ja_mageia

William G. Brooks
Orlando, Florida

William G. Brooks, P.E. is Vice President and Florida / Caribbean Regional Manager for Wilbur Smith Associates, an international engineering, planning and economics consulting firm specializing in transportation. In Florida, he is assisting the Florida DOT as a consultant on the state’s High Speed Rail program, helping to implement the nation’s first system of trains from Orlando to Tampa.

Mr. Brooks also has served as Mayor of the City of Belle Isle, FL since 2001.  In August, 2010, he began his term as President of the Florida League of Mayors.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities.

In 2009, Belle Isle created Florida’s newest police department, which became the first in the nation to deploy the environmentally friendly “Smart Car” as a patrol vehicle.  In 2010, Belle Isle opened the Cornerstone Charter Academy, a new K-12 charter school with 900 students.  Mayor Brooks serves as President and Chairman of the charter school board.  He received his bachelors in science in civil engineering from the University of Alabama, in 1983.

Long an advocate for children, Mayor Brooks was the first elected official in Central Florida to publicly support the establishment of the Nemours Children’s Hospital’s efforts to open a new facility in Orlando in 2007.  Advocacy by him and other private sector leaders led to an eventual approval by the state and victory in a hard fought, bitter battle over local established hospitals.  The new facility will open in 2011.

Mr. Brooks is most proud, however, of his role as a National Board Member of the Children’s Tumor Foundation which aims to find a treatment and cure for the tumor disorder Neurofibromatosis, or NF, which affects his daughter Lilly Ann and more than 125,000 other Americans.  NF is more prevalent than Cystic Fibrosis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and Huntington’s Disease combined.  He is the Honorary Chairman of “Racing for Research” (www.racing4research.org) which raises funds and awareness for the Children’s Tumor Foundation by racing an entry in the GT Series of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona each January.