Mack Bernard

Mack Bernard
Mack Bernard
Member of the ; Palm Beach County Commission; from the 7th district
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; November 22, 2016
Preceded by	Priscilla Taylor
Member of the Florida House of Representatives; from the 27th district
	In office; September 22, 2009 – November 6, 2012
Preceded by	Priscilla Taylor
Succeeded by	Larry Lee Jr.
Personal details
Born	March 4, 1976 (age 48); Port au Prince, Haiti
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Shawn Bernard
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Florida; Florida State University College of Law;
Profession	Lawyer, business executive

Mackenson "Mack" Bernard (born March 4, 1976) is a Haitian-born American politician.^[1] He lives in Boynton Beach, Florida. Bernard moved to Florida in 1986.

Political career

He was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2009 as a Democrat in the 27th district.^[2]

In 2012, Bernard ran for a seat in the 27th district of the Florida Senate, facing fellow Representative Jeff Clemens. Clemens won the endorsement of labor unions AFL-CIO and SEIU, while Bernard received the endorsement of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.^[3] In the end, Clemens was able to narrowly defeat Bernard by only seventeen votes in the primary election.^[4] Bernard held out hope, however, that Clemens's victory would be overturned and filed a lawsuit to have forty absentee ballots counted. A judge in Tallahassee ruled against Bernard but allowed nine provisional ballots to be counted, which would not have been enough to allow Bernard to emerge victorious.^[5] In the general election, Clemens remained on the ballot as the Democratic nominee, and was elected unopposed.

Personal life and career

Bernard holds a Juris Doctor with honors from University of Florida Levin College of Law. He earned a teaching fellowship for legal research and writing. Bernard was a member of the University of Florida Trial Team that participated in national competitions. After passing the Florida Bar examinations, Bernard earned an Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida in 2003.

References

^ "Representative Mack Bernard". myfloridahouse.gov. Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
^ "Mack Bernard Official Site". Retrieved July 17, 2012.
^ Derby, Kevin (July 31, 2012). "SD 27: Two Dem State Reps Battle for Open Florida Seat in Palm Beach County". Sunshine State News. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
^ Stapleton, Christine (August 18, 2012). "After recount, Clemens defeats Bernard by 17 votes in Florida Senate District 27". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
^ Calhoun, Ryan (September 17, 2012). "Provisional ballots to be counted in Mack Bernard, Jeff Clemens Senate race". WPTV-TV. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2013.

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[mfh-1] "Representative Mack Bernard". myfloridahouse.gov. Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved July 17, 2012.

[oc-2] "Mack Bernard Official Site". Retrieved July 17, 2012.

[3] Derby, Kevin (July 31, 2012). "SD 27: Two Dem State Reps Battle for Open Florida Seat in Palm Beach County". Sunshine State News. Retrieved May 28, 2013.

[4] Stapleton, Christine (August 18, 2012). "After recount, Clemens defeats Bernard by 17 votes in Florida Senate District 27". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 28, 2013.

[5] Calhoun, Ryan (September 17, 2012). "Provisional ballots to be counted in Mack Bernard, Jeff Clemens Senate race". WPTV-TV. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2013.

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