Javier Souto

Javier Souto
Member of the Miami-Dade County Commission from the 10th district
In office
April 22, 1993 – November 22, 2022
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byAnthony Rodriguez
Member of the Florida Senate from the 40th district
In office
November 8, 1988 – November 3, 1992
Preceded byDexter Lehtinen
Succeeded byDaryl Jones (redistricting)
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 115th district
In office
November 6, 1984 – November 8, 1988
Preceded byTim Murphy
Succeeded byMario Díaz-Balart
Personal details
Born (1938-12-15) December 15, 1938
Sancti Spíritus, Cuba
PartyRepublican
SpouseBerta Cepero
Children3
EducationUniversity of Havana
Miami Dade College
University of Miami (B.A.)
OccupationMarketing

Javier D. Souto (born December 12, 1938) is a Republican politician from Florida who served as a member of the Miami-Dade County Commission from 1993 to 2022. He previously served in the Florida Legislature, representing the 115th district in the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1988 and the 40th district in the Senate from 1988 to 1992.

Early life

Souto was born in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba, and graduated from La Salle High School in Havana in 1956. He later attended Villanova University and the University of Havana. Souto immigrated to the United States in 1960, and later participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961.[1] After settling in Miami, he attended Miami Dade College and graduated from the University of Miami in 1967.[2] Souto worked in marketing for Burroughs Wellcome.[1]

Florida House of Representatives

In 1984, Souto ran for the Florida House of Representatives from the 115th district, challenging State Representative Tim Murphy, a Democrat. He was one of several Cuban-American Republicans challenging incumbent Democrats in districts with growing Hispanic populations.[3] He defeated Murphy by a wide margin, winning 57 percent of the vote to Murphy's 43 percent.[4][5] He was re-elected in 1986, defeating Democrat Dennis Regan in a landslide, winning 71 percent of the vote.[6]

Florida Senate

In 1988, Souto initially planned on seeking re-election, but when State Senator Dexter Lehtinen resigned from the legislature to serve as U.S. Attorney, Souto ran to succeed him in the 40th district.[7] He won the Republican primary over Ted Lyons,[8] and narrowly defeated former State Senator Dick Anderson in the general election, winning 53 percent of the vote to Anderson's 47 percent.[9] Souto ran for re-election in 1990, and defeated State Representative Tom Easterly by a thin margin, receiving 52 percent of the vote to Easterly's 48 percent.[10]

1992 congressional campaign

Following the 1990 census, the 21st congressional district was created, and Souto ran to represent it in 1992.[11] He was defeated by fellow State Senator Lincoln Díaz-Balart in the Republican primary by a wide margin, winning just 31 percent of the vote to Díaz-Balart's 69 percent.[12]

Miami-Dade County Commission

In 1992, Judge Donald Graham struck down the at-large election system for the Miami-Dade County Commission, and ordered that a special election take place under newly drawn districts on March 16, 1993.[13] Souto ran to represent the 10th district, which included Kendall, Westchester, and parts of Miami. He faced incumbent Commission Charles Dusseau in the election, and the two advanced to a runoff after no candidate received a majority of the vote.[14] Souto narrowly defeated Dusseau, winning 53 percent of the vote to his 47 percent,[15] in a race that was sharply divided on racial lines.[16] He was sworn in on April 22, 1993.[17]

Souto was re-elected without opposition in 1994,[18] 1998,[19] and 2002.[20]

In 2006, he was challenged by Community Council member Millie Herrera, and won re-election in a landslide.[21] He defeated Mimi Planas in 2010,[22] and Marina Meadows in 2014, avoiding runoffs each time.[23]

Souto ran for a seventh term in 2018, and faced four opponents, including Jose Garrido, one of his former staffers. The Miami Herald endorsed Garrido, praising Souto as a "powerhouse of constituent service," but stating that "it's time for a new commission representative," criticizing him for "seem[ing] unfocused at commission meetings," "go[ing] off on tangents," and "inadvertently delaying or derailing whatever commission matter is being discussed."[24] However, Souto won re-election by a wide margin, receiving 62 percent of the vote to Garrido's 14 percent.[25]

After county voters approved term limits for county commission members in 2012, Souto was unable to seek another term in 2022.[26] He was succeeded by Republican State Representative Anthony Rodriguez.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 "About Commissioner Souto". Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  2. ↑ Florida Senate Handbook, 1990–1992 (PDF). Secretary of the Florida Senate. 1990. p. 31.
  3. ↑ Santiago, Fabiola (September 2, 1984). "Cuban-Americans hope to ride Reagan sweep into office". Miami Herald. p. 5B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "November 6, 1984 General Election - State Representative District: 115". Florida Department of Elections. 1984. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  5. ↑ Fiedler, Tom (December 31, 1984). "County took a right turn in '84 politics". Miami Herald. p. 1B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "November 4, 1986 General Election - State Representative District: 115". Florida Department of Elections. 1986. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  7. ↑ Feldstein Soto, Luis (June 14, 1988). "Lehtinen's seat stays warm". Miami Herald. p. 2B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "September 6, 1988 Primary Election Republican Primary - State Senator District: 40". Florida Department of Elections. 1988. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  9. ↑ "November 8, 1988 General Election - State Senator District: 40". Florida Department of Elections. 1988. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  10. ↑ "November 6, 1990 General Election - State Senator District: 40". Florida Department of Elections. 1990. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  11. ↑ Branch, Karen (January 15, 1992). "2 lay claim to second Latin seat in House". Miami Herald. p. 1B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "September 1, 1992 Primary Election Republican Primary - United States Representative District: 21". Florida Department of Elections. 1992. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  13. ↑ Filkins, Dexter (December 23, 1992). "Dade's Hispanics split over plan for commission districts". Miami Herald. p. 2B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Rubin, Aaron S. (April 11, 1993). "Souto and Dusseau stress experience, issues". Miami Herald: Neighbors. p. 3. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Minorities form majority on Dade commission". Stuart News. April 21, 1993. p. B3. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Branch, Dexter; Filkins, Karen (April 22, 1993). "Residents voted along ethnic lines". Miami Herald. p. 1B, 4B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Filkins, Dexter (April 23, 1993). "Metro: new faces, new feuds". Miami Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Filkins, Dexter (July 20, 1994). "3 Dade incumbents to repeat unopposed". Miami Herald. p. 1A. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Three commissioners face opposition; three have none". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. July 15, 1998. p. 3B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Ross, Karl (July 24, 2002). "Sosa, Souto reclaim seats on commission". Miami Herald. p. 1B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Figueras Negrete, Tere (September 6, 2006). "5 incumbents cruise as others avoids runoff". Miami Herald. p. 1B, 2B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Haggman, Matthew; Figueroa, Laura (August 25, 2010). "Rolle in lead, but heads to runoff". Miami Herald. p. 1B, 2B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ Hanks, Douglas; Mazzei, Patricia (August 27, 2014). "Upset in commission race: Levine Cava beats Bell in costliest commission contest". Miami Herald. p. 1B, 2B. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "For County Commission: Monestime, Sosa, Levine Cava, Garrido and Diaz". Miami Herald. August 24, 2018. p. 10A. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Hanks, Douglas (August 29, 2018). "Voters give a thumbs-up to county commissioners as five incumbents win". Miami Herald. p. 3A. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Hanks, Douglas (June 15, 2022). "Term limits will create a new Miami-Dade County Commission. Who's on the ballot?". Miami Herald. p. 14A. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ Hanks, Douglas (December 17, 2022). "Let's not be 'stewards of the status quo,' Miami-Dade Commission's new chair says". Miami Herald. p. 3A. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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