Donald Trump taps Miami medical magnate Benjamín León Jr. as Ambassador to Spain

He was a leader in Miami-Dade’s medical services industry for decades, co-founding one of America’s first health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and creating Leon Medical Centers, whose easily recognizable cross-shaped logo can be spotted throughout the county.

Now he’s likely bound for a diplomatic role under Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

Trump tapped 80-year-old Benjamín León Jr., a wealthy Cuba-born entrepreneur and horse racing enthusiast, to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

Pending confirmation by the Senate, León will succeed Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, a Dominican Republican-born lawyer, in the role.

The President-elect cited some of Leon’s contributions to the medical industry in announcing his selection as Ambassador in a Thursday post to his Truth Social platform.

“He came to the U.S. from Communist Cuba at 16-years-old, with only Five Dollars in his pocket, and proceeded to build his company, Leon Medical Centers, into an incredible business. He has helped support many worthy causes, like La Liga Contra el Cancer, and important Medical Research at Johns Hopkins and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,” Trump wrote.

“Benjamin has also invested in training our future doctors and nurses by supporting Miami-Dade College’s Benjamin Leon Jr .School of Nursing, and the Benjamin Leon Center for Geriatric Research and Education at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Congratulations Benjamin!”

In addition to his philanthropic activity, León has also been a generous political donor to recipients on both sides of the aisle.

Federal Election Commission records show he gave $2.5 million to the 2016 presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped for Secretary of State in mid-November.

This cycle, León spent about $2.8 million to send Trump back to the White House and kicked another $400,000 to the Republican National Committee. León also gave $1,000 to Rubio, nearly $46,000 to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s campaign and political committee, $13,300 to a political committee supporting Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar and $6,600 to Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

A search of Florida Division of Elections records found León has donated $30,500 to politicians and political committees since 2000. The largest was a $20,000 contribution to the Republican Party of Florida in 2002.

The two most recent were a $4,000 check to Leaders of Tomorrow, the political committee of Republican Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, who won re-election in November by a landslide, and a $1,000 donation in 2023 to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, a Democrat who is under scrutiny for her Office’s prosecutorial record.

Born in Oriente, Cuba, in 1944, León immigrated with his family to Miami in 1961. León’s father founded Clinica Cuba three years later, his Leon Medical Centers bio said, to provide health care services to the city’s growing Cuban population.

In 1973, León and his father successfully lobbied the Legislature to secure Florida’s first HMO license, founding the Clínica Asociación Cubana HMO. They sold the company to UnitedHealthCare for $500 million in 1994.

Two years later, León launched Leon Medical Centers. His son, Benjamín León III, runs the company as CEO today.

Alongside his medical business pursuits, León also became heavily involved in the equestrian industry. He established Besilu Stables in Alachua County in 1982 with the acquisition of six horses and began to show and breed the animals.

Several of his horses went on to win prestigious equestrian industry awards.

Shortly after Trump announced Leon’s appointment, Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega celebrated the pick in a post to X.

“Like my parents, he came to this great country from Cuba in search of freedom and opportunity and has dedicated his life to giving back,” she wrote. “His leadership and generosity, exemplified through his transformative support of our Benjamin León School of Nursing, have changed countless lives. I have no doubt he will serve President (Trump) with the same dedication, vision, and compassion that have defined his lifelong commitment to service.”

Trump’s second term in office begins Jan. 20.