Philip Levine

Levine ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election but lost in a crowded primary field. His gubernatorial platform included environmentalism, living wages, better public schools, gun safety policies and social equality; he was endorsed by the Miami Herald. He finished third behind eventual nominee Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and former U.S. Representative Gwen Graham. In the four-person primary held on August 28, Gillum, won with 34.3% of the vote. Levine came in third with 20.3% of the vote. Levine spent $29 million of his own money in the race. The money spent was about one-fifth of his total net worth.

In June 2017, Levine hosted the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami Beach. The event brought together over 300 mayors from across the country and was the first Conference of Mayors held in the city since 1962.

During his tenure as Miami Beach Mayor, Levine has advocated publicly for action and attention to the issues of climate change. Levine was involved in implementing solutions to sea-level rise in Miami Beach such as installing new drainage systems, investing in cutting-edge pumps and physically raising roads. In 2016, he appeared in Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary Before the Flood and in an episode of the National Geographic Channel series Years of Living Dangerously, hosted by Jack Black, to discuss the reality and impact of sea-level rise in Miami Beach and across Florida.

In 2015, Levine completed an advanced leadership program at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. In 2018, he married Carolina Murciano. The marriage is his first and her second. Together, they have an infant son.

In November 2013, Levine was elected Mayor of Miami Beach, receiving 50.48% of the total vote in a four-person race. His campaign was endorsed by former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson. Levine ran on a platform of "Just Get It Done," focusing on fixing street flooding and combating sea-level rise, cleaning up government corruption, reforming the police department and city finances, and placing a priority on constituent service.

In 2010, Levine was selected by President Obama's Secretary of Commerce to serve on a Task Force advising on U.S. tourism. The goals of the task force were to grow America's tourism industry. Levine is a self-described "radical centrist." He criticized President Trump's delayed response for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

After growing Onboard Media into a multimillion-dollar company, Levine partnered with Berkshire Partners to acquire Starboard Cruise Services. The merger resulted in the world's largest cruise industry concessionaire, which was later sold to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy in 2000.

In 1990, with $500 in capital, Levine launched Onboard Media in a studio apartment above the News Café on Ocean Drive. Conceived as a port-marketing program for the cruise industry, the company expanded to publish eighty-five in-stateroom magazines and to produce award-winning TV programming.

Philip Louis Levine (born February 18, 1962) is an American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Miami Beach from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a candidate in the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election.