Miami Beach to Name Street After First Woman Elected Mayor

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for immediate release

April 2, 2025

— Matti Herrera Bower served as mayor from 2007 to 2013 —

Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach will name 15 Street between Ocean Drive and Bay Road after former Mayor Matti Herrera Bower on Friday, April 4 at 10 a.m. In 2007, Bower became the first woman — and the first Hispanic person of either gender — to serve as mayor of Miami Beach, a position she held for the maximum six years allowed under the Miami Beach City Charter.

The ceremony naming Matti Herrera Bower Street will take place across the street from the Betsy Hotel at 1440 Ocean Drive in Lummus Park. It will be followed by a birthday toast in Bower’s honor at the hotel.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Mayor Bower,” shared Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who sponsored the street-naming measure. “Long before becoming our city’s first female and Hispanic mayor, Matti devoted decades to serving Miami Beach — as an advocate for historic preservation, a tireless PTA leader, and a champion for affordable housing and quality of life. Her activism helped shape the Miami Beach Architectural District, and her legacy lives on in the public buildings, cultural institutions, and community initiatives she helped bring to life.”

Born in Cuba, Bower attended Miami Technical High School and became a dental assistant. During her time in office, she founded the Women’s Conference, helped create Miami Beach Gay Pride and launched a renovation of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Her name appears as mayor on no fewer than 25 major public buildings and improvements in Miami Beach and she was one of the first six inductees to the Miami Beach Hall of Fame.

Bower held her seat on the Miami Beach City Commission from 1999 to 2007 before going on to serve three, two-year terms as mayor.

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