In a recent visit to the offices of the Community Newspapers, District-10 County Commissioner Javier Souto shared what he believes to be his hallmark in public service: a keen ability to observe, to stay in touch with his community, and “to fix what is broken, and preemptively fix what would break. That is what I do.”
He talked, we listened, and we truly believe he does his job it better than most public servants in our community –for that, we endorse Commissioner Souto in his re-election this August to serve District 10 one more time.
First elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission in April 1993, Javier Souto has a long history of serving the people of District 10, which includes Westchester, Kendall, Horse Country, Fontainebleau, and other adjacent areas.
He also told us what drives him most is an unwavering concern for protecting the community, especially from detrimental development. Focused on the implementation of his vision for his district, he said he is running for re-election in August 2018 to complete his mandate, as allowed by the term limit law.
Commissioner Souto’s practical, can-do approach to public service also served him well at the state level. Souto was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in November 1984 and re-elected in 1986. Elected then to the Florida Senate in 1988 where he served until 1992 (re-elected). He then came to Miami-Dade County when single member districts were established in 1992.
We believe Commissioner Souto has served the residents of Miami-Dade County with honesty, integrity, and lots of hard work seeking to improve our quality of life.
Just one pass through his district and it is easy to see the fruits of his work. Consider such achievements as the success of the Downtown Dadeland Urban District, the growing Civic Center/Health District Urban District, installation of guardrails and steel cables along expressway medians and throughout Miami-Dade County that prevent deadly vehicular accidents.
He has also been able to directly improve the quality of life of his constituents and the value of the homes and businesses in District10, which is 100 percent unincorporated, by securing and investing $500 million dollars in infrastructure dollars in cultural facilities, sports venues, housing for senior citizens, park improvements, beautification, sidewalks, street lights, storm-water drainage, road resurfacing, traffic circles, speed humps, brick pavers – and the lost goes on.
Furthermore, we also can see how the myriad state statutes and county ordinances that Souto has meticulously authored over his tenure have improved public safety and welfare, consumer protection, and the quality of life for Miami-Dade County residents.
This work is evident in laws regulating noise intrusion into residential neighborhoods upheld by federal court of appeals; laws protecting our neighborhoods from illegal dumping; the drafting of most of the laws in Unincorporated Miami-Dade relating to commercial and residential code enforcement; and providing the police with the tools they need, such as laws, equipment and recurring revenue sources, that significantly reduce the exportation of stolen vehicles from our County.
But topping the list, from our perspective, is completion of several significant projects for our community, like the Performing Arts Center and Children’s Cultural Facility currently under construction in Tropical Park, two apartment buildings for senior citizens, an exhibition/reception facility at Tropical Park, and vital work on several transit projects.
Born in 1938 in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, to a family involved agri-business, Souto attended Villanova University (in Havana) and the University of Havana. In the U.S., he attended Miami-Dade College and the University of Miami where he graduated from the School of Business in 1967. He is a veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion special infiltration teams. He also served for several years in the CIA.
He currently lives with Berta, his wife of 54 years, in Westchester. They have three married children and eight grandchildren.
Let’s join Commissioner Souto in writing the final chapter in a long and distinguished career of public service characterized by honesty, integrity, and dedication to serve the people.
Let’s do so by voting to re-elect Commissioner Souto again in the August 28 election.
