A hometown boy, Dan Gelber was raised to believe in public service and the importance of community. His father, respected Judge and former Miami Beach Mayor Seymour Gelber, and his mother, Beach High foreign-language teacher Edith Gelber, were models of that service.

Dan lived these principles through service as a federal prosecutor for nearly a decade, handling public corruption prosecutions, and eventually becoming a decorated top deputy. Dan was then appointed by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn as the Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the prestigious U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations – a position previously held by Bobby Kennedy – where he worked on counter-terrorism issues and combated fraud and waste in government.

Dan returned home and served Miami Beach as a Florida State Representative and Senator, where he was unanimously elected by his colleagues as Democratic Leader. In the legislature, Dan was a leading voice on strengthening public schools and improving public safety and strengthening public corruption laws. He was also recognized as a relentless champion for LGBTQ rights. Today, Dan is considered to be one of Florida’s most respected voices on Florida public policy.

Dan has also always been devoted to helping his community. He joined the Big Brothers program in his 20’s and was matched to 6-year-old Travis, who he has stayed with for over three decades and who is now a practicing dentist. When he was just 26, Dan co-founded a camp for kids with cancer where he has spent many of his summers as a volunteer bunk counselor.

Dan was elected Mayor of Miami Beach in 2017 and subsequently reelected in 2019 and 2021. Dan practices law with the firm of Gelber Schachter & Greenberg PA and is listed in Best Lawyers in America, and Chambers USA. He is married to Joan Silverstein, a career federal prosecutor, and they have three kids and two dogs who they are still training. The dogs, however, are fully trained.

Dan graduated from Tufts University magna cum laude and the University of Florida Law School. While in school, Dan was awarded a national Truman Scholar.

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