Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez joined School Board Member Danny Espino, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, members of the Diaz-Balart family, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools today for the official unveiling of the newly renamed Lincoln Diaz-Balart Hialeah Elementary School. During the ceremony, Fernandez also presented a Citation of Honor commemorating the historic renaming and Congressman Diaz-Balart’s enduring legacy of public service. During the ceremony, Fernandez also presented a Citation of Honor commemorating the historic renaming and Congressman Diaz-Balart’s enduring legacy of public service. The ceremony took place one day before what would have been Congressman Diaz-Balart’s 72nd birthday.
“Lincoln Diaz-Balart was a fearless champion for freedom, democracy, and the Cuban people,” said Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez. “Naming a school in his honor is especially meaningful because every student who enters these doors will encounter his example of courage, conviction, and service. His name will now inspire generations to learn, lead, and stand for what is right.”
Born in Havana in 1954, Diaz-Balart fled communist Cuba with his family and attended public elementary schools in South Florida. He served in both chambers of the Florida Legislature before representing South Florida in Congress from 1993 through 2011. He became a leading voice for Cuban freedom while also defending immigrants and refugees and opposing efforts to deny children access to public education.
Speaking on the House floor in 2007, Diaz-Balart declared, “Here, under the dome that represents representative democracy, we must demand the liberation of all who suffer in the darkness of totalitarianism.”
Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez thanked School Board Member Danny Espino, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the school’s administration for ensuring that Diaz-Balart’s legacy will continue in a place dedicated to knowledge, opportunity, and future generations.
