Wikipedia Draft:Raquel Regalado



Raquel Regalado (born July 16, 1974) is an American lawyer and politician who has been a Miami-Dade County Commissioner representing District 7 in Miami-Dade County, Florida since 2020. Previously, she was a Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) Board member representing District 6 from 2010 until her election as commissioner. Raquel Regalado is the first Miami-born Hispanic woman elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission.

=Early life and education= Ms. Regalado was born in Miami, Florida on July 16, 1974, to Raquel Ferreiro and Tomas Regalado. Her mother was a celebrated Cuban-American radio host and her father was a participant in Operation Peter Pan and served as the 42nd mayor of Miami, Florida, from 2009 to 2017.

She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies with honors from Florida International University in 1998, her Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2001 and attended Miami‐Dade Community College Honors and Coral Gables Senior High. At St. Thomas University, Regalado was the recipient of the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Division Scholarship and the winner of the St. Thomas University School of Law C. Clyde Atkins Memorial Moot Court Competition and American Trial Lawyers Association Open/Close Competition.

=Legal career=

Regalado is admitted to practice in Florida state courts as well as the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She is a member of numerous bar groups, including the American Bar Association, the Cuban American Bar Association, and the Florida Intellectual Property Law Association. She started her career as a summer associate at Holland & Knight LLP, where she later practiced as a Commercial Litigator. Regalado was recognized as a Rising Star in Intellectual Property Litigation by Florida Trend magazine, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation named her one of the top 40 attorneys in Miami-Dade County under 40 years old.

She taught Adjunct Business Law at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus.

=Journalism career=

Ms. Regalado has hosted a number of Spanish-language radio and television shows aimed at informing audiences about local politics, public housing, immigration, and social services since 2008. These include a daily program on La Poderosa 670 AM, from 2008 to 2018, and Esta Semana con Raquel, a weekly television show with political and news analysis, that aired on CNN Latino Miami throughout the state of Florida from 2008 to 2017. Currently, Regalado co-hosts Hoy por Hoy on Radio Caracol 1260 AM.

She has contributed editorials about a myriad of issues affecting Miami-Dade, featured in the Miami Herald, the Huffington Post, El Diario las Américas, and Community Newspapers.

=Political career=

Her entire career reflects a deep commitment to the people of Miami and issues that affect the community. She is most recognized as a community leader for her strong support for children and adults with disabilities, housing, elders, and improving school facilities and transportation.

At the national level, Regalado has participated in programs regarding comprehensive immigration reform and the school district's role in assimilation and English learning. As a board member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Regalado has spoken nationally on the need for immigration reform, juvenile justice, and the benefits of Florida’s civil citation alternative.

As a Hispanic English learner herself, Ms. Regalado has been an advocate for bilingual education. She has spoken at various conferences to debunk the myth that English learners are not academic achievers and champion the significant role that bilingual education plays in children's future as well as the state and county's economy.

Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners
In November 2020, Regalado was elected as Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 7, which includes South Miami, Pinecrest, Brickell, Coconut Grove, and most of Coral Gables. Regalado’s legislative priorities include legislation impacting the neurodivergent, the environment, and education for economic empowerment.

Regalado’s sponsored legislation includes

Neurodivergence
The Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism Program

Her sponsored legislation includes a collaboration with the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disorders to develop a Countywide autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurodiverse inclusion program. This program provides opportunities for training of County staff, the development of social stories for County spaces including parks, libraries, and transit, age-specific programming for individuals with ASD, and the development of autism-friendly spaces.

Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities

Ms. Regalado is the prime sponsor of legislation that aims to develop a plan to increase employment opportunities, training, and support for individuals with disabilities, including neurodivergent individuals, with the Miami-Dade County. The legislation also encourages the county’s vendors to hire individuals with disabilities and neurodivergent employees, utilizing scoring incentives for hiring plans and support.

COVID-19 Educational Campaign

Regalado sponsors legislation that develops appropriate messaging that considers the particular needs of neurodivergent persons in current and future COVID-19 vaccine educational campaigns.

