Dean Trantalis has served as mayor of Fort Lauderdale since March 2018 and has overseen upgrades to the city infrastructure, the transformation of downtown to a cosmopolitan center, the creation of major new public amenities and the protection of its beautiful neighborhoods. 

Mayor Trantalis previously served on the City Commission representing District 2 for eight years. His 2018 election represented the largest victory in city history for a candidate running for a first term as mayor, while his 2020 re-election featured the largest turnout ever in a city race.

As mayor, he represents the Broward County Tourism Development Council, the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Broward Workforce Development Board. 

Born and raised in Norwich, Connecticut, the mayor attended high school at Norwich Free Academy. At Boston University, he majored in political science and graduated cum laude and with distinction in 1975. He received a Juris Doctorate in 1979 from Stetson University School of Law, while completing international law courses in Eastern Europe, Russia, and London.

Mayor Trantalis was admitted to the Connecticut and Florida Bar Associations in 1980 and has practiced law in Broward County since 1982. He currently maintains a successful general law practice in Broward County with some emphasis in the areas of real estate, probate, estate planning, bankruptcy, and corporate matters. Dean is a member of the Federal Bar.

His long track record of public service in our community began with his involvement in the fight for equal rights.

In 1995, he served as the co-chair of Americans for Equality and oversaw the successful enactment of the Broward County Human Rights Ordinance. This law provided individuals with protection from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on their sexual orientation. He also helped manage the successful passage of the Broward County domestic partnership law, extending spousal-like benefits not only to county employees, but to all employees of entities doing business with Broward County.

Through his work fighting for equality, Mayor Trantalis discovered a passion for public service that led him to become involved in multiple community organizations, including the Fort Lauderdale Citizen Police Review Board, Broward House, the Dolphin Democrats, the Riviera Towers Co-Operative Board, the Broward County Planning Council and the John Graves Foundation Board of Trustees. 

He also has represented the city on the board of directors of the Broward League of Cities, the Florida League of Cities, the board of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the Fort Lauderdale Affordable Housing Committee, the Broward County Homeless Continuum of Care Task Force, the Broward Water Resources Task Force and the Broward County-Palm Beach County Joint C-51 Reservoir Work Group. Gov. Ron DeSantis also appointed the mayor to serve on the state’s Re-Open Florida Task Force during the COVID pandemic.

Recognized for his leadership in our community, Mayor Trantalis has received multiple awards and honors for his work, including the Small Business Award from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce in 2007. In spring 2015, he was an inaugural honoree of the Diversity Honors awards presented by the Harvey Milk Foundation. He also was honored as a Community Champion by the Broward County Commission and the Broward County Human Rights Board for his work on behalf of equal rights.

In spring 2018, the Harvey Milk Foundation joined with the Pride Center at Equality Park to present him with a lifetime achievement award. In October 2019, he received the Visionary Award from the Gay and Lesbian Business Exchange of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.  

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