfront (ocean) homes as well as the streets of the Town. Most recently the redesigns of the Town’s beach pavilion and police gatehouse, canal maintenance and a Town-wide street lighting project have been added to the Town’s infrastructure needs, further beautifying the Town. Additionally, enhancements continue to be made to the Town website, which will facilitate communication and information sharing.
Mr. Diaz launched an aggressive beautification project, creating the Town’s first Parks Master Plan, and has tirelessly worked towards modernizing the functions of Golden Beach’s municipal government. It is noted that the value of homes in Golden Beach during his tenure has increased from approximately $479-million to $1.35 billion and the Town has seen $48-million in capital improvements.
Mr. Diaz believes that maintaining an open line of communication between Town residents and Town Hall will be key to moving forward. He is grateful to the residents for entrusting him with managing their home, the Town of Golden Beach.
Phone: (305) 932-0744 ext. 224
Email: alexdiaz@goldenbeach.us
