Tomás Regalado (American politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tomás Regalado
Official portrait, 2025
Property Appraiser of Miami-Dade County
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2025
Preceded by	Pedro Garcia
42nd Mayor of Miami
In office November 11, 2009 – November 7, 2017
Preceded by	Manny Diaz
Succeeded by	Francis Suarez
Member of the Miami City Commission from the 4th district
In office November 1996 – November 2009
Succeeded by	Francis Suarez
Personal details
Born	Tomás Pedro Regalado y Valdez (1947-05-24) May 24, 1947 (age 78) Havana, Cuba
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Raquel Ferreiro ​ ​ (m. 1972; died 2008)​ Ana Cristina Carrodeguas ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	3
Residences	Miami, Florida, U.S.

Tomás Pedro Regalado y Valdez (born May 24, 1947) is a Cuban American politician and former journalist. He has served as the Property Appraiser for Miami-Dade County since January 2025. Before this, he was the 42nd Mayor of Miami from 2009 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Tomás Regalado also worked as a news director for Radio Mambí WAQI. He was also a reporter for Univisión, a Spanish-language TV network.

Early Life and Education

Tomás Pedro Regalado was born in Havana, Cuba, on May 24, 1947. He was the first child of Tomás Regalado Molina and Carmen Rita Váldez de Regalado. His father was a lawyer and journalist. He was also the last president of the Cuban Association of Journalists and Reporters. His father was held as a political prisoner under the Batista government.

In April 1962, when Tomás was 14, he and his younger brother Marcos came to Miami. They were part of a program called Operation Peter Pan. This program helped Cuban children come to the United States. The brothers lived in boys' camps for several months. Later, their aunt, Silvia Váldez, took them in. Their mother arrived in Miami about a year later.

In Miami, Regalado went to high school at Immaculata-Lasalle High School. He also attended Lindsey Hopkins vocational school. He studied journalism at the University of Miami Koubek Center.

Journalism Career

Regalado, as Director of Office of Cuba Broadcasting at a BBG meeting in Washington, D.C.

Tomás Regalado started his career as a reporter at WFAB, a radio station. He quickly became an assistant producer. At 21, he worked for WCKT (now WSVN), an NBC TV station. There, he was the Latin American news editor and hosted a news program called Tele-Amigo. After two years, he returned to WFAB as a news producer and anchor.

In 1974, Regalado became a reporter for WLTV Channel 23. But in 1977, he went back to radio as the news director for WFAB. In 1970, he became the station's first international news correspondent. He traveled to Africa to cover important events. These included the civil war in Angola and the riots in Soweto, South Africa. He also covered the civil war in Mozambique.

Regalado interviewed several U.S. Presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. In 1983, he became the first Cuban American member of the White House Press Corps. This meant he traveled with Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. He went on their trips to other countries from 1983 to 1993. He met important world leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev and Anwar Al Sadat. During this time, he also covered presidential campaigns and national party meetings.

In 1986, Regalado was approved for NASA's Journalist in Space Program. However, the program was canceled after the Challenger space shuttle accident. While working full-time in radio, he also wrote a weekly column for El Miami Herald. He covered civil wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador. He has visited over 78 countries around the world. With his wife Raquel, he spoke to the Human Rights Commission of United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. They spoke about human rights issues in Cuba.

In June 2018, Regalado became the Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB).

Political Career

Miami Commissioner (1996–2009)

On September 3, 1996, Tomás Regalado was elected as a city commissioner in a special election. He took the place of Joe Carollo, who had become mayor.

Soon after his election, Miami faced a big money problem. The Governor of Florida, Lawton Chiles, declared a financial emergency for the city. Regalado did not agree with laying off police officers. He believed the police were very important to the city.

During this time, he continued his news director job. He hosted and commented on WWFE la Poderosa and a news program on TeleMiami. Regalado was re-elected as commissioner in 1999, 2003 (without anyone running against him), and 2007.

Mayor of Miami (2009–2017)

Regalado speaks at a grand opening of affordable housing community in Miami.

On November 3, 2009, Regalado was elected the 42nd Mayor of Miami. He won with 72% of the votes.

He kept his promise to lower his own salary by $50,000. He also reduced his retirement benefits by 25%. In 2012, he received an award from the Young Leaders Foundation. Regalado once said his goals were to "Keep taxes down. Reduce the size of government. Fix the potholes. Fix the streets. Pick up the garbage." His biggest achievements as mayor were balancing the city's budget three times and making agreements with worker unions.

Regalado was re-elected for a second term in 2013. He won with 78% of the votes. He received over 20,000 votes out of more than 26,000 cast.

Regalado gained national attention for talking to President Donald Trump about sea level rise. Before leaving office, Regalado helped put a plan on the ballot to fund projects for sea level rise. This plan received a lot of support from voters.

Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser

The previous property appraiser, Pedro Garcia, decided not to run for re-election. In the 2024 election, Regalado ran against Marisol Zenteno, a candidate from the Democratic Party. Regalado won with 57% of the votes.

He took office in January 2025. Regalado has suggested lowering taxes for Miami-Dade residents. He plans to do this by considering how climate change might affect property values.

Personal Life

Tomás Regalado married Raquel Ferreiro, who was also a radio commentator, in 1972. They were married for 37 years until Raquel passed away in 2008. Since 2015, Regalado has been married to Ana Cristina Carrodeguas.

Regalado's father, Tomás Regalado Molina, was held as a political prisoner. In 1979, he was released thanks to the help of the then President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Carazo. Regalado Sr. worked with his son as a producer and news editor at WRHC. He also wrote for Diario de las Americas and El Nuevo Herald. He passed away in 1995 at age 74. Regalado's mother, Carmen Rita, passed away in 1998.

Regalado has three children:

• His oldest son, Tomás N. Regalado, known as Tommy, is an anchor and producer at TV Marti. He has also been involved in politics. In 2017, he ran for City Council but was not elected.
• His daughter, Raquel Regalado, is a lawyer. She was an elected member of the Miami-Dade County Public School Board for six years. She also ran for Mayor of Miami-Dade County in 2016. She is currently a commissioner for District 7 on the Miami-Dade County Commission.
• His youngest son, José, worked in his father's office for a few years. He then worked in adventure television. As of 2017, he is a legislative aide to Miami's Commissioner from the 4th district, Manolo Reyes.

See also

In Spanish: Tomás Pedro Regalado para niños