Erik Jhoan Arroyo is an American lawyer and Republican politician. He became the youngest and first Hispanic Mayor in the history of

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

. He is a member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

Early life and education

Arroyo graduated from Riverview High School and attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, where he earned a degree in political science. He got his Juris Doctor from

Florida A&M University College of Law Florida A&M University College of Law or FAMU College of Law is an ABA-accredited law school in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of Florida A&M University. History On December 21, 1949, a division of law was established at the then ...

Career

Mayor of Sarasota Arroyo became the youngest and first Hispanic Mayor in the history of

. As Mayor, he suggested prioritizing cuts over drawing down reserves to balance the city's $252.18 million budget. Arroyo led an initiative for annexation of the barrier island of

Siesta Key A siesta (from Spanish, pronounced and meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. The "si ...

into the city of Sarasota, which the city commission approved for further consideration. Arroyo has been an advocate for a regional alley beautification program. In 2022, Governor

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

appointed Mayor Arroyo to the CareerSource Florida Board of Directors. Mayor Arroyo expressed support for

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

during the 2022 Russia Invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, Mayor Arroyo gave the key to the city to sports celebrity

Royce Gracie Royce Gracie (; born 12 December 1966) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer ...

and declared December 12 as "Royce Gracie Day." He was also a member of the Sarasota chess team in an international chess match against Tel Mond, Israel, which was published by the

United States Chess Federation The United States Chess Federation (also known as US Chess or USCF) is the governing body for chess competition in the United States and represents the U.S. in FIDE, The World Chess Federation (FIDE). USCF administers the official national Chess ...

. City Commissioner & Vice Mayor During his first day in elected office, Arroyo initiated a discussion on the future of the city manager's employment. Arroyo was voted unanimously by the Sarasota city commission as the city's Vice Mayor. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Arroyo proposed a city-wide moratorium on utility suspensions for unpaid accounts during the winter months, which was ultimately approved by the city commission. He also advocated for a ban on animal kill shelters in Sarasota. Candidacy for Florida House of Representatives Erik Arroyo ran for election to the Florida House of Representatives to represent District 72. Arroyo withdrew from the Florida house race and ran for the Sarasota city commission.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arroyo, Erik Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Sarasota, Florida Hispanic and Latino American mayors in Florida