Angelo Castillo is a Cuban-born American politician. He is the mayor of

Pembroke Pines Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous city in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Pembroke ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, serving since April 2024. He was previously a city commissioner in Pembroke Pines. Castillo, raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, is the 12th mayor of the city and the first of

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

origin.

Early life and education

Castillo earned an academic and athletic scholarship to

Wagner College Wagner College is a private university in Staten Island, New York. It was established in 1883 and, as of the 2023–2024 academic year, it enrolled approximately 1,932 students, including 1,592 undergraduates and 340 graduates. Its theatre prog ...

, where he completed a degree in business administration and a masters of business administration in finance. Castillo also graduated from New York Law School and completed a senior executives program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. His career includes executive roles in the administrations of New York City mayors

Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...

David Dinkins David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...

and

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...

and New York governors

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...

and

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as the mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984 ...

Career before becoming mayor

In 1996, Castillo was appointed director of the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...

's Florida State Office of Community Planning and Development, and in 1998, he became the Director of Human Services for Broward County, managing a $250 million budget and 1,200 staff. He returned to HUD as Deputy State Coordinator for Florida in 2000. From 2003 to 2013, he served as president and CEO of a non-profit corporation and was an adjunct professor at St. Thomas University’s Graduate School of Management. In 2004, Castillo was elected to the Pembroke Pines City Commission, becoming the first Hispanic member to serve in 30 years. He served four terms as vice mayor of Pembroke Pines. Throughout his career, Castillo has received numerous awards for his contributions to health and human services, housing and community development, economic development, and government finance. In November 2013, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel appointed Castillo to his executive team as director of research and strategic planning at the Broward Sheriff's Office. In this role, Castillo collaborated with stakeholders to define the agency's mission, vision, and long-term goals, and oversees the collection and analysis of data to enhance public safety missions and optimize funding opportunities.

Successful mayoral bid

In 2020, Castillo unsuccessfully ran for mayor against then-Mayor Frank Ortis. Ortis retired in 2024, and Castillo ran once more, this time in a three-person race that included fellow Commissioner Iris Siple and resident Elizabeth Burns. Key issues in the race included the possible construction of an incinerator that would affect the western part of Pembroke Pines, the rising cost of housing, and declining enrollment in local schools.

Personal life

Castillo and his wife, Lisa Yagid Castillo, have two adult daughters, one a nurse practitioner and the other a public relations executive. In his free time, Castillo enjoys reading, writing, and playing golf.

References

{{Reflist Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Florida politicians