The Miami-Dade County clerk of the courts, Harvey Ruvin, died on Dec. 31, ending a record of public service that spanned more than a half-century and earned Ruvin praise for his work on both technology and environmental issues in Florida.
Ruvin, 85, won his last election to the clerk’s post in 2020 with 73.2 percent of the vote. After earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a juris doctor from the University of Miami Law School, he went on to serve as mayor of North Bay Village in southern Florida in 1968 and in the 1970s was elected to the Metro Dade County Commission.
During his time as clerk of the courts, Ruvin received awards for his efforts to use new technologies to eliminate paper waste in government and achieve both fiscal efficiencies and cost savings, according to a biography posted on the clerk of the courts website.
“Harvey Ruvin's legacy is one of selfless service, extraordinary accomplishments and principled leadership,” attorney H.T. Smith, who first met Rubin in the 1980s, told the Florida Record in an email. “Harvey was a mayor and commissioner who worked to find common ground and get big things done (to improve) the quality of life for his constituents.”
Ruvin also worked on behalf of an endangered species, the West Indian manatee, and previously chaired Miami-Dade County’s Climate Change Advisory Task Force to mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases on the economy and human health.
“Decades ago, he sounded the clarion call regarding the existential threat of climate change, and brought forth solutions,” Smith said. “For years he has been a leader in protecting and preserving the environment in general and the Everglades in particular, and as clerk he has transformed the courts by digitizing all documents to make them more accessible to the public.”
In 1989, American City and County Magazine examined the records of county leaders nationwide and named Ruvin “County Leader of the Year.” In addition, he served as president of the National Association of Counties, an organization of 3,200 local governments, during the years 1987 and 1988.