Alina T. Hudak

Alina T. Hudak became the first woman ever sworn in as Miami Beach City Manager on May 12, 2021 after retiring from Miami-Dade County government where she spent more than three decades and reached the pinnacle of leadership.

During her 35 years of service in Miami-Dade County government, Hudak tackled six Super Bowls, the largest debris cleanup in County history and negotiated millions for the construction contract of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. She oversaw millions for the construction of the Crandon Park Tennis Center and led an extensive procurement reform effort — all making a stronger government for a better community. She brought professional administration to the County’s leadership team and became widely recognized as a leader in the field of public administration, winning a myriad of accolades from national and local community organizations.

Hudak joined the City of Miami Beach in Feb. 2020 as an Assistant City Manager — overseeing a large portfolio of departments, including Capital Improvement Projects, Environment & Sustainability, Housing & Community Development, Marketing & Communications, Public Works as well as Transportation & Mobility.

She was appointed to oversee the COVID-19 pandemic response, which initially began with a full City lockdown and later transitioned to a phased industry reopening plan with testing centers and a large-scale vaccine rollout. Under Hudak’s leadership, tourism fully recovered and resort taxes are at a record high. The City is more vibrant and busier than ever, with the Miami Beach Convention Center hosting numerous high-caliber events, including Art Basel, eMerge, Bitcoin, Sea Trade, Aspen Ideas: Climate and others. She continues to prioritize resilience, and nearly $70 million in grants were received to support local projects this past year.

Hudak established herself as a trailblazer long before she arrived in Miami Beach. She was the first woman to serve as Director of a large operational department in the County, the first Hispanic woman appointed Assistant County Manager and the first woman to serve as County Manager, overseeing a government of more than 27,000 employees and an $8 billion budget.
The incredible diversity of Miami-Dade’s government encompassed not only traditional municipal services such as police, fire, public works, libraries and parks, but also major regional facilities such as public housing, airports, the seaport, jails, water and sewer as well as bus and rail service.

As Deputy Mayor of Miami-Dade, Hudak oversaw a portfolio of departments that included Animal Services, Elections, Transit and Public Works, the Citizen’s Independent Transportation Trust and the Public Health Trust. She concurrently served as Director of the Solid Waste Management Department, which encompassed approximately 1,000 employees, a waste-to-energy plant, two landfills as well as solid waste collection and disposal services for more than 350,000 residential homes in Miami-Dade County.

She led the County's nationally recognized response to the Zika emergency in 2016, which was subsequently recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the only government effort to successfully eradicate the disease transmission. She oversaw the County’s largest debris removal effort after Hurricane Irma.

Hudak worked her way through the ranks of Miami-Dade County government from the ground up, beginning her career in the organization in 1984 as a management trainee. In 1993, she was appointed Assistant County Manager, and in 1996, she was appointed Director of the General Services Administration — one of the County’s largest and most complex operational organizations, then composed of seven divisions and over 800 employees.

In 1998, she returned to the County Manager's Office as an Assistant County Manager, where she led an extensive procurement reform effort that culminated in the creation of improved and expedited procurement legislation. She has overseen just about every portfolio of departments, including the nationally acclaimed Police and Fire Rescue departments, the County’s first stand-alone Animal Services Department and all of the Parks and Cultural components of County government. In 2011, Hudak was appointed County Manager during a transformation in leadership and governance. She managed that critical and challenging role with grace, bringing her expertise and institutional knowledge to ensure County business continuity and excellence.
Along with her pioneering efforts in government, Hudak has been actively involved and contributed greatly to many community organizations and causes. Among them are leading the County's Haitian Relief Effort, United Way campaigns, the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign and serving as the County's liaison for six Super Bowls and five National Championship events. She is particularly proud of her efforts over the past two decades to create breast cancer prevention awareness and has been instrumental in turning Miami-Dade County government — and now Miami Beach — "pink" during the month of October. Committed to green spaces, parks and transportation corridors, Hudak is also on the Board of the Friends of The Underline, a 10-mile linear park under the Metrorail guideway.

Hudak holds both a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Miami. She is a loyal and dedicated alumna having served for many years on the Alumni Association’s board of directors. She has been inducted into the university’s prestigious Order of the Iron Arrow Honor Society.

Hudak and her husband are the proud parents of two daughters who share a love of public service, community and Hurricanes football. All four are graduates of the University of Miami.