About Carmen
The Clear Choice for Coral Gables
Ten years ago, I moved to South Florida from Boston eager to find a new home for a growing family. My daughter was nearly one, and my husband and I wanted what many young parents want – a nice neighborhood with spaces for kids to play, and an active and vibrant community to nurture the growth of our new family. We found that place in Coral Gables, and have never looked back. Here, we discovered a well-planned community with a rich history, an involved government encouraging high standards, and an engaged citizenry with pride in the community. I now feel that same pride, and my two kids only know one place as their home. As a result I now feel a sense of duty to give back to this special city, and to help lead the next chapter in the our community’s history.
I started my career designing structures for buildings, and later worked on real estate project management after business school. However, it is in public service that I found my true passion – the challenge of finding consensus through thoughtful balancing of community needs, technical perspectives, and budgetary realities – to ultimately convert vision into actionable plans.
My public service career began at the City of Miami Beach, where I was operations manager and assistant director of the Building Department. In this role, I optimized operations and implemented initiatives improving the customer service experience. Later, I had the privilege of working for the City of Coral Gables, where I served in roles of increasing responsibility as Building Department Director, Assistant Development Services Director, Assistant City Manager, and Interim City Manager. It was truly special to serve my own community and to deliver projects that had visible impacts on the City.
As part of the City’s leadership team, I helped deliver the Miracle Mile and Giralda Streetscapes, the Tree Succession plan refreshing the canopy of our tree-lined streets, and multiple traffic-calming projects.
As a result of these experiences, two years ago I started a consulting firm to help municipalities address the important issues affecting our region. I advise and manage projects focused on transportation and mobility improvements, smart technology implementations, and sustainability initiatives.
It is this experience that I want to leverage to work with my fellow commissioners to enhance transparency and accountability, implement comprehensive and effective traffic calming, continue to improve our public spaces, and prepare for a sustainable future. As a mother and a public servant, I care about the safety and quality of life that our families enjoy and will always work to improve the great community that we cherish.
Email: carmen@carmen4coralgables.com
Phone: 305-962-8185
Political Advertising Paid for and approved by Carmen Olazabal for Coral Gables Commissioner Group 4