The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, looking for steady footing after losing two leaders in 16 months, has picked a chief executive who has spent most of his working life inside government. The chamber said Wednesday that Genaro “Chip” Iglesias, South Miami’s city manager and a former Miami-Dade deputy mayor, will become its president and CEO on Dec. 1.
Iglesias, who is not related to Coral Gables City Manager Peter Iglesias, was chosen after what the chamber called “an exhaustive search which included dozens of candidates.” He will be the chamber’s third permanent chief in less than two years. The organization, which has more than 1,600 members, did not disclose his salary or the terms of his contract.
“Chip’s reputation and exceptional work precede him,” Jorge Martinez, the chamber’s 2026–2027 board chair, said in the announcement. “We look forward to welcoming him to the Chamber and introducing him to our membership.”
Iglesias described the job in terms of advocacy. “I am truly excited for the opportunity to step into this advocacy role on behalf of our members and the broader business community, ensuring we continually add meaningful value to their membership,” he said.
A career built mostly in government
Iglesias spent 24 years with the City of Miami Fire Department, starting as a firefighter and paramedic and retiring as a fire captain in 2005. His career also took him into government administration, including serving as chief of staff to Miami-Dade Commissioner Jimmy Morales, in the Miami city manager’s office and to Carlos Gimenez when Gimenez was a county commissioner.
He was village manager of Key Biscayne from 2007 to 2011 and served a term as president of the county’s association of city and county managers. After Gimenez became county mayor in 2011, Iglesias served as his chief of staff and then as a deputy mayor, a $225,000-a-year post in which he was the county’s lead negotiator on David Beckham’s proposed soccer stadium. He resigned in July 2014.
His interest in Coral Gables government is not new. That summer, as Coral Gables searched for a city manager, Iglesias told Political Cortadito he had been “very interested in the Gables position,” calling the city a good fit with his career path.
He then moved to the private sector. Iglesias joined the lobbying and government relations firm Ballard Partners, where he became managing partner of its Miami office and chaired its local government practice, representing clients in their dealings with cities and counties. In November 2019, he became president of the Ocean Reef Community Association, which provides municipal-style services to the private residential community in north Key Largo.
That record is heavy on public service, and the chamber’s announcement frames it that way, describing “a long and distinguished career leading operations in government, nonprofit, and association management organizations throughout Miami-Dade County.” Apart from roughly five years at Ballard and three at Ocean Reef, his more than 30-year career has been spent in public-sector positions.
Iglesias holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa., and an MBA from Florida International University. His community involvement includes the boards of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Miami Children’s Chorus, the FIU Community Engagement Advisory Council and two Ocean Reef nonprofits.
Leaving South Miami early in a new contract
Iglesias has been South Miami’s city manager since January 2023. His move to the chamber comes just nine months after the South Miami City Commission unanimously approved a new three-year employment contract.
On Jan. 20, commissioners voted 5-0 to approve an agreement extending his employment through Jan. 30, 2029. According to the city’s official agenda materials, the contract provided a base salary of $285,195, a $700 monthly automobile allowance and a one-time 3.5 percent performance bonus, along with other benefits.
The chamber’s announcement does not say when Iglesias will leave his South Miami post or explain the circumstances of his departure under the recently approved agreement.
A short tenure, after a long one
Iglesias inherits an organization that has experienced little leadership stability since the death of Mark A. Trowbridge, its president and CEO for nearly 19 years.
Trowbridge, known around town as “Mister Coral Gables,” built the chamber into one of South Florida’s most visible business organizations. Revenue grew more than 40 percent during his tenure, and he helped establish signature events such as Burgerliscious while championing initiatives including Small Business Saturday. He died Feb. 21, 2025, at age 56.
His successor, Jorge L. Arrizurieta, a businessman and lobbyist active in Republican politics who held appointments under former Gov. Jeb Bush and former President George W. Bush, emerged from a national search of more than 40 applicants and took over Oct. 2, 2025.
Arrizurieta has said Mayor Vince Lago first suggested the job to him in February 2025, the month Trowbridge died. Lago had appointed him to the city’s Board of Adjustment and was among his most vocal supporters.
Arrizurieta arrived promising change. In a Gazette interview last December, he described spending his first months listening to members and community leaders and said he intended to bring the board a five-year strategic plan.
He lasted less than nine months.
In June, then-board chair Maria D. Garcia told members in a brief message that his service had concluded, and the Gazette reported, citing multiple sources, that the board had voted unanimously to remove him.
The chamber gave no reason, and Arrizurieta has not commented publicly on the departure. Gloria V. Baez, the chamber’s vice president, has led the organization during the search for his replacement.
New leadership at both ends of the street
Iglesias’s arrival comes as Coral Gables City Hall prepares for a leadership change of its own. Peter Iglesias, whom the City Commission fired in February 2024 and rehired in 2025, is scheduled to step down Jan. 8, when Deputy City Manager José “Joe” Gómez takes over. The chamber’s new chief and the city’s new manager will begin their jobs about five weeks apart.
Much of a chamber president’s work involves speaking for local businesses before City Hall on matters such as permitting, parking, construction and taxes. Iglesias will take on that role after more than three decades working largely on the government side of the table.
Author: Coral Gables Gazette News Staff
Originally established in 1996 and relaunched as a digital publication in February 2025, the Coral Gables Gazette is an independent local news organization dedicated to factual, objective and accountable community journalism. Our newsroom reports on the people, policies, institutions and events shaping Coral Gables, Florida, providing residents with timely, informative coverage of the issues affecting their community. Our reporting includes City Hall, local government, municipal elections, public spending, real estate development, business, education, arts and culture, and neighborhood affairs throughout the City Beautiful. We follow City Commission decisions, examine public records and report on the businesses, organizations and individuals contributing to Coral Gables. We believe informed residents are essential to a healthy, engaged community. Stories published under the Coral Gables Gazette News Staff byline are prepared or compiled by the publication's editorial team. We strive for accuracy, fairness, transparency and clear distinctions between news reporting, opinion and advertising. Readers are encouraged to submit news tips, corrections, editorial inquiries and story suggestions through our Contact page and learn more about our standards through our Editorial Policy.
