Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Clerk of the Court and Comptroller

Juan Fernandez-Barquin is the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Miami-Dade County, proudly serving as the county’s steward of public records and taxpayer money. Initially appointed in June 2023 by Florida’s Governor, he was duly sworn into office on June 12, 2023. In November 2024, Fernandez-Barquin was elected to continue his service, reflecting the trust and confidence of Miami-Dade County residents.

Clerk and Comptroller Fernandez-Barquin began his legal career as an Assistant Public Defender at the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office. In 2013, he returned to Miami, where he practiced at a civil law firm before opening his own boutique law firm. Fernandez-Barquin was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018 to represent House District 119 and was subsequently re-elected in 2020 and 2022. During his tenure in the House, he served as Chair of the Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee and was a member of the State Affairs Committee, Ways and Means Committee, Energy, Communications & Cybersecurity Subcommittee, and Justice Appropriations Subcommittee.

As Clerk and Comptroller, Fernandez-Barquin oversees the fourth-largest judicial circuit in the United States and holds multiple key titles, including Custodian of all County funds, County Auditor, County Recorder, and Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners. Leading a dedicated team of approximately 1,300 employees, his team serves more than 2.7 million Miami-Dade County residents and help him manage 16 court facilities across over 2,400 square miles. Fernandez-Barquin also oversees an annual operating budget of approximately $145 million, ensuring efficient and transparent management of county resources.

Fernandez-Barquin is a proud graduate of Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami-Dade. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, graduating cum laude from Florida International University, and a Juris Doctorate from American University Washington College of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Deeply involved in his community, Fernandez-Barquin currently serves as a Belen Jesuit Preparatory School Alumni Delegate and as an alumnus of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Leadership Miami program. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Miami-Dade College and as a board member for the Public Health Trust of Miami-Dade County, the governing body for Jackson Health Systems, and The Children’s Trust.

He resides in Miami with the love of his life, his wife Catalina Santaella, and their two rescue cats, Ghost and Tiger.