Attorney Profile

Javier Zapata joined the Miami-Dade County Attorney's Office in 2014, and currently practices in the Labor & Employment and Governmental Affairs sections. As an Assistant County Attorney, Javier has both successfully defended the County at trial and obtained summary judgment in multiple federal Title VII and Florida Civil Rights Act lawsuits alleging discrimination. He has also successfully arbitrated dozens of collective bargaining agreement contractual disputes, briefed issues of first impression before Florida's District Courts of Appeal, and helped negotiate the County's collective bargaining agreements. His experience also includes litigating challenges to the County's municipal code at the appellate level, defending allegations of unfair labor practices before the Public Employees Relations Commission, and defending the County before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Javier also represents the Board of County Commissioners, and is responsible for drafting and reviewing ordinances and resolutions for the Board. In addition, he serves as counsel to the County's Unsafe Structures Board, International Trade Consortium, and Office of Emergency Management.

Javier has also served as legal counsel to Jackson Memorial Hospital. His responsibilities included litigating vendor contract disputes, reviewing affiliation, grant, and employment agreements, managing and defending Jackson's interests in administrative actions in criminal and probate court, drafting the Trust's legislative priorities, and defending medical malpractice matters.

Javier is an involved member of the community. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Optimist Club of Miami Lakes, and he established and developed the Optimist Club's youth NFL flag football program. Under his tenure as Commissioner of the program, the Miami Lakes Optimist Club's flag football program grew into the largest youth recreational NFL flag football program in Miami-Dade County. Javier was elected to the Town of Miami Lakes Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.