Mr. John Fares Asmar

Mr. Asmar and his family have been active members within the Pensacola community for over fifty years. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association, Greater Pensacola Seminole Club, Blue Angel Association, Greater Pensacola Area Sigma Alpha Epsilon Alumni Association, founding president of the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Council and has received the Paul Harris fellow recognition by the Rotary Foundation.

Mr. Asmar attended Pensacola Catholic High School. Thereafter, he attended Pensacola State College and Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Multi-National Business. While in Tallahassee, the State’s Capitol, he became captivated with state and local government. In pursuit of a professional career in government, John attended the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida earning a master’s degree in Public Administration with a special emphasis in local government.

Upon graduation, Mr. Asmar commenced his professional career in local government. He served communities throughout the State of Florida most notably as the Assistant County Administrator for Escambia County, Florida; Assistant City Manager for the City of North Miami Beach, Florida; the City Manager for the City of Homestead, Florida; and the Administrator for Planning and Development Services for the City of Clearwater, Florida. After a nearly fifteen-year career in local government, Mr. Asmar enrolled at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville, Florida. While in law school, he received the book award in Legal Research and Writing and graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree with honors.

In 2005, Mr. Asmar returned to Pensacola as a general practitioner. In 2011, as a native of Pensacola, with deep family connections and a profound love for his community, he was honored to be asked to serve and welcomed the opportunity to be a part of the historic event of establishing the City of Pensacola’s new strong mayor form of government. Given his professional experience in local government administration and the legal field, he was appointed to the Mayor’s transition team and subsequently was appointed Chief of Staff for the Mayor. Not only did he participate with changing the City of Pensacola’s organization to reflect the citizen’s mandate for a new form of government, during his tenure as Chief of Staff with the City, he was instrumental in completing the construction of the Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, negotiating the City’s lease with the Blue Wahoos, a Double A baseball team, to be the first tenant within the new baseball stadium at the park, resolving the City’s pension crisis, attracting ST Engineering to the City’s airport, constructing the Theophalis May and Woodland Heights neighborhood resource centers, transitioning the City’s fleet to natural gas, developing the 311 system to accommodate citizens’ access to city resources, and implementing monthly town hall meetings throughout the City’s neighborhoods. All of which were accomplished with a reduction of the millage rate applied to property taxable values.

Mr. Asmar is admitted to practice law before all Florida Courts and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. In addition, he is an experienced state and local legislative liaison representing private businesses, local governments and authorities, statewide organizations, and individuals before local and state government. He is a frequent speaker on various topics concerning local and statewide issues such as economic development, smart growth, sustainable communities, environmental protection, neighborhood services, crime prevention, community redevelopment, consumer protection and disaster recovery and relief.