Jean Monestime | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Miami-Dade County Commissioner from the 2nd District | |
| Assumed office 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Dorrin Rolle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Haiti |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Kettia Monestime |
| Children | Darnell Clarence |
| Alma mater | Nova Southeastern University (MBA) Florida International University (BBA) Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Program |
| Profession | Real estate businessman Politician |
Jean Monestime is an American politician,real estate businessman and member of the Miami-Dade County Commission since 2010. He is the first Haitian-American to serve as a Miami-Dade County commissioner,as well as the first to chair the commission. [1] [2] Monestime represents District 2 in northeast Miami-Dade County,which incorporates portions of North Miami,North Miami Beach and Biscayne Gardens,as well as the Miami neighborhoods of Little Haiti and Liberty City. [1] [2]
On November 24,2014,Monestime's colleagues on the Miami-Dade County Commission unanimously elected him as the body's chairman for a two-year term. [1] Monestime,who began his term as commission chairman on January 1,2015,became the first Haitian American to chair to the County Commission. [1] He succeeded outgoing Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa,who remained a member of the County Commission. [1] The commissioners are officially nonpartisan,although Monestime is a member of the Democratic Party. [1]
Monestime emigrated from Haiti to the United States by himself when he was 17 years old. [1] He didn't speak English until he arrived in Florida. [2] In 1981,he was hired for his first job washing floors in a doughnut shop for $3.50 an hour. [2]
Monestime received a bachelor's degree in finance from Florida International University and a Master's of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University. [2] A licensed real estate broker,he owns and operates his own real estate firm,Jemo Enterprises. [2]
On November 2,2010,Monestime defeated incumbent County Commissioner Dorrin Rolle in an upset in the runoff. [2] Monestime won with 53 percent of the vote,while Rolle placed second with 47 percent. [2] Rolle had faced several ethics investigations at the time. [2] During the 2010 campaign,Monestime accused Rolle of emphasizing divisions and disputes between the African American and Haitian American communities. [2]
Monestime,who campaigned on a promise to revitalize District 2's economy,secured $126 million in county funds to provide new sewage hook-ups throughout Miami-Dade County,including a commercial district near Northwest Seventh Avenue,which had previously utilized septic tanks. [2] The Miami Herald called the funds the "biggest achievement" of Monestime's first term as a commissioner. [2] He won re-election for a second term in 2014 in a rematch with Dorrin Rolle.
In January 2016,Monestime announced that he would not run for Mayor of Miami-Dade County in the forthcoming,county-wide mayoral election. [3] He announced in October 2019 that he will run for Miami Dade County mayor in 2020. However,he withdrew from the race on April 30,later endorsing eventual winner Daniella Levine Cava [4] [5] Monestime left the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners in November 2022,due to term-limit. He has since been working as a Government Relations Advisor and Real Estate Consultant. Jean Monestime is not related to Carmelau Monestime,a pioneer of Haitian radio broadcasting in South Florida. [6]
