Carlos Beruff
American real estate developer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carlos Miguel Beruff (born January 1, 1958) is an American real estate developer and a Republican politician and donor. On March 1, 2017, Governor Rick Scott appointed him chair of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission for the 2018 election, a body that meets once every 20 years to propose amendments to the Florida Constitution.[1]
University of South Florida (attended)
Carlos Beruff | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carlos Miguel Beruff January 1, 1958 |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Stetson University (attended) University of South Florida (attended) |
Beruff was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016, losing the Republican primary to Marco Rubio.[2] He was a gubernatorial appointee to the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport Authority, the Southwest Florida Water Management Board, and the State College of Florida board. Beruff was born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban-immigrant parents.[3]
Early life and education
Beruff was born on January 1, 1958. His parents, Sylvia Vilarello and Marco Tulio Beruff, were Cuban refugees. He attended a boarding school in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. He later attended Stetson University, and later the University of South Florida.[4][5]
Career
In 1984, Beruff founded Medallion Home, a home builder located in Bradenton, Florida.[6]
Political career
In 2009, then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist appointed Beruff to the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport Authority, the Southwest Florida Water Management board, and the State College of Florida board. The next governor, Rick Scott, reappointed Beruff to all three positions.[7][8]
In the 2010 U.S. Senate election in Florida, Beruff supported Crist, who was running as an independent and later became a Democrat, over Republican Marco Rubio.[9][10]
Resignation from Southwest Florida Water Management District board
In August 2015, Beruff resigned from the Southwest Florida Water Management District board after voting to approve a friend's plan to destroy an acre of wetlands for a development.[11] An administrative law judge recommended against issuing the permit, which allowed developer Pat Neal to remove mangroves and fill wetlands in order to build a family compound on Perico Island.[12]
2016 U.S. Senate campaign
Beruff ran for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida, mounting a primary challenge to Republican incumbent Marco Rubio in the 2016 election. Beruff has proposed temporarily halting immigration to the United States from Middle Eastern countries.[13] In May 2016, Beruff was criticized for referring to President Barack Obama as "an animal". Beruff declined to issue an apology for the comments.[14][15] He lost the August 30 primary, getting 18.49% of the vote and 264,427 votes.[16]