About Commissioner Raquel A. Regalado

Raquel A. Regalado is the Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 7 and the first Miami-born Hispanic woman elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission. Reelected in November 2024, Commissioner Regalado has built a record of bipartisan leadership on the issues that define Miami-Dade's future: water and resilience, housing affordability, transportation, public safety and inclusion for residents with disabilities.

Leadership on Miami-Dade's Most Pressing Issues

Water Quality and Resilience
Commissioner Regalado has led the County's effort to accelerate septic-to-sewer conversions to protect Biscayne Bay, passed a moratorium on the sale of County property not connected to sewer systems, and championed new septic tank standards designed to prevent waste leakage into waterways. She has been a consistent advocate for green infrastructure and coastal resilience in one of the most climate-vulnerable counties in the nation.

Housing and Affordability
She sponsored legislation allowing accessory dwelling units in single-family homes in unincorporated Miami-Dade, expanding affordable housing options for working families, seniors, and young adults. She also authored the Tenant Bill of Rights, developed in partnership with The Florida Bar, which codified and expanded protections for renters across the County.

Transportation
As Chair of the tri-county board overseeing Tri-Rail, Commissioner Regalado helped bring Tri-Rail service to downtown Miami, a long-sought connection for commuters across South Florida. She was selected by the board to negotiate the system's Memorandum of Understanding with the Florida Department of Transportation and has spearheaded transit station renovations, advanced airport and seaport cargo initiatives and championed greater use of rail to reduce costs and traffic congestion throughout the region.

Public Safety
Commissioner Regalado was among the first commissioners to call for a framework to transition the Miami-Dade Police Department to a new Sheriff's Office under Florida's constitutional changes, helping ensure an orderly transition that protects public safety and accountability. She authored legislation and championed the opening of the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, providing treatment for residents living with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia who had cycled through the county's jail system for decades. Her commitment to public safety extends to juvenile justice as well. As a member of the Miami-Dade County Public School Board, she worked on civil citations and changes to truancy rules that helped reduce juvenile incarceration.

Neuroinclusion and Disability Advocacy
Commissioner Regalado has led Miami-Dade's nationally recognized neuroinclusion initiatives, transforming the County into a model for disability inclusion. Under her leadership, Miami-Dade County has trained more than 4,200 first responders in neuroinclusion practices, made all 50 public library branches neuroinclusive, launched the Autism Occupant Decal program, and created the MIAair program at Miami International Airport, allowing travelers with disabilities to practice the airport experience before they fly. Every initiative was implemented with broad bipartisan support and minimal fiscal impact. In April 2026, Commissioner Regalado launched the Florida Neuroinclusion Toolkit, the first resource of its kind in the country, giving local governments a tested playbook for building neuroinclusive communities across public safety, transportation, sensory-friendly spaces, government services and workforce development. The toolkit translates Miami-Dade County's years of implementation into policy strategies any city or county can adopt and is being distributed to all 34 municipalities in Miami-Dade, with statewide rollout underway.

Background
Commissioner Regalado is admitted to practice law in Florida state courts and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, with a focus on corporate litigation, real estate, asset valuation and intellectual property. She earned her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Florida International University. She also attended the Miami-Dade Community College Honors Program and Coral Gables Senior High.

She first entered elected office in 2010, serving on the Miami-Dade County Public School Board for six years, where she championed a successful billion-dollar bond for school facilities, oversaw the repair of 500 school sites, restructured the district's transportation system and led the creation of the Autism Intensive Communication Academy. She also championed the district's first social media policy, now a model for districts nationwide.

Since 2008, Commissioner Regalado has been a fixture in Spanish-language media in South Florida, hosting daily and weekly radio and television programs focused on local government, immigration, education, and social services, including Hoy por Hoy on Radio Caracol 1260 AM. She also contributes editorials to Community Newspapers and El Diario de las Americas.

Commissioner Regalado represents Miami-Dade County in national leadership roles as Vice Chair of the National Association of Counties' (NACo) Large Urban County Caucus and as a voting member of its Transportation Policy Steering Committee. She previously served as a Subcommittee Vice Chair of NACo's Health Policy Steering Committee. She also served on the executive board of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), represented Miami-Dade County on the Southeast Florida Regional Partnership 50/50, served as head of the Educational Committee of the Adrienne Arsht Center, and was a board member of Chapman Partnership for the Homeless.

She is the proud mother of Isabela and Sebastian, both neurodivergent young adults whose journey inspired her advocacy and the Florida Neuroinclusion Toolkit. She is the daughter of Tomas P. Regalado, former Mayor of the City of Miami and current Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser.