Village Clerk

Missy Arocha, Village Clerk

Missy Arocha was appointed by the Village Council in November 2016 as Village Clerk and she has been serving the residents of Palmetto Bay since then.

Autobiography

As a lifetime resident of Miami-Dade County and a product of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, I was fortunate to attend Miami Dade College having successfully completed the inaugural Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Business Management in 2017. I am also a proud graduate of Florida International University having earned an Executive Master of Public Administration degree in 2020. I decided to pursue a career in public administration due to my inherent passion to help and serve others. Typically, any form of government is perceived to be bureaucratic and inherently slow, but I have found it rewarding to change those negative misconceptions to a positive experience with my attention to detail and enthusiastic customer service to the community.

I began my municipal government experience in 2010 with the Town of Cutler Bay as the Administrative Assistant to the Town Manager and Public Works Director. In 2011, I was appointed Interim Town Clerk and it was then when I fell in love with the clerk profession. Between the years of 2012-2015, I held two roles with the Village of Palmetto Bay: Administrative Assistant to the Village Clerk and Executive Assistant to the Village Manager. In 2016, I was appointed by the Village Council to serve as the Village’s Interim Clerk and shortly thereafter, the Council unanimously voted to appoint me as the clerk after an extensive statewide clerk search. It is personally important to me that the Village of Palmetto Bay be represented in a professional manner as it is my duty as Village Clerk to continue to bring the highest professional industry standards to this position, where I honorably continue to serve today. The professional invaluable experience I have gained in both the Town of Cutler Bay and the Village of Palmetto Bay has truly shown me the importance of municipal service. To uphold my oath of office and the Florida Association of City Clerks (FACC) ethical standards, I consider myself a public servant who treats every elected official, resident, and colleague in the same professional matter. I am exceptionally grateful to the mentors I have had throughout the years that have taken the time to provide me with their mentorship to further enhance my knowledge of municipal government.

I am honored to be an active member of the FACC since 2013 and I recently completed the prestigious Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation. FACC has catered many educational opportunities to the next generation of clerks throughout the state of Florida and the certification process has allowed clerks to recognize and embrace the need for continual personal and professional development in a constantly changing environment. Currently, I am as well an active member of the Miami-Dade County Municipal Clerk’s Association (MDCMCA) and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). I was honored to serve on the Board of Directors of the MDCMCA as Treasurer between the years 2017-2018 and as Secretary between 2018-2019.

As a first-generation college graduate of immigrant parents that came to this country to seek a better future for their children, I owe my success to my family and mentors. In my free time, I appreciate spending quality time with my family and closest friends. I became a first-time mom at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020 to a beautiful baby girl named Eva Rose who has brought me a sense of joy. I have embraced motherhood regardless of the challenges of the existing devasting pandemic. I enjoy traveling, reading history books, and exploring different cultures. I love being outdoors and connecting with nature, and especially boating. As a Cuban-American, I cannot live without my “cafesito shots” and croquettes. Now, if there is a salsa song playing in the background, you will most definitely catch me on the dance floor!