Ariel Fernandez has been a taxpaying resident and homeowner in Coral Gables for over twelve years. His involvement in Coral Gables began long before moving to Coral Gables in 2010.
He began his career in public service as an intern, his senior year of high school, for Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who hired Ariel that same year. He worked with Ros-Lehtinen for 11 years, working closely with residents and elected officials of the City of Coral Gables in issues involving the federal government.
In 2019, Ariel co-founded Gables Insider, a digital publication focused on the City of Coral Gables. It is distributed by newsletter twice weekly to over 30,000 residents of the City Beautiful, informing residents of important Commission decisions, staff actions and other news about Coral Gables. Ariel serves as the publications editor and the host of Leaders & Coffee, an interview program where he sits with leaders to discuss issues affecting the community.
Ariel is the founder and president of The American Strategies Group, a political consulting firm serving South Florida, Tallahassee and Washington, DC. The American Strategies Group has worked with clients such as Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and Commissioner Rhonda Anderson. Ariel is the founder of the Hispanic Policy Group, with a focus on advancing Hispanic interests at the local, state and national levels. He is also the president of Marketseur, a one-stop marketing and advertising agency, with in-house services ranging from marketing strategy to social media strategy to graphic design to video production.
Ariel attended Champagnat Catholic School through middle school and went on to attend and graduate high school from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in 1999. Ariel then graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science with a Minor in International Relations from Florida International University.
For seven years, he was the host of Compartiendo Contigo on Radio Paz 830AM a radio show focused on increasing youth involvement in the community.
Ariel was a candidate for Commissioner in the City of Coral Gables in 2015. Ariel is married to Monica Segura a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communications and School of Law. Monica also serves as the Chair of the City’s Parks Advisory Board. They are proud parents to their son, Stephen. They are parishioners at the Church of the Little Flower and are part of the St. Theresa Catholic School community.
Read more about Ariel’s community involvement.