User:Juanzapata

Juan C. Zapata
Juan C. Zapata was born in Medellin, Colombia on December 9, 1966. Moving to Miami in 1977 Mr. Zapata has been a resident of Miami for thirty one years. His education includes: Miami Sunset Senior High, Miami-Dade Community College, and Florida International University. He recieved a degree from the latter in Finance and International Business in 1994. He is a proud FIU Lifetime Alumni member and was honored with the FIU Torch Award in 2002.

Juan C. Zapata was elected to serve District 119 in the Florida House of Representatives on Novemember 5, 2002. Mr. Zapata is the first Colombian-American elected to the Florida Legislature. He has established several reading programs through Read 2 Succeed and a scholarship program through the Florida Hispanic Legislative Caucus. After six years in the Florida House of Representatives, Zapata is currently serving as the Vice chair for the Healthcare Council and is a member of the Policy & Budget Council, Agribusiness, and Business Regulation committees.

As a young adult, he was appointed to the City of Miami Youth Advisory Council. As Y.A.C. Treasurer, he spearheaded a campaign to raise awareness and donations for the Miami Rescue Mission homeless shelter. His efforts included the expansion of youth education and recreational programs, as well as identifying solutions to address gang problems. In 1997, Mr. Zapata was a founding Board Member and soccer coach of the YMCA West Kendall Branch, where he continued for 16 years.

In 1996, Mr. Zapata was elected to the Miami-Dade West Kendall Community Council. He served as the Council’s first Chairman untiil 1998. In this position, he established the Park Trust Fund, led the Council to support the County’s Human Rights Ordinance, the Greenway bike path, and helped implement a privately funded graffiti removal program.

As a member of both the Miami-Dade Human Services Coalition, as well as the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Mr. Zapata has worked to pass legislation and good public policy to improve the quality of life for families and improve the delivery of social services in our community. In 2007, Mr. Zapata was elected among his colleagues as the M-D Legislative Delegation Chairman. He is a strong advocate of Community issues and believes the Delegation can resolve concerns in the areas they represent. In addition, Mr. Zapata was recognized by the President & CEO of SAMS for the resolution including the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. The American Legistlative Exchange Council (ALEC), adopted this resoultion at the Spring Task Force Summit in Hot, Springs Arkansas. Mr. Zapata's accomplishment with ALEC has helped American Businesses to expand and grow abroad.