Carlos Gimenez

Carlos Gimenez is a Republican politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 28th Congressional District. Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1954, he immigrated to the United States with his family in 1960 following the Cuban Revolution. He graduated from Christopher Columbus High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from Barry University. Gimenez began his career in public service with the Miami Fire-Rescue Department, where he served for 25 years, including nine years as the department's Fire Chief. He subsequently served as the City Manager of Miami from 2000 to 2003. Gimenez entered elective office as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, serving from 2004 until 2011. He was then elected as the Mayor of Miami-Dade County in a 2011 special election and served in that role until 2020. During his mayoral tenure, he focused on fiscal management, reducing the county's tax rate, and streamlining government operations. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, defeating incumbent Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to represent Florida's 26th District, which was later renumbered to the 28th District after the 2020 census redistricting. In Congress, Gimenez serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Homeland Security. He is also a member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. His legislative priorities include national security, maritime trade, and infrastructure development, particularly as they relate to the South Florida region and its proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Representative Gimenez advocates for a platform of fiscal conservatism, including lower taxes and reduced federal spending to address inflation. On immigration, he emphasizes the importance of border security and has called for increased resources for enforcement, while also supporting market-based legal immigration reforms. His foreign policy is characterized by strong opposition to authoritarian and socialist regimes in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, and he is a vocal advocate for maintaining a competitive stance against the Chinese Communist Party. Regarding the environment, he focuses on projects critical to South Florida such as Everglades restoration and infrastructure resilience to mitigate the effects of sea-level rise. In healthcare, he supports protecting private insurance and has voted for market-based solutions intended to lower costs while maintaining protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions.