Katherine Fernandez Rundle
The Honorable Katherine Fernandez Rundle became a prosecutor in Miami after receiving her law degree from the University of Cambridge, England. Within a few years she became a Chief Assistant State Attorney, acting as the legal counsel to the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury. Ms. Fernandez Rundle’s series of being “The First” began in 1991 upon her election as the first woman president of the Miami-Dade’s Cuban American Bar Association. Ms. Fernandez Rundle is also the first female Hispanic State Attorney in the history of Miami-Dade and in Florida’s history, having been appointed to the position in 1993 and then subsequently re-elected to the office four additional times.
As Miami-Dade State Attorney, Ms. Fernandez Rundle has focused on the prosecution of career criminals and corrupt public officials. Additionally, she has made crime prevention an integral part of our modern-day crime fighting strategy, hoping to end the slide of young juvenile offenders into adult criminality. The creation of a number of innovative programs, such as the Truancy Intervention Program, Juvenile Drug Court and a wide range of juvenile diversion programs are seen as a part of the effort to accomplish these goals. This broad based prosecutorial/prevention has resulted in the lowest crime rate in 30 years. See “Crime in Florida” report. Ms. Fernandez Rundle plans to continue the twin trends of vigorous prosecution of crimes and corruption cases while focusing on prevention to help make Miami a safer place to live and raise a family.