Miami entrepreneur León nominated as new US Ambassador to Spain | Key Biscayne
One of Miami and Key Biscayne’s most distinguished residents, Benjamín León, Jr., could be making the journey from Miami to Madrid after recently being nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to become the United States’ Ambassador to Spain.
The 80-year-old Cuban-American businessman, and founder of the Leon Medical Centers, is a major Republican financial backer who also has helped raised funds for local universities as well as causes emanating from Key Biscayne, such as Conga the Night Away for the Sunshine Kids Foundation, in which the hospital organization was the presenting sponsor this year.
“He was our best partner; he gave us $20,000,” said Marilyn Borroto, the event’s co-chair. “He is a very successful businessman and very generous, too. He contributes a lot to charities. He was there that night with his wife, and all of his family. I’m very proud he will be the ambassador to Spain. He’s one of us. He’s Cuban! I think he will represent us well.”
In a Truth Social post, President-elect Trump wrote:
“Benjamin is a highly successful entrepreneur, equestrian, and philanthropist. He came to the U.S. from Communist Cuba at 16-years-old, with only Five Dollars in his pocket, and proceeded to build his company, Leon Medical Centers, into an incredible business.”
Trump also praised his efforts in support of many worthy causes, “like La Liga Contra el Cancer, and important Medical Research at Johns Hopkins and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.”
He also touted León’s support for Miami Dade College and Florida International University.
Just recently, according to an Instagram post by Traded: Miami, León sold his Key Biscayne mansion at 4 Harbor Point for nearly $14 million to the family of the Estrella Insurance empire in Miami.
Trump’s selection now makes at least eight ambassadors with Florida ties, including Mike Huckabee (formerly of Santa Rosa Beach) to Israel; Kimberly Guilfoyle (West Palm Beach) to Greece; Dan Newlin (Orlando) to Colombia; Dr. Peter Lamelas (West Palm Beach) to Argentina; Callista Gingrich (North Naples) to Switzerland; John Arrigo (Jupiter) to Portugal; and District 6 Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera (Coral Gables) to Panama.
The most recent U.S. Ambassador to Spain (and Andorra) was Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, who was sworn in on Jan. 7, 2022, as the first woman to serve in that role.
“She was a tireless advocate for American companies doing business in Spain, and supported historic levels of investment by Spanish companies in the U.S.,” according to her private law firm’s website.
According to several reports, León is a longtime backer of Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice for Secretary of State.
Also an avid horse lover, León once paid $4.2 million for a racehorse, according to the New York Times.
Born in Oriente, Cuba, in 1944, León immigrated with his family to Miami in 1961. His father founded Clinica Cuba three years later to provide health care services to the city’s growing Cuban population.
In 1973, according to his Leon Medical Centers bio, León and his father successfully lobbied the Legislature to secure Florida’s first HMO license, founding the Clínica Asociación Cubana HMO. They sold the company to UnitedHealthCare for $500 million in 1994.
Two years later, León launched Leon Medical Centers which now includes more than 2,500 healthcare professionals and eight state-of-the-art centers around Miami-Dade County.
This past April, the Miami Cuban Lions Club recognized León with the 2024 Dr. Ramiro Collazo Outstanding Citizen Award that recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and service to their community.
His son, Benjamín León III, runs the company as CEO today.
As far as the elder León’s involvement in the equestrian industry, he established Besilu Stables in Alachua County in 1982 with the acquisition of six horses and began to show and breed the animals. Several of his horses went on to win prestigious equestrian industry awards.
Benjamin León and his wife Silvia during the Conga the Night Away event at the Ocean Club, September 2024.
Shortly after Trump announced León’s appointment, Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega offered her congratulations in a post to X, writing, in part:
“… Like my parents, he came to this great country from Cuba in search of freedom and opportunity and has dedicated his life to giving back. His leadership and generosity, exemplified through his transformative support of our Benjamin León School of Nursing, have changed countless lives. I have no doubt he will serve President (Trump) with the same dedication, vision, and compassion that have defined his lifelong commitment to service.”
According to an earlier interview with ocala.com., León came to Miami as an exile when he was 16, shortly after the Cuban Revolution, after being arrested for stating his anti-communist views. His family arrived later the same year. As a young man, León delivered the Miami Herald and worked as a dishwasher, factory worker, grocery store stockman and baker.
Since 2023, according to FEC records, León has donated at least $3 million to political campaigns, including $1.18 million to the Trump support PAC “Make America Great Again Inc.,” and nearly a million dollars to the Trump 47 Committee, Inc. PAC, as well as contributions to the Republican National Committee and multiple races and state Republican campaign committees.
According to other information from medical centers and colleges, the León family donated $10 million to Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in 2008 to establish the Benjamín León, Jr. Family Center for Geriatric Research and Education, an Eminent Scholars Chair and use of Leon Medical Centers’ medical facilities as a teaching institution for medical school students. Four years later, Leon Medical Centers made a contribution of $5 million to Miami Dade College and established the Benjamin León School of Nursing.
Last year, León donated another $10 million to FIU, this time to build the FIU CasaCuba cultural and academic center on FIU’s main campus to promote the “rich Cuban heritage.”
León is married to Silvia León. They have two daughters, Silvia and Lourdes, and a son, Benjamin III.
Versión en español
