Miami-Dade County commissioners vote to rename new courthouse after the late attorney Osvaldo N. Soto
Cuban American Bar Association members were on hand as the Miami-Dade County Commission voted to rename the new courthouse after the late Osvaldo N. Soto, one of CABA’s founding members. “After participating in the Bay of Pigs Invasion as a member of the Assault Brigade 2506, and subsequently through his involvement in CABA, and as president of the Spanish American League Against Discrimination, which he co-founded, Mr. Soto focused his life’s work on combating discrimination based on race and ethnicity,” CABA said in a statement.
The Miami-Dade County Commission voted unanimously yesterday to rename the new courthouse after the late attorney Osvaldo N. Soto, one of the Cuban American Bar Association’s (CABA) founding members and a past president who fought against discriminatory laws that targeted minorities.
The new courthouse will be named the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center.
“This is a historic moment, and we thank the county commissioners for unanimously voting to pass this important resolution,” said Amanda L. Fernandez, president of CABA. “This will be the first courthouse in Florida named after someone of Hispanic descent.”
Last October, CABA, its board, and past presidents, along with hundreds of prominent members of the Miami-Dade community, submitted a formal request to all members of the Miami-Dade County Commission and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, seeking their consideration to name the new Miami-Dade courthouse in honor of Soto.
Soto was a civil rights advocate and lifelong defender of equality and justice for the Hispanic and minority communities in South Florida, according to CABA. His personal experiences as a Cuban exile gave him an understanding of the struggles that immigrants faced in a new land.
“It was this deep empathy that fueled his relentless fight for civil rights in South Florida,” CABA said in a statement. “After participating in the Bay of Pigs Invasion as a member of the Assault Brigade 2506, and subsequently through his involvement in CABA, and as president of the Spanish American League Against Discrimination, which he co-founded, Mr. Soto focused his life’s work on combating discrimination based on race and ethnicity. His advocacy also extended to legislative battles, most notably his role in overturning the divisive English-Only ordinance passed in 1980.”
The new courthouse is being built near the historic Miami-Dade County Courthouse, located at 73 West Flagler Street, and is expected to be completed this year.
