“Inspiring Florida for a Better Future”

Nelson Peña is an immigrant who came to the U.S. at 18 years old after graduating from high school and arrived in New York with only his backpack as luggage. While in New York, he attended college to learn English and worked in many different areas, such as grocery stores, warehousing, and as a waiter at many restaurants. As he continued with his educational advancements, he was able to complete a bachelor’s degree in communications and then a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). Meanwhile, he was also assisting his mother with her laundry and cleaning business, where he managed and controlled all of the financial aspects of the business.

Peña continued his professional career and began investing in the real estate business in 1995. He founded his rental real estate company named Peña’s Enterprise, where he currently works as the president and CEO. As he extended his real estate investments, he continued to invest in different states, including Florida, New York and Pennsylvania. His professional work experience includes many different managerial positions, such as manager in the customer service area, sales executive in a logistics transportation company as well as in-office areas.

Peña originally started his community service back in 2006 in New York City as a director for the Woodycrest Homeowners Association for several years. After relocating to Orlando with his wife and three children over 10 years ago, he started getting involved in his community as a member of the Architectural Review Committee. Then, he decided to become a member of the Homeowners Association Board of Directors, where he eventually became president. Additionally, Peña became a member of the School Advisory Committee (SAC) at Orange County Public Schools – a committee that helps to make important decisions for the school’s improvement and increase student achievement. Peña is also the treasurer for the board of directors for the Mediation Center of Central Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to making mediation accessible to all residents of greater and Central Florida.

Appointed by Sen. Victor Torres, Peña served on the board of directors as a treasurer for AMIkids Orlando. This nonprofit focuses its efforts in helping troubled teenagers. Their services help kids discover the potential within them, transform their lives, and strengthen our community. He also served as a treasurer for the board of directors for the South Orange Little League in South Orlando. There, he was also a coach and manager, a trainer, and a mentor.

Peña was responsible for defending the non-English speaking constituents that were summoned to the Osceola Small Claims court. When the court did not want to service those who did not speak English, he presented this case to the television station Univision. Free of charge, he also helped many immigrant families process all of the documentation required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service for families to come to the U.S. legally.

Last but not least in Peña’s impressive resume is his role as the president and CEO of a motivational company that focuses on training and educating people, especially teenagers, in many areas such as finance, budgeting, time management, life planning, and techniques of achieving life goals. Peña is a member of the Valencia College Horizon Scholars Program, working as a mentor who spends his valuable time mentoring high school students to motivate them to reach a college-level education.

Nelson Peña is a motivational leader with an extensive business background who is highly qualified to serve and represent District 48 of the Florida House of Representatives. His ultimate goal is to continue to defend the rights of the people and their critical issues, such as unemployment, healthcare benefits, more mental health resources, affordable housing, better funding for public education, and protection of natural resources. Peña has the educational background along with the analytical skills necessary in order to formulate good decision-making for District 48 and its constituents.

By Nelson Peña