Logan graduated from high school in 1975, received an associate of arts degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1976, and completed his B.S. in accounting at the University of Miami in 1977, all the while working his way through.  After graduating from college, he worked in the insurance field and participated extensively in community and civic organizations.

While volunteering with a political campaign in 1979, he began to better understand the impact of politics on the conditions of people and their communities.  His desire to advance his community led him to run for political office in 1980 and to form the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation that same year.

A Life of Public Service

Willie Logan served as an elected member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the City of Opa-locka and Northwest Miami-Dade County, from 1982 to 2000.  Prior to his election to the Florida House, the citizens of the City of Opa-locka elected him as their Mayor, at the age of 23.  Then the youngest mayor in the United States, he served from 1980 through 1982, until the beginning of his first legislative term.

In the Florida Legislature, Logan held many leadership roles, chairing a number of committees, most notably the Criminal Justice Budget Committee and the Committee on Finance and Taxation.  He served as House Democratic Leader-elect in 1997 and as chair of the Miami-Dade County Legislative Delegation, the Legislature’s largest delegation, in 1998-99. 

In each year from 1990 to 2000, Logan ranked as one of the Florida House’s most effective members, due to success in winning resources for his North Miami-Dade constituents.  After both the 1998 and the 1999 Legislative sessions, he was ranked the most effective Democrat in the Legislature and credited for his ability to work well with leaders to secure support for constituents and issues across the State.

A Life of Community Service

To help rebuild his community, Logan founded the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation (OLCDC) in 1980 and has served as president and chief executive since then.  Under his guidance, the OLCDC has expanded from a $25,000 per year, one-man shop to a multi-million dollar corporation with five for-profit subsidiaries.  Since 1980, the OLCDC has built and/or rehabilitated over $5.5 million worth of affordable single family homes and over 1400 units of affordable multi-family housing, rehabilitated and preserved commercial structures, and revitalized several businesses in Northwest Miami-Dade.

Logan has served on the boards of various charitable, business and civic organizations.  His hard work for and dedication to the people of Miami-Dade and of Florida have earned him numerous awards for statesmanship and service over the years.  See the list of  entities that have honored Logan with over 120 awards.

A Life of Learning

Willie Logan has taken every opportunity to strengthen his leadership skills and expand his knowledge of the issues that face us all.  In 1995, Logan returned to the University of Miami to work toward an M.B.A. in Health Care Administration which he received in 1996.  Since then, he has completed doctoral level courses in health care economics and community economic development. 

Logan has participated in several nationally recognized leadership training programs, including two for senior government officials at Harvard’s School of Government.  He is a graduate of both Leadership Florida and Leadership USA.

Willie Logan is married to the former Lyra Blizzard, an attorney.  They have three Godchildren: Nikisha and Jeffrey Williams and Jasmine Baldwin.

Willie and Lyra live less than five miles from the home where Logan grew up in Northwest Miami-Dade County, where his mother Ruth still lives today.  The family attends the First Baptist Church of Bunche Park, where Logan has been a member all of his life.