A street and a school will now provide lasting memory of a man who served Miami Lakes and nearby communities in Congress for almost two decades.
A stretch of Southwest 8th Street - Miami’s famed Calle Ocho - was recently renamed Lincoln Diaz-Balart Memorial Highway. Hialeah Elementary School has been rechristened Lincoln Diaz-Balart Hialeah Elementary School.
Diaz-Balart served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011. His District 21 then included Miami Lakes. He announced in 2010 that he was not seeking reelection and was succeeded by his younger brother, current U.S. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart. Lincoln Diaz-Balart died of cancer in 2025.
Mario attended both renaming ceremonies.
The street renaming happened on Lincoln Diaz-Balart’s birthday, August 13.
“His greatest satisfaction came from being a voice for those who entrusted him with the honor of representing them, and for being a voice for the silenced and the oppressed,” Mario Diaz-Balart said.
At the school, he hoped students would “feel inspired by the values he lived—compassion, integrity, and a dedication to doing the public good by helping many ... I am grateful that the Lincoln Diaz-Balart Hialeah Elementary School will stand as a lasting tribute to his legacy, reminding us all of the power that each one of us has to make a difference in the lives of others.”
Photos courtesy of the office of Mario Diaz-Balart.