Michael Suarez

Elected to represent District 1 on the Tampa City Council in 2011, Mike served eight years, including terms as Chairman of the Council and Chairman of HART, the region’s transit authority. He also served on the boards of the Lowry Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, Tampa Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, shaping Tampa’s cultural, transportation, and development policies. Long before holding elected office, he contributed his expertise to the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, t

Mike Suarez, a third-generation Tampa native with deep roots in West Tampa, has dedicated his life to public service and community leadership. Elected to represent District 1 on the Tampa City Council in 2011, Mike served eight years, including terms as Chairman of the Council and Chairman of HART, the region’s transit authority. He also served on the boards of the Lowry Park Zoo, Florida Aquarium, Tampa Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, shaping Tampa’s cultural, transportation, and development policies. Mike has spent more than 30 years in the insurance industry, and today serves as President of Suarez Insurance, Inc. Long before holding elected office, he contributed his expertise to the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the City of Tampa’s Civil Service Board, and the Equal Business Opportunity Advisory Committee. He has also worked with Senators Graham and Nelson and Congresswoman Kathy Castor to help nominate young Floridians to the U.S. Naval and Air Force Academies. Previously, Mike served as Treasurer of Lions World Vision, the largest combined eye bank, tissue recovery, and ocular research center in the world, and as a board member of Feeding Tampa Bay. Currently he serves as a member of the Finance Committee for the Tampa Museum of Art. He has been married to his wife, Laura Ankenbruck, for over 34 years and they have raised three sons—Vincent, Anthony, and Nicholas. Now, Mike is running for Florida State House District 64, to again bring h