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CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA DIS TRICT
INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM COMMISSIONER RECALADO
! Donald Warshaw September 7. 1499
.O: DATE FILE
Cite Manager
j SUBJECT: Discussion Ite
FROM: REFERENCES:
omas Regalad
Commissioner ENCLOSURE
Please place the following item on the agenda of the Cite Commission meeting to be held
on September 28. 1999. The naming of a street (Northwest 43"' Avcnue from Northwest
7" Street to Northwest 10"' Street) in honor of Nir. Rafael Eloregui. In addition. please
forward this information to the liaison of the Street Codesignation Committee.
w Cc: Agenda Office
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Rafael Ela>~�e�c�i
January 12, 1922-July 15, 1997
Rafael Elortegui was born in Havana, Cuba, January 12`' of 1922. He
graduated from Belen Jesuit High school, and attended several seminars at
Villanova University before earning his Masters degree in economics.
Forced by the communistic politics of Fidel Castro's revolutionary
government, he traveled to Miami where he arrived as a political refugee in
1961.
He began his working career at Maule Industries, which was owned
by the Ferre family. He was in charge of the Miami International Airport's
lake dredging. Later on, when Muaricio Ferre had problems with the
trucking division, Rafael Elortegui bought the trucking division and later
founded it as "National Trucking", an enterprise that gave jobs to over 300
people. Later on he also founded other enterprises such as "Manatee
Trucking", "Florida Carrier", and "All Star Enterprise" for earth moving. In
1968, Rafael Elortegui founded "Miami Concrete" to service contractors
with concrete. In these last enterprises he gave Nvork to over 1,000 people
including several different ethnic groups.
In 1972, Rafael Elortegui founded "Florida Rock Lobster" which was
a fishing fleet consisting of ?Z boats and a processing plant that serviced
lobsters to Miami and cities such as New York, New Jersey, and arenas of
Europe such as England and France. The fishing was done in the Bahamian
banks. On it's boats and in it's plants it employed 700 workers and
employees.
In the decade of the 70's, Rafael Elortegui founded the bank, "Ideal
Finance" which was dedicated to people that did not usually qualify for
credit under normal bank standards, so that they could start their own
businesses. He also founded "Reef Insurance" which was an insurance
company that insured transportation trucks.
Rafael Elortegui was a key figure in the founding of "Ocean Bank", of
which he was the director for many years, and helped facilitate the bank
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license and the re -zoning where Ocean Bank sits today on Tb Street and Le
Jeune Road. He also founded R.E. Industries, which exported food
products, heavy equipment, and fertilizers to Latin America and other parts
of the world.
He was married to Marta Elortegui, with whom he had two sons,
Rafael and Ricardo.
Rafael Elortegui always helped charity foundations, and was always
ready to assist humanitarian institutions. In the fight for the liberty of Cuba
he was always willing to lend a helping hand to all the organizations which
were involved in the cause. As a business promoter, and investor, Rafael
Elortegui made more than 10,000 jobs in Dade County. His employees
never had one complaint about his manner as a patron.
Rafael Elortegui past away July 15, I997.
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