Vazquez “is … a huge advocate for FAMU, and I think he would make a phenomenal board member,” BOG vice chair Alan Levine said.
WATCH: Local McDonald’s owner Raphael Vazquez on the FAMU kickoff luncheon
WATCH: Local McDonald’s owner Raphael Vazquez discusses sponsoring the kickoff luncheon and supporting FAMU football.
Rory Sharrock, Tallahassee Democrat
- Raphael Vazquez, a Tallahassee McDonald’s franchise owner, has been appointed to the FAMU Board of Trustees.
- Vazquez fills the vacancy left by Earnie Ellison, who resigned in May after his suggestion to pause the search failed.
- The appointment comes as FAMU is in the process of selecting a new president and one day before a vote for one among the four finalists.
Less than 24 hours before Florida A&M University’s Board of Trustees will choose a new president, the Florida Board of Governors has appointed local businessman and FAMU presidential search committee member Raphael Vazquez as a new trustee – effective immediately.
At a May 15 meeting, Board of Governors Vice Chair Alan Levine – also a member of FAMU’s search committee – nominated Vazquez, owner and operator of J.V. & Sons, Inc., for the position vacated by former trustee Earnie Ellison, who was forced to resign May 5.
Vazquez “is a great, great local civic leader and a huge advocate for FAMU, and I think he would make a phenomenal board member,” Levine said in the virtual meeting.
With the new appointment, the board is now back to a full 13 members and can vote on a new president at its 9 a.m. virtual meeting May 16 with no threat of a tie.
But before Vazquez was appointed, a tie vote was a possibility with Ellison’s departure.
Just after four months of serving on the board, he was forced to resign after BOG Chair Brian Lamb and BOG vice chair Levine, along with State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, changed their mind about appointing him and asked that his name be withdrawn from Florida Senate confirmation.
Ellison quit after his idea to pause the presidential search fell flat
Ellison’s resignation came after he proposed that the university’s Board of Trustees suspend the current presidential search altogether and start from scratch amid circulating rumors about political influence and a lack of transparency. Trustees considered pausing the process after a lengthy discussion, but the push failed during a vote.
As the presidential search nears an end, FAMU’s search committee held its last meeting May 13 to vote on a $600,000 to $750,000 salary range for the new president − a decision that came after much debate about an initial range that went up to a million dollars being unaffordable for the university.
Vazquez was among those in favor of the high-end salary, which comes after presidential search finalist Marva Johnson − whose candidacy has received criticism from many in the FAMU community − asked for a $750,000 salary in her application.
Fellow finalists Rondall Allen and Gerald Hector asked for salaries around $450,000. Donald Palm, FAMU’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said he is negotiable.
Who is Raphael Vazquez?
Vazquez’s company J.V. & Sons − a father and son business that began with a restaurant in Dallas, Texas in 1986 − owns and operates 21 McDonald’s restaurants in the Tallahassee area, according to LinkedIn.
Throughout the business’s existence, a total of three locations were acquired in Dallas before the business moved to Clearwater for 23 years and then to Tallahassee in 2015.
In a 2016 article in the Tallahassee Democrat, for instance, Vazquez and his father Juan said they were going to spend $2 million to remodel 19 McDonald’s restaurants in the Big Bend. Besides Tallahassee, the business has McDonald’s restaurants in Quincy, Crawfordville and Perry as well as Georgia areas such as Thomasville, Bainbridge and Cairo.
Vazquez is also on the board of directors for the Leon County Schools Foundation, which is the nonprofit fundraising arm of the district.
During the Board of Governors’ May 15 meeting, Levine said Vazquez sponsors scholarships for FAMU students, hires FAMU graduates and is a booster.
“We extend a warm welcome to Rafael Vazquez to the FAMU Board of Trustees,” FAMU interim President Timothy Beard said in a prepared statement. “He brings a wealth of business acumen to Florida A&M University, and I look forward to working with him during this season of growth and opportunity.”
While Vazquez has a May 15 start date, his appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate and completion of the trustee training.
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com. Tarah Jean, higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com.