Gary Matzner

He led his neighbors in founding a village, helped preserve parks for the Village, and served as its second mayor.

Stamford, Connecticut, 1948
Pinecrest, Florida, 2024

After Hurricane Andrew, Gary Matzner led his neighbors in the campaign to make Pinecrest its own village, and in 1996 voters approved a charter written by the commission he chaired. When Parrot Jungle left Red Road, he started Preserve the Jungle to keep its grounds open to the public; the Village bought the land in 2002, and it became Pinecrest Gardens. As the Village’s second mayor, from 2004 to 2008, he made the Gardens free to enter and opened the library and community center on its grounds. Through all of it, he practiced healthcare law. He later served as president of Temple Judea, and he and Veronica raised their four sons in Pinecrest.

His life and work

  1. “Sometimes you do something and it turns out better, a lot better than you ever thought it would be.”

    Gary Matzner Looking back on Pinecrest Village of Pinecrest oral history, 2016

  2. “Where before you lived in Miami, you know, people now live in Pinecrest. And it means something.”

    Gary Matzner On the community Pinecrest became Village of Pinecrest oral history, 2016

  3. “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

    Gary Matzner, quoting Cicero At the groundbreaking for the library beside Pinecrest Gardens The Miami Herald, October 1, 2006

  4. “I think we accomplished more than we promised the citizens 10 years ago.”

    Gary Matzner On Pinecrest’s tenth anniversary The Miami Herald, March 12, 2006

  5. “But sometimes just magic happens. And that’s what happened here with the Village of Pinecrest.”

    Gary Matzner Twenty years after the founding Village of Pinecrest oral history, 2016

Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

His life and work

Six parts of one life, each told in full on its own page with the records behind it.

Gary Matzner waving from a convertible in a Pinecrest parade, with a sign reading “Gary Matzner, Pinecrest Co-Founding Father.” 1994–1996 Founding the Village of Pinecrest After Hurricane Andrew, neighbors began meeting at the Matzners’ house to ask why Pinecrest couldn’t control its own police, zoning, and taxes. Gary led that campaign with Evelyn Langlieb Greer and hundreds of volunteers. In 1996 voters made Pinecrest a village, under a charter written by the commission he chaired. The founding of Pinecrest Waterfall and dense tropical planting at Pinecrest Gardens, the former Parrot Jungle site. 1996–2003 Saving Parrot Jungle When Parrot Jungle left Red Road, Gary started Preserve the Jungle to keep the hammock, lakes, and banyans for the public. The Village bought the land in 2002. Today it is Pinecrest