Ronald Villella
Ronald
Villella joined Smith, Bryan & Myers in 1993 as Vice-President.
Prior to joining the firm, he successfully managed the statewide campaign
of Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth and became his Chief-of-Staff
after the election. In this capacity, he supervised a departmental staff
of 800 and the development of all legislative, Cabinet and administrative
priority for the Department of Legal Affairs.
He began his political and governmental career in 1972 when he was elected to the City Commission of Pembroke Pines, Broward County, Florida. He subsequently was elected the youngest Mayor of a major city in the county. He served as the South Florida Coordinator of Governor's Bob Graham's first campaign and Deputy Campaign Manger during his successful re-election campaign.
He served as Governor Graham's first Director of Administration, managing the daily operations of the Governor's Office and was then appointed Director of the Division of Labor, Employment and Training within the Department of Labor.
Since joining the firm, he has directed many successful and administrative efforts on the behalf of the firm's clients, including:
Representing a client in obtaining a contract to manage a comprehensive financial portfolio for a local government.
Securing a contact to provide health care service for the Department of Corrections.
Advising and representing clients on a variety of issues before the Florida Cabinet, including state revenue and tax collection issues, environmental permits, land buying programs and highway safety issues.
Offering an extensive knowledge of state and local government political and public policy issues and the impact they have on businesses.
Ronald Villella graduated from Tallahassee Community College before attending The Citadel Military College on a football scholarship in 1965.