By Mandy Miles & Jim McCarthy
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 16 announced the appointment of Alexandria Suarez to the College of the Florida Keys seven-member board of trustees.
Suarez will fulfill the remaining two years of former board member Stephanie Scuderi’s four-year term, CFK President Jonathan Gueverra told the Keys Weekly on June 20. Scuderi left the board in October to accept a job as the college’s vice president of advancement.
Suarez’s first meeting was June 27 at the college’s Upper Keys campus. Suarez told the Keys Weekly she looks forward to contributing her talents and expertise on the board as a former educator and practicing attorney.
“I am excited to support the focus on academic rigor and opportunities that will lead to a bright future for College of the Florida Keys students,” she said.
Suarez is an assistant state attorney for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit. She is currently a member of the Florida Bar and was previously a teacher with Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
A member of the Republican Party, Suarez in 2020 ran for the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 120, which includes the Florida Keys.
She lost in the Republican primary in August 2020 to Jim Mooney, who remains the District 120 state representative.
Suarez then ran for the Monroe County school board in 2022, with the governor’s endorsement, but lost to incumbent Sue Woltanski, who continues to represent District 5 in the Upper Keys on the county school board.
Board members of the College of the Florida Keys are appointed by the governor, and the board currently includes: chairman Kevin Madok, vice chair Sheldon Suga, Daniel Leben, Michelle Maxwell, Mike Puto, Richard Weinstein and Suarez.
