A seasoned trial attorney with public and private sector experience, Elizabeth M. Hernandez represents clients in commercial and civil litigation matters, as well as administrative trials. Board certified by The Florida Bar in City, County, and Local Government since 1997, she counsels clients in all aspects of local government law, including procurement and contract disputes, land use and zoning, elections, ethics, and Florida constitutional law.
Elizabeth previously served as chief legal officer for the City of Coral Gables for 16 years, overseeing the risk management and insurance needs of the city. In this capacity, she also served as the city’s chief prosecutor on all code enforcement matters and trained other agencies on code enforcement.
Elizabeth was instrumental in drafting legislation in enforcing municipal codes and has been a speaker on enforcement-related matters. In addition to handling a variety of cases in-house, she worked with co-counsel on multiple complex litigation and commercial real estate matters for the city, and rewrote the city’s codes and charter.
Elizabeth also served on the County Charter Task Force and chaired the Miami Dade County Ethics Commission Task Force. During her tenure as city attorney, she earned the distinction of City Attorney of the Year by the Florida League of Cities.
Elizabeth has been recognized among the top government attorneys by both South Florida Legal Guide and Florida Trend magazine. She is the recipient of the Torch award, Florida International University’s top alumni award, and the Paul S. Buchman award, which is the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association’s highest honor.
Education :
- J.D., University of Florida Levin College of Law, 1983
- B.A., Florida International University, Economics, 1980
Bar Admissions : Florida
Affiliations :
- The Florida Bar, City, County, and Local Government Law Section, Executive Council Member, 1998-Present; Past Chair, 2007-2008
- Florida Municipal Attorneys Association, Executive Council Member; Past President
- Children’s Home Society, Board Chair, 2011-2014
- National Association of Women Judges, 2012 Conference, Friends Committee, Chair
- South Miami Hospital, Past Board Member, 1995-2011
- 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society, Board Member; Board Secretary; Chair-Elect; HistoryMiami, Chair, 2011
- Legal Legends, Chair, 2011
- Miami-Dade County Ethics, Integrity, and Accountability Task Force, Past Chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee, 2008-2009
- Cuban American Bar Association, Past President and Board Member, 2007
- Miami-Dade County Charter Review Task Force, Past Member
Cost
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