Conversations: Amanda Altman and Katherine Fernandez Rundle

The Kristi House CEO speaks to the State Attorney about everything from her crime-fighting partnerships to her famous pant suits.

I recently had the privilege of attending the investiture of Miami-Dade County’s State Attorney, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, who took the oath of office after being elected to the office for an impressive seventh term. The powerful ceremony was a tribute to Fernandez Rundle, the incredible people in her office who work tirelessly for the community, and the many accomplishments she has achieved during her time in office.

For years as a young(ish) lawyer in Miami, I looked up to Fernandez Rundle, admiring her tenacity, her commitment to public service, and her style. So, it was an honor when I got the opportunity to sit down with Miami-Dade County’s longtime public servant to discuss a wide range of topics from training the next generation of lawyers to those colorful pant suits she wears around town.

We started with an easy question about why she chose the State Attorney’s Office. Fernandez Rundle served as an Assistant State Attorney for about 15 years before assuming the top spot. She told me it all began with her father, the first Cuban judge in Miami-Dade County, who encouraged her to enter public service and to work “for the people.” After studying at Cambridge, she considered applying for a position in The Hague, but her father convinced her that she didn’t have to travel so far from Miami to be of service.

Thus, Fernandez Rundle took a position in the State Attorney’s Office where she learned to be a good lawyer and advocate from none other than Janet Reno. When Reno was called to Washington D.C., she tapped Fernandez Rundle to take the reins, asking her “would you hold the fort…?” The community, she said, was so embracing when she then had to seek her first elected term.

When I asked Fernandez Rundle what drives her to keep running, especially since elections and politics have gotten so divisive, she had no shortage of answers. Her first response was “meeting the victims.” She told me they serve as her inspiration both to work towards preventing others from becoming victims and to make sure people know what to do when a crime does happen. Fernandez Rundle also talked about the partnerships she has built over the years that allow her and her office to address problems in a holistic way that have led to creative solutions and innovation. As I have often heard her say, “collaboration is the key” to meaningful reforms.  Fernandez Rundle doesn’t just say this, she puts it into practice, which has resulted in innovative solutions like Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Veteran Court. She works with partners across various sectors to combat human trafficking, crimes against kids, and gun violence.

We talked about the younger generations of lawyers, who Fernandez Rundle says are often skeptical of public service. Her most recent class of Assistant State Attorneys consisted of 50 “new minds,” who are the future. I asked what she said to them. Her response, “if you don’t like what you see, you have to be the change you want to see…you have to fix it.”  She also likes to remind the new attorneys in her office who they work for, and it isn’t her; it is “for the people.”

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office is struggling with retention and recruitment, operating at about a 32 percent vacancy rate, which unfortunately can impact the criminal cases they handle.  Divisions like Narcotics and Organized Crime are operating with only a single attorney, while the Human Trafficking Unit only has two attorneys. Fernandez Rundle stressed that the community needs to understand the impacts of this shortage – cases can’t all be filed or given the necessary attention. To address the problem, we must work on affordable housing and increasing pay for the Assistant State Attorneys. We live in a community where the cost of living is high, but the salaries do not reflect that.

Though much of our conversation was serious in nature, we hit on some fun topics as well. I could not help but ask about those colorful pant suits she often wears. On the day I interviewed her, she was wearing a flattering green suit, while she sported a fuchsia suit for her investiture. Fernandez Rundle noted that she wears a suit because she needs to be respectful of the office to which the people have elected her and she happens to love suits.  But black and navy won’t always do – she loves colors. “I have to feel like I look good in the color,” she told me.

We also discussed her workout regimen, which is impressive to say the least. She squeezes in a workout five-to-six days a week, and on Saturday and Sunday mornings, she is always off to the gym. She loves a range of activities from Zumba to Pilates and various other types of cardio workouts.

Though I had been wanting to ask Fernandez Rundle about the pant suits for quite some time, my favorite part of the interview was when she talked about her three adorable grandchildren, ages 9, 6, and 5. It just so happens that they also stole the show at her investiture, leading the packed house at the Donna Shalala Student Center on the campus of the University of Miami in the greatest ever rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Fernandez Rundle’s family is her joy, which was evident from her ear-to-ear grin as she talked about them. As she noted, her grandchildren have “no clue who I am or what I do. They think I’m funny.” She loves sleepovers with the grandkids. They bake, eat popcorn – hers is 94% fat free – and watch movies.  And I think there was even mention of pizza with spaghetti on top, though Fernandez Rundle claims she doesn’t partake. But she does confess to a weakness for croquetas.