Rafael L. Robayna, P.E.

Rafael L. Robayna, P.E. is Chairman of the Board of Robayna and Associates, Inc., a multidisciplinary engineering firm he founded in 1981.

Mr. Robayna began his professional engineering career as a field engineer with Deltona's Marco Island Development Corporation. He was later transferred to the company's Miami office and promoted to Project Engineer, where he worked on several land development communities throughout Florida.

In 1974, he joined Miami-Dade County Public Works as a Project Engineer, designing several highway projects. He quickly advanced to Head of the Highway Planning Section and became a member of the Developmental Impact Committee.

During his public-sector career, Mr. Robayna served on several committees and working groups, including the Urban Area Transportation Study for the Year 2000, the Road Planning Committee, and the Bikeway & Trails Planning Committee. He also coordinated surface improvement projects with the Metrorail program.

Mr. Robayna obtained his Professional Engineer license in 1976.

In 1979, he joined Biscayne Engineering Company, where he was placed in charge of the Engineering Department. He later became a member of the Board of Directors and Senior Vice President responsible for the firm's four offices.

Among the major projects he directed while at Biscayne Engineering were the first two subdivision phases of Weston.

In 1981, Mr. Robayna founded Robayna and Associates, Inc., which expanded its services throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. He served as President of the company until 2018, when Oscar E. Robayna, P.E. succeeded him. Mr. Robayna is presently semi-retired.

Civic and Community Leadership

Throughout his career, Mr. Robayna has been actively involved in numerous civic and community organizations. He served as President of the Professional Club of Miami and was a Founding Director of the Little Havana Jaycees.

He participated in the 1998 Summit on Ethics in Miami-Dade County and served on the Miami Public Schools Efficiency and Competition Committee. Following Hurricane Andrew, he also worked on a task force that reviewed damage to public schools.

Mr. Robayna served on several committees of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member of the Board of Directors and later Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cuban Museum, Inc., now known as the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora.

During his tenure as Chairman, the museum's new building was planned and constructed.

Professional Engineering Leadership

Mr. Robayna has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) since 1975. He served as President of the Miami-Dade Branch during 1984–1985 and chaired numerous committees at both the local and section levels.

His ASCE committee work addressed areas including computer applications for planning and design, stormwater and drainage, subdivision planning, and governmental and regulatory issues.

He served on the ASCE District 10 Council in 1985 and later served on the national ASCE Minority Issues Committee from 1988 to 1993, including two years as Chairperson. During his tenure, he was instrumental in changing the committee's name to the Equal Opportunities Committee.

Mr. Robayna has also been a member of the Builders Association of South Florida since 1983 and has chaired several technical committees.

Leadership in CAACE

Mr. Robayna joined the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineers (CAACE) in 1984. He first served as Treasurer and later served as President from 1998 to 2000.

During his presidency, and with the support of the Board, Mr. Robayna helped expand CAACE's relationships with other professional organizations and strengthened the Association's involvement in local regulatory and technical matters affecting the engineering industry.

During this period, CAACE obtained representation on several Miami-Dade County technical committees, including the Flood Management Task Force and the Unsafe Structures Committee. The Association also became involved in issues concerning Special Inspector Ordinance requirements.

Mr. Robayna also helped establish the Plinio Villanueva Award for continuous service to CAACE, with Mr. Villanueva serving as its first recipient. During this period, the Engineer of the Year Award was also renamed the Luis P. Saenz Award.

Mr. Robayna has served continuously on the CAACE Board since 1994. In recognition of his professional achievements, he received the Francisco de Albear Award for Lifetime Engineering Achievements in 2003.

He also received the Plinio Villanueva Award for Outstanding Contribution to Engineering in 2008.

In 2019, Mr. Robayna was named a Director Emeritus of the CAACE Board of Directors, recognizing his decades of leadership, service, and contribution to the Association and the engineering profession.