On January 14th, Governor Rick Scott announced that he is appointing Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Carlos Lopez-Cantera as Lieutenant Governor. Governor Scott said Lopez-Cantera would use the next few weeks to transition from his current role and begin serving as Lieutenant Governor of Florida on February 3, 2014.
Governor Scott said, “Carlos Lopez-Cantera will be a major part of our agenda to build an opportunity economy in Florida. Carlos has two daughters, like I do, and he is focused on how we can transform our economy so we aren’t just creating jobs, we are creating careers and opportunities that will be here for our children and our children’s children. I am confident that we took the right amount of time to find the right person to serve as Florida’s Lieutenant Governor. Carlos’ leadership experience will make him a vital part of ensuring the passage of our $500 million tax cut package this year. And his business experience and expertise in cutting taxes and government regulations will support small business growth and success.”
Carlos Lopez-Cantera said, “I am honored to have been chosen by Governor Scott to serve Floridians as their Lieutenant Governor. I look forward to leveraging my experience with small businesses and government tax reform to help further Governor Scott’s mission of economic growth and job creation.”
Carlos Lopez-Cantera was elected as the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser in 2012. He previously served eight years in the Florida House. As a legislative member, he chaired the Committee on Business Regulation and the Government Affairs Committee, and served as Majority Whip from 2009-2010 and as Majority Leader from 2010-2012. He is a licensed realtor and has worked in real estate for 15 years and is also the president of a small business. Lopez-Cantera is a graduate of Miami-Dade Community College (1994) and the University of Miami (1996) with a degree in Business Administration. Born in Spain and raised in Florida, he and his wife Renee reside in Miami with their two young daughters, Sabrina and Sofia.