Wayne Messam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wayne Messam
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| 10th Mayor of Miramar | |
| Assumed office April 1, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Lori Cohen Moseley |
| Member of the Miramar City Commission from the 4th district |
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| In office April 1, 2011 – April 1, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Yvonne Garth |
| Succeeded by | Darlene Riggs |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Wayne Martin Messam
June 7, 1974 South Bay, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Angela Messam |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Florida State University (BS) |
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Football career |
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| No. 89 | |
| Position: | Wide receiver |
| Personal information | |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 208 lb (94 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Glades Central High School |
| College: | Florida State |
| Undrafted: | 1997 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Wayne Martin Messam (born June 7, 1974) is a politician, businessman, and former American football player. He is currently the mayor of Miramar, Florida, a job he has held since 2015.
Mr. Messam is a member of the Democratic Party. He was first elected to the Miramar City Commission in 2011. Later, he became mayor after winning against the previous mayor, Lori Cohen Moseley, in 2015. Besides his political work, Messam also owns a construction company.
In 2019, Wayne Messam ran to become the Democratic candidate for President of the United States. He started his campaign on March 28, 2019. However, he ended his campaign on November 20, 2019, because he did not get enough support to join the main debates.
Contents
Early Life, Education, and Football Career
Wayne Messam was born in South Bay, Florida. His parents, Delsey and Hubert, moved to the United States from Jamaica. When they first arrived, his father, Hubert, worked as a farmer in the sugarcane fields of Florida.
After finishing high school at Glades Central High School, Messam went to Florida State University. There, he played as a wide receiver for the Florida State Seminoles from 1993 to 1996. He was part of the team that won the national championship in 1993. During his college football career, he caught 62 passes for 793 yards and scored four touchdowns.
Messam also competed in track and field at Florida State. He took part in the 1993 Atlantic Coast Conference indoor championships. In 1997, he graduated from Florida State with a degree in Management Information Systems. After college, he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals professional football team but was released before the season started.
Political and Business Career
Wayne Messam started his own construction company in 2007. His first step into politics was in 2011 when he was elected to the City Commission in Miramar, Florida.
In 2015, he was elected as the mayor of Miramar. He won with 38.5% of the votes, beating the previous mayor, Lori Cohen Moseley. He was re-elected as mayor on March 12, 2019, and again in 2023.
Messam is also the president of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. This group helps local leaders who are Black work together on important issues.
Running for President in 2020
In early 2019, Wayne Messam thought about running for president. He officially announced his campaign on March 22, 2019. His campaign aimed to get his ideas out to the country.
However, his campaign faced challenges, especially with raising money. He did not get enough support to qualify for any of the major Democratic debates. Because of this, he decided to end his presidential campaign on November 20, 2019.
Electoral History
Wayne Messam has been elected to public office several times in Miramar. All of these elections were non-partisan, meaning candidates did not run as members of a specific political party.
He was first elected to the Miramar City Commission for District 4 in 2011. He won with 37.69% of the votes.
In 2015, he was elected Mayor of Miramar. He received 38.48% of the votes, becoming the city's new leader.
He was re-elected as Mayor in 2019, winning with a large majority of 86.05% of the votes.
Most recently, in 2023, he was re-elected Mayor of Miramar again, securing 90.62% of the votes.
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