Carlos Lopez-Cantera

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Carlos Lopez-Cantera
Governor of Florida
Designate
Assuming office
TBA
SucceedingRick Scott
19th Lieutenant Governor of Florida
In office
February 3, 2014 – January 2019
GovernorRick Scott
Preceded byJennifer Carroll
Succeeded byJeanette Núñez (Elect)
Property Appraiser of Miami-Dade County
In office
January 1, 2013 – February 3, 2014
Preceded byPedro Garcia
Succeeded byPedro Garcia
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 113th district
In office
November 2, 2004 – November 7, 2012
Preceded byManny Prieguez
Succeeded byDavid Richardson
Personal details
Born (1973-12-29) December 29, 1973 (age 50)
Madrid, Spain
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Renee
​
(m. 2005)​
Children2
EducationMiami Dade College (AA)
University of Miami (BBA)

Carlos Lopez-Cantera (born December 29, 1973) is an American politician serving as the 19th and current Lieutenant Governor of Florida since February 3, 2014.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he was elected property appraiser of Miami-Dade County on August 14, 2012[2][3] and previously represented the 113th district in the Florida House of Representatives from November 2, 2004, where he served as the Majority Leader[4][5][6] during the final two years of his term. On January 14, 2014, Governor Rick Scott announced Lopez-Cantera's appointment to serve out the term of Jennifer Carroll, who resigned on March 12, 2013.[7][8] Should Scott prevail in his Senate campaign, he would have to resign, at the latest, by January 3 in order to be seated, meaning that Lopez-Cantera would briefly serve, officially, as Governor until the next term commences.

Early life and education

Lopez-Cantera was born in Madrid, Spain, the son of Esther "Shelly" Smith Fano and Carlos Lopez-Cantera.[9][10] His father is Cuban. His father is Catholic and his mother is Jewish.[1] He was born two months prematurely and returned with his parents to reside in Miami, Florida, once he was healthy enough to travel. He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1994 and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in political science from the University of Miami in 1996.[11]

Political career

Lopez-Cantera being sworn in as a member of the Florida House of Representatives in 2004
Lopez-Cantera and Marco Rubio in 2007
Lopez-Cantera with Fred Thompson in 2007
Lopez-Cantera in 2011

In 1997, he was a facilitator for the Florida Senate's criminal justice committee.[12] In 2002, he made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives. Two years later, Lopez-Cantera won his first election to the Florida House of Representatives to the 113th District in November 2004, and was successively reelected in 2006, 2008 and in 2010 when he defeated US Navy veteran and rising democratic party star Alex Cruzet. He was House majority whip from 2008 to 2010 and the House Majority Leader from 2010 to 2012.[13]

Lopez-Cantera was twice elected by his colleagues from Miami-Dade County to be the chairman of the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation from 2011-2012. On August 14, 2012, he became the second property appraiser to be elected by the citizens of Miami-Dade, a county with a population of more than 2.5 million people and almost 1,000,000 properties. On July 15, 2015, Lopez-Cantera announced his candidacy to run in the 2016 United States Senate election in Florida to replace retiring Senator Marco Rubio, who was running for president of the United States.[14] However, Lopez-Cantera withdrew from the race following Rubio's announcement that he would seek reelection to the Senate, reversing his initial pledge not to run, on June 22, 2016.[15]

Personal life

Lopez-Cantera has been married to his wife Renee since 2005. They have two daughters.[16]

Electoral history

Florida State House of Representatives District 117 Republican Primary Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Julio Robaina 6,375 53.08
Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera 5,634 46.92
Florida State House of Representatives District 113 Republican Primary Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera 7,307 84.5
Republican Eileen Damaso 1,345 15.5
Florida State House of Representatives District 113 Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera 24,358 100.0
Florida State House of Representatives District 113 Election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera (inc.) 13,076 100.0
Write-in Nicole Abrante 2 0.0
Florida State House of Representatives District 113 Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera (inc.) 20,726 58.2
Democratic Javier Betancourt 14,868 41.8
Florida State House of Representatives District 113 Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Carlos Lopez-Cantera (inc.) 14,284 62.9
Democratic Alex Cruzet 7,905 34.8
Independent Waldo Faura 517 2.3

References

  1. ^ a b Steve Bousquet; Marc Caputo (January 14, 2014). "Gov. Rick Scott announces Carlos Lopez-Cantera as new lt. governor". Miami Herald. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser Race - Aug 14, 2012". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Campbell, Janie (August 15, 2012). "Election Results, Miami-Dade 2012 Primary: Winners, Losers, And A Power Broker On A Boat". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  4. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 113 Race - Nov 02, 2004". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  5. ^ "Our Campaigns - FL State House 113 Race - Nov 02, 2010". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "Florida House of Representatives - Carlos Lopez-Cantera - 2016 - 2018 ( Speaker Corcoran )". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved October 15, 2018. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 42 (help)
  7. ^ Tia Mitchell, Mary Ellen Klas (March 13, 2013). "Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigns amid state, federal probe of non-profit veterans group". miamiherald.com.
  8. ^ Rachel Weiner (March 13, 2013). "Florida Lt. Gov. resigns amid racketeering probe". washingtonpost.com.
  9. ^ "Carlos Lopez-Cantera highlights his family's Cuba history in first campaign video - Florida Politics". floridapolitics.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  10. ^ Office, Governor Rick Scott's. "Carlos Lopez-Cantera Inaugurated As Florida's 19th Lieutenant Governor". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  11. ^ "Meet Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera". Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  12. ^ Editorial. "The Herald Recommends." pg 24A. Miami Herald August 16, 2004. Online. February 25, 2009.
  13. ^ "Florida House of Representatives - Carlos Lopez-Cantera - 2016 - 2018 ( Speaker Corcoran )". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved October 15, 2018. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 42 (help)
  14. ^ "Carlos Lopez-Cantera says he's running for Marco Rubio's U.S. Senate seat in Florida". The Miami Herald. July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  15. ^ DeBonis, Mike; O'Keefe, Ed; Sullivan, Sean (June 22, 2016). "Marco Rubio will seek Senate reelection, reversing pledge not to run". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  16. ^ Mazzei, Patricia (July 15, 2015). "Running on Florida's record, Carlos Lopez-Cantera launches campaign for Marco Rubio's Senate seat". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 10, 2016.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Florida
2014–present 		Succeeded by
TBD
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