Environment
Septic to Sewer Task Force

Regalado is the prime sponsor of legislation that creates the Septic to Sewer Task Force, which consists of 13 members and is established to advise the Board of County Commissioners and the County Mayor on issues related to septic to sewer conversion in Miami-Dade County. The Task Force’s main responsibility includes reviewing relevant data, studies, assessments, reports, and evaluations related to septic to sewer conversion.

Environmentally Endangered Lands Education Program

Ms. Regalado sponsors legislation that develops and implements an educational and public outreach campaign to promote awareness about the importance of the Environmentally Endangered Lands (“EEL”) Program and of the subtropical ecosystems and natural communities in the county. This campaign shall be incorporated into the volunteer workday program on EEL lands, the Adopt-a-Tree program, and Baynanza.

Water Conservation Month

Regalado’s sponsored legislation designates the month of April as Water Conservation Month and urges all water users to act by increasing their water use efficiency and take appropriate measures to conserve and protect our State’s most vital natural resource.

Education for Economic Empowerment
Financial Literacy Training Pilot Program Regalado is the prime sponsor of legislation that designed a pilot program that provides financial literacy training to participants and applicants in the County’s public housing, the Rental Assistance Demonstration, and the Section 8 programs. The pilot program provides participants with access to pre-existing and no-cost training resources such as those available through the Florida Department of Financial Services and the University of Miami and is accessible to non-native English speakers.

Vocational Training Pilot Program Ms. Regalado sponsors legislation that designed a pilot program that provides vocational training available to participants and applicants in the County’s public housing, the Rental Assistance Demonstration, and the Section 8 programs. The vocational training continues to explore potential partnerships with entities like the Miami-Dade College, Florida International University, and Google and is accessible to non-native English speakers.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Board
Raquel Regalado ran for and was elected to the Miami-Dade County Public School Board representing District 6. During her time at the School Board, she chaired the county-wide facilities and construction committee which oversaw Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ 500 facilities and school site security. Regalado was a school board member during the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy and brought several safety initiatives to the school board regarding school site safety.

As an education leader, she is most known for strengthening Miami-Dade County’s special needs education and reforming the way the school board does business, from student transportation to advances in technology. She championed programs and services for children and adults with special needs, including securing funding for Sensory Rooms, leading the creation and opening of the Autism Intensive Communication Academy at one of the district’s neediest schools, and solidifying the school district’s relationship with UM/NSU Card and the Department of Children and Families.

Regalado led technology initiatives, including the teaching of technology and computer science at all levels of K-12, established district-wide participation in Hour of Code to teach the basics of computer programming, and promoted summer programs like Girls who Code and CODeELLA who provide computer science training to Hispanic and African American girls.

Regalado developed the nation’s first school district social media policy, which provides guidelines for teacher-student relationships on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

After an investigation conducted by Major League Baseball alleging that a Coral Gables clinic was dispensing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to high school students, Regalado put forth a proposal that asked the Miami Dade County Public Schools to implement a policy authorizing a study of the cost and feasibility of random drug testing of MDCPS students who participate in extracurricular activities.

Accomplishments

 * Championed the successful billion-dollar bond to restore school facilities and subsequently chaired the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Sites and Construction Committee, which oversaw renovations at 500 facilities and school site security.


 * Established a five-year transportation plan to replace old and inefficient school buses with energy-efficient buses that exceed the state’s safety requirements.


 * Secured private funding for Sensory Rooms for children with special needs at three Miami‐Dade County elementary schools.


 * Led the creation and opening of the Autism Intensive Communication Academy at one of the district’s neediest schools.


 * Successfully advocated for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ first-ever social media policy and a platform for educational resources such as Ted Talks and the Khan Academy.

=Elections=

Raquel Regalado defeated Cindy Lerner in the general election for Miami-Dade County Commission District 7 on November 3, 2020. Regalado also ran for election to the Florida State Senate to represent District 37. Regalado withdrew before the Republican primary on August 18, 2020. In 2016, the Miami-Dade County mayoral election took place on August 30, 2016, with a run-off between Regalado and Carlos A. Giménez on November 8, 2016. In the August 30th election, Giménez received 47.61% of the votes cast while Regalado received 32.01%. In the November 8th election, the incumbent received 55.83% of the vote while Regalado received 44.17%.

= References =