Philip Louis Levine (born February 18, 1962) is an American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Miami Beach from 2013 to 2017.
Levine ran on a platform of "Just Get It Done," focusing on fixing street flooding and combating sea level rise, cleaning up government corruption, reforming the police department and city finances, and placing a priority on constituent service.
During his tenure as Miami Beach Mayor, Levine advocated publicly for action and attention to the issues of climate change.
Levine worked to implement solutions to sea-level rise in Miami Beach, such as installing new drainage systems, investing in cutting-edge pumps, and physically raising roads.
[8] In 2016, he appeared in Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary Before the Flood and in an episode of the National Geographic Channel series Years of Living Dangerously, hosted by Jack Black, to discuss the current effects of sea-level rise in Miami Beach and across Florida.
[9][10] Before Levine took over as mayor, Miami Beach had a begun a 20-year, $200 million program to combat sea-level rise with new pumps, drain pipes and sea walls.
In Levine's two terms as mayor, the city signed close to $40 million in no-bid contracts, extensions, and change orders to stop flooding.
[12] His gubernatorial platform included environmentalism, living wages, better public schools, gun safety policies and social equality;[8] he was endorsed by the Miami Herald.
[15] Levine serves on the board of directors for Best Buddies International, the Miami-based nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.