Mario A. Diaz, MPA, ICMA-CM (c)

Experience

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  Dickey Consulting Services LLC

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2008

  Senior Public Relations Specialist

  The City of Fort Lauderdale had an extensive project that converted the last remaining half of the city from septic tanks to a City sewer system while also replacing the water mains during the WaterWorks 2011 project.During this time, I managed all community relationships during the design and construction of the projects, providing regular reports to the project team and City Commission. I developed outreach material and informed the community of construction progress through Homeowners Association meetings, newsletters,door hangers, and brochures. I addressed any complaints and found solutions for any issues that arose between the homeowners and the construction companies.I also helped mentor and train new public outreach employees throughout my time on the project. Show less

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  Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX)

  Jan 2008 - Jan 2017

  Over my nine years at MDX, I saw my responsibility grow into the Public information Manager, which is their Communications Director. Over time, I ensured that our consultant communications teams regularly engaged with constituents on projects from the planning phase through the end of construction. In addition, we strived to be responsive to all constituents by providing information and solutions in a timely manner.I guided all phases of the creative and technical elements of the Communications projects. From development and implementation of budgets ranging from $250,000 to more than $2.5 million. As well as the design of print and web collateral. I worked with the project teams to implement brand initiatives, radios, television, and print advertisement campaigns. In 2015 while legislators and the media were criticizing the agency, I, along with the Chief Financial Officer, created a "Cash Back Rewards Program" for frequent users. As a result, the Miami Herald went from regularly criticizing MDX to characterizing the agency as Santa Clause for helping families during the holiday season on the front page.In the first year with the various public relations and advertising campaigns, we captured 50% of MDX's customer base and were recognized nationally with PRnew's prestigious award for community outreach.I collaborated with Board Members, various departments, and consultants to establish clear and measurable goals for the Authority's communications, marketing, advertising, public affairs, and media relations. I was also MDX's spokesperson for local, national, and international media. In addition, I prepared speeches, news releases, reports, presentation materials, advertisements, tv and radio scripts, and wrote several news articles.I also oversaw MDX's crisis management plan development and was on call for emergencies. In addition, MDX's website went through two complete rebranding efforts in which I was the lead project manager for both. Show less

  • Public Information Manager

    Jan 2013 - Jan 2017

  • Public Information Officer

    Jan 2008 - Jan 2013
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  Monsignor Edward Pace High School

  Jun 2017 - May 2019

  Director of Admissions

  Focus on helping Principal with continuous development of events. Help with advocating school through Archdiocesan, secular, and social media. Recruit new students by networking with other parish and secular schools. Arrange Entrance Exam, Open House, and other assigned events. » Exercised strategic mindset to craft initiatives contributing to increased enrollment for school. » First contact person for prospective families applying to school; followed up with prospective families as well as gathered and kept records of student application files. Show less

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  North Bay Village

  May 2019 - Nov 2020

  Chief Of Staff to the Village Manager

  As Chief of Staff at North Bay Village, I played a key role in the new administration, bringing transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness to Village policy, procedures, and day-to-day functions. In addition, I was tasked with implementing the recommendations on the overall organizational efficiencyanalysis report from Alvarez and Marsal. As a result, within ten months, the Village had met 80 percent of the goals listed.While overseeing three departments (Communications/intragovernmental, IT, Procurement), I was also tasked with various special projects such as contract negotiations, report analyses, policy creation, interpretation, and implementation while being part of the Village's Executive Senior Management and Collective Bargaining teams.During the Collective bargaining negotiation, the police union requested more than $1 million worth of increases throughout the CBA. However, the team was able to negotiate and come to an agreement that only saw a total of $100,000 to the contract.I also negotiated a joint-use agreement with the Miami-Dade School District converting seldomly used school property into a community park. I also negotiated the Strategic Master Plan for NBV100, which recently won the American Planning Association of FL Award of Merit in 2021.During the COVID pandemic, I help organize and lead the initial team meetings to help establish Village policy with staff and building procedures while also coordinating the Miami-Dade County Mayors' office. Show less

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  Village of Biscayne Park

  Dec 2020 - Jun 2023

  Village Manager

  As the Chief Administrative Officer for Biscayne Park, I provide management oversight, administrative guidance, and operational support to all Biscayne Park departments. My administration has been committed to greater transparency for the community. I began several modernization projects throughout the Village, such as moving the building department from a manual process to an all-electronic department. Using customized software, residents can submit permit applications, pay various fees, check application status, and schedule inspections online.During a ten-year audit, I negotiated with Miami-Dade County Citizens Independent Transportation Trust (CITT) to limit funds reclamation, allowing the Village to keep more than $500,000 or 90% of the funds in question. I then leveraged some $500,000 of CITT funds toward stormwater management projects the Village had not undertaken in more than ten years. Additionally have requested State appropriations for a stormwater management project totaling $350,000, which was fully approved by the 2022 legislation.I also leveraged a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) grant of $50,000 and $120,000 of CITT funds to begin an on-demand transit service.I implemented procedures during the budget process, allowing the Village to follow more focused and deliberate steps that enabled greater community feedback. Previously the Commission would spend several hours and days talking about numbers to which there were no answers for what. Through the revised budget establishing procedure, the Village reduced the millage from 9.7 to 9.5 while adding additional services.During collective bargaining between the Public Works Union and the Village, I negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement that had a zero net change in the Village budget. While negotiating with the Police Union, the union requested salary increases totaling more than $195,000 over two years. Iwas able to negotiate the amount down to $77,000, a reduction of 40%. Show less

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  City of North Miami Beach

  Jun 2023 - now

  City Manager

  As City Manager of North Miami Beach, I led a full-service municipal organization with over 500 employees and a $212 million budget, driving fiscal discipline, operational modernization, and equitable community development. Under my leadership, the City secured an AA bond rating—enhancing its financial standing—and transitioned to a Priority-Based Budgeting model supported by the launch of Socrata Open Finance, updated the City's reserve Fund Balance policy as well and CIP funding policy while greatly improving transparency and accountability.I directed more than $72 million in capital improvement projects, including critical upgrades to water and stormwater infrastructure, facility enhancements, and citywide resiliency initiatives. To accelerate delivery and enhance project management, I established a standalone Capital Improvement Department and realigned internal leadership structures to strengthen performance and accountability across departments.I successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements with both general employees and the police union, bringing wages and benefits up to industry standards with near-unanimous union approval. I also secured over $9 million in external funding for youth enrichment, mobility innovation, and park redevelopment—including the completion of a community park project that had been promised for decades.Through collaboration with federal, state, and regional partners, I advanced Smart City initiatives, pursued federal clean energy infrastructure funding, and led environmental remediation efforts to prepare key public lands for future redevelopment. Our improvements to the FEMA Community Rating System resulted in a 15% reduction in flood insurance premiums for residents. Show less