A lifelong resident of Broward County, Tim Ryan was elected to the Broward County Commission, representing District 7, in November 2012. He was reelected in 2016 and 2020. Tim was elected Mayor of Broward County by his fellow County Commissioners in November 2014, after serving as Vice Mayor the previous year. District 7 includes parts of Hollywood, Miramar and Pembroke Pines. (Check to see if Tim Ryan is your County Commissioner.)
Before his election to the Broward County Commission, Tim served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1998 to 2006, before leaving office due to term limits. During his time in the legislature, Tim focused on legislative initiatives to protect consumers, improve public education, enhance accountability and ethical standards for elected officials, and protect our state’s environment and natural resources.
Born in Broward General Hospital in 1956, Tim was the third of seven children born to Johanna Betty (Rasch) and A.J. Ryan, Jr. Tim follows in a long family tradition of public service to the people of Broward County. His father, A.J. Ryan, Jr., served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate from 1956 to 1967. Grandfather, A.J. Ryan, Sr., served on both the Dania Beach City Commission and Hollywood City Commission in the 1920s and as chairman of the Port Everglades Commission beginning in 1928. Tim’s grandmother, Genevieve Ryan, was the first woman to be realtor of the year in the state of Florida in 1958 and was elected national president of the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary in 1965.
A 1974 graduate of Chaminade High School (now Chaminade-Madonna), Tim was a 1st team All-County pole vaulter and still holds the high school’s pole vaulting record. Tim attended the University of Florida earning a bachelor’s degree in Economics with high honors (1978), as well as a law degree (1981). In 1981, he joined the family law firm of Ryan & Ryan which was founded by his father in 1955. Today, he is the firm’s Managing Partner, and knows firsthand both the rewards and challenges faced by owners of small businesses.
Tim has been active in a number of community service organizations including the Dania Beach Improvement Committee, the Fort Lauderdale Jaycees, the Broward County Guardian Ad Litem program, the Hollywood Rotary Club and the Fort Lauderdale Emerald Society. He has served as Special Counsel for the City of Dania Beach for more than 30 years and received honors including the Florida Teaching Profession “Friend of Education” award and the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono award for his volunteer services.
In his role as a County Commissioner, Tim also serves on several boards that have a significant impact on our community, including CareerSource Broward, the Water Advisory Board, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority / Tri-Rail.
Tim is a strong advocate for diversifying our economy and bringing high-wage jobs to South Florida, protecting our environment, and improving transportation.
