Oliver Gilbert III
Miami-Dade County Chairman of County Commissioners
Assumed office
November 20, 2020
Preceded byJose Pepe Diaz
Miami-Dade County Commission District 1
Assumed office
November 17, 2020
Preceded byBarbara Jordan
Mayor of Miami Gardens
In office
2012 – November 16, 2020
Preceded byShirley Gibson
Succeeded byRodney Harris
Personal details
BornAugust 15, 1972
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseWalkeria Castillo Gilbert
Children1 son Oliver Gilbert IV
Alma materFlorida A&M University (B.A) Criminal Justice
St. Thomas University
University of Miami School of Law (JD)
OccupationAttorney

Oliver Gilbert III is an American politician and current Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 1. He is also the former mayor of Miami Gardens.

Career

Gilbert received a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Florida A&M University and a J.D. from University of Miami School of Law.[1] He entered politics early out of law school in 2000, when then-state representative Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall hired him as a legislative aide. He then worked as deputy of policy for former US attorney general Janet Reno's gubernatorial campaign.[2] A couple years later, after working first as a prosecutor and then in private practice, he vied for the mayoralty of the newly incorporated City of Miami Gardens in 2003 where he lost. He was appointed to the Miami Gardens council in 2008 and 4 years later was elected mayor,[2] the second African-American to hold the position. Miami Gardens is Florida's largest city with a majority African American population[3] and the 3rd largest city in Miami-Dade County.

When running for Miami-Dade County Commission he faced Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, who was killed by George Zimmerman in 2013. There were notable as people like Hillary Clinton, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and other high ranking figures in the Democratic Party who endorsed Fulton.[2] However, Gilbert won a close race in August winning 50.5%, as such a runoff was not needed.[4]

Gilbert is also known for his love of bowties and frequently wears them.[5] He is a brother in Omega Psi Phi fraternity.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "About Vice Chairman Oliver G. Gilbert, lll". Miami Dade County. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Scheckner, Jesse (2020-09-15). "Oliver Gilbert III: Moving from Miami Gardens mayor to county commission". Miami Today. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  3. ^ "American FactFinder - Community Facts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "Oliver Gilbert". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  5. ^ "Jazz In The Gardens | The Mayor of Miami Gardens Talks Jazz in the Gardens, the Birth of the City and His Love of Bow Ties". Retrieved 2020-12-15.
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