On October 20th, Doral’s outgoing Community Council Chairman Ralph Arza was honored by local community leaders at a cocktail reception at Doral Spa. 

Ralph Arza and Family

Arza, whose very successful term as chairman of the community council ended in October, recently announced his candidacy for Florida’s House of Representatives, and the event also served as a fundraiser for that undertaking.

(Left to Right) Ralph Arza and Jesse Jones

WDFHA Vice President and Doral resident Jesse Jones, as well as Doran Jason, a Doral resident and developer/builder, and Maximo Alvarez, also a Doral resident and local businessman, hosted the event.

The event was also co-hosted by Doral Community Council members and other local residents and business leaders. These included former Vice-Chair of the Doral Community Council and current Chairman Jerry Howie, and Community Council Members Odel Torres, Jose Cancio, and Carolyn Casserta, who is also the newly elected vice-chair of the council.

WDFHA President Morgan Levy, Christian Mazzola, local Homeowner Association President and WDFHA member, Joe Beckhans, Costa Del Sol resident and WDFHA member, WDFHA Secretary and Doral Park Clubhouse Manager Rolando Oses, and Eugene Bechamps, a Costa Del Sol resident and WDFHA member, also co-hosted the event.

After thanking those assembled and particularly the WDFHA for their support of his candidacy, Arza spoke of what he believes distinguishes him from others seeking public office.

“I’d like to make a distinction,” he said, “I consider myself not a politician but a public servant… we’ve made Doral one of the fastest growing areas in Miami-Dade County, but true to standards of excellence that others might have lost sight of along the way. Standards that were set by members of the WDFHA long before the Community Council became a reality.”

He spoke further of the partnership that was established between the WDFHA and the Council and the business/ developer community.

“Jesse has been a light in this process—there are a lot of lies and deceit in this business (politics)—and he has helped me to cut though those and has always been honest and straightforward with me… What I’ve always believed is that teams win, and individuals don’t. What we’ve achieved is a result of a total team effort,” he said.

Arza then spoke of what had guided his term in Doral: his dedication to well being of the community, an attitude predicated by his own personal code.

“I’ve always been an open book; what you see is what you get,” Arza said, “For the last three years we’ve fought hard for those things important to me and the residents of Doral, schools, parks, roads, etc.”

Jones, who also introduced Arza, spoke eloquently of the work that Arza has done in conjunction with the WDFHA balancing the needs of the residents of Doral with the needs of its business community and developers.

“One of the things that made the Doral Community Council and WDFHA so successful is the balance that’s been struck between the developers and the homeowners. The developers that came here tonight have really responded to the need to raise the bar in Doral, establishing a high level of quality and attention to the needs of the community,” Jones said.