Alex Diaz de la Portilla (born 25 August 1964 in Miami, Florida) is a Cuban-American politician and member of the Republican Party. He is the Senate Majority Leader in the Florida Legislature, representing the 36th District since 2000. He was President Pro Tempore

President pro tempore

A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...

 from 2002 through 2004. Previously he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives

Florida House of Representatives

The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...

 from 1994 through 2000.

Diaz de la Portilla attended the University of Miami

University of Miami

The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

.

Diaz de la Portilla led the Senate Domestic Security Committee in 2003. Diaz de la Portilla currently chairs the powerful Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee in the Florida Senate.

Family

Diaz is one of the four children of Cuban exile

Cuban exile

The term "Cuban exile" refers to the many Cubans who have sought alternative political or economic conditions outside the island, dating back to the Ten Years' War and the struggle for Cuban independence during the 19th century...

s Miguel Angel Diaz-Pardo and Fabiola Pura de la Portilla-Garcia. His paternal great-grandfather served in Cuban Senate, while two of his sons served simultaneously in the Cuban House of Representatives. His maternal great-grandfather served as Cuban Minister of Justice (Attorney General).

His brothers have also held elected office:

• Miguel Angel de la Portilla served as a member of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners
  Miami-Dade county law and government
  Since its formation in 1957, Miami-Dade County has had a two-tier system of government. Under this system, Miami-Dade comprises a large unincorporated area and 35 incorporated areas or municipalities...
  
   from 1993 to 2000 and is a candidate for the Florida Senate (2010).
• Renier Diaz de la Portilla was a member of the School Board of Miami-Dade County
  Miami-Dade County Public Schools
  Miami-Dade County Public Schools is a public school district serving Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida and the Southeastern United States, and the fourth largest in the United States, with a student enrollment of 380,006 as of July 5, 2010...
  
   from 1996 to 1998, a state Representative
  Florida House of Representatives
  The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
  
  from 2000 to 2002, and is a member of the School Board currently.