City Council Member Luis Rodriguez looks on during a city budget council meeting at Hialeah City Hall on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Hialeah, Fla.
D.A. Varela
dvarela@miamiherald.com
As he seeks reelection this fall, Hialeah City Council President Luis Rodriguez is grappling with a deepening financial crisis, one that has followed him into federal court.
On Aug. 21, just weeks before voters are set to return to the polls for Hialeah’s Nov. mayoral and council elections — including his own seat — Rodriguez filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, citing more than $102,000 in personal debt.
The 52-year-old councilman, who also works as a sales director at Auto Value Parts Stores, filed the petition in Miami federal court, seeking to liquidate his debts while continuing his campaign for another four-year term in Miami-Dade County’s second-largest city.
Rodriguez attributes his financial strain to personal life changes, dismissing concerns that it reflects on his duties as a council member.
“I made a personal decision, with my life. This has nothing to do with being a council member,” Rodriguez told the Miami Herald. “I’ve always been very responsible. I’ve managed city funds down to the last dollar. We now have a surplus, something we haven’t seen in the past four years. Every tax dollar has been properly administered. What I’m going through is personal. Everybody goes through struggles.”
Rodriguez was first elected in 2021 as part of Esteban “Steve” Bovo’s mayoral slate, aligning himself with a well-established political machine. His wife at the time served as deputy chief of staff to Miami-Dade Commissioner René García. The couple shared a son who works as a lifeguard in Hialeah’s Parks and Community Engagement Department.
Rodriguez and his first wife have since divorced. He has remarried and now says he is the father of four children, two biological and two adopted through his second marriage. He said his personal expenses have increased in recent years, citing child support and a higher cost of living with his new wife as contributing factors.
Rodriguez’s financial troubles are extensive. with more than 17 creditors filing claims against him, according to his bankruptcy case. Between February 2024 and January 2025, four major financial institutions filed lawsuits in Miami-Dade court, accusing him of breach of contract over unpaid credit card balances:
American Express: $26,265.40 (filed Feb. 2024)Theorem Grantor Trust 2023: $9,773.71 (April 2024)Crown Asset Management, LLC: $18,326.91 (August 2024)Capital One: $9,950.25 (January 2025)
Rodriguez said he tried to consolidate his debts but was unsuccessful. “It was my best obligation for myself and my family to do a bankruptcy — to start all over again,” he said.
In his bankruptcy declaration he also listed an additional $3,447 in unpaid credit card charges not yet tied to legal action.
Beyond credit cards, Rodriguez reported owing $13,944 on unsecured personal loans and $12,558 on a Macy’s charge account, a type of credit that requires the full balance to be paid monthly and often has no preset limit.
Other debts include $3,398 owed to a collection attorney for Pura Vida Apartments, one of Hialeah’s newest developments along Okeechobee Road, where eviction cases have been on the rise. Rodriguez told the Herald that the balance was not related to an eviction, but said he and his family left the unit a month before the lease ended, which resulted in the charge. He also reported $4,442 owed on a car lease.
A personal matter
Rodriguez has not denied the extent of his financial troubles, but has defended the bankruptcy filing as a constitutional right and a personal matter.
Rodriguez is paid $44,000 a year as a council member, but declined to disclose his exact salary from his sales director position. However, his bankruptcy filing reflects income from all sources reported a total monthly income of $11,630.14, which averages out to an annual income of approximately $139,000.
Earlier this year, when Bovo stepped down, Rodriguez was briefly considered as a potential successor. At the time, he told the Herald he had the experience and financial knowledge to lead the city but chose to remain in his council seat, saying it was the best decision for his family, a choice that now carries new significance amid his financial entanglements.
Though initially aligned with Bovo, Rodriguez now claims political independence, distancing himself from current interim Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves, who took office after Bovo resigned in April to become a lobbyist.
Rodriguez campaigned on revitalizing Hialeah’s neglected parks, a central promise during his 2021 run. But since taking office, he has kept a relatively low profile, even while serving as council president.
One of his more visible actions came when he voted in favor of expanding a charter school inside a public park, a move that sparked controversy both on the council and among residents who have long demanded more green space. The vote drew criticism from park advocates.
Between January and June 2025, Rodriguez raised $25,020 through his political action committee, People for Less Government, according to campaign finance records. Most contributions came from meat distributors, law firms, real estate agents and event venues.
The PAC reported spending more than $18,000, with the largest portion, $11,520.67, categorized as “food for events” or “food for meetings.” Purchases were made at grocery chains like Publix, BJ’s, Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más, and Walmart, as well as restaurants, including in Islamorada and Naples.
Rodriguez said the food expenses were tied to weekend campaign activities.
“These were for weekend walks,” he said. “I do full gatherings for people that help me out, all through parks.” Other PAC expenses included:
$2,226.62 on fundraising activities$1,708.72 on promotional items from Publix$1,812.73 on office supplies from Best Buy$364.73 on Apple digital subscriptions.
The PAC also reported $2,412.39 in miscellaneous spending including travel, gasoline and meetings with donors. Of that amount, $351 had no listed purpose, and $833.52 went to reimburse Rodriguez’s wife, Tamy Afonso, for a fundraising dinner at Texas de Brazil.
Rodriguez said the reimbursement was necessary because his PAC credit card was unavailable, and his wife covered the cost using her personal credit card.
In the upcoming election Rodriguez faces Abdel Jimenez, a former Miami Springs police officer, attorney and former member of Hialeah’s Planning and Zoning Board. Jimenez, 45, also ran for council in 2021, though for a different at-large seat. Hialeah does not use single-member districts; all council members are elected citywide.
el Nuevo Herald
Verónica Egui Brito ha profundizado en temas sociales apremiantes y de derechos humanos. Cubre noticias dentro de la vibrante ciudad de Hialeah y sus alrededores para el Nuevo Herald y el Miami Herald. Se unió al Herald en 2022. Verónica Egui Brito has delved into pressing social, and human rights issues. She covers news within the vibrant city of Hialeah, and its surrounding areas for el Nuevo Herald, and the Miami Herald. Joined the Herald in 2022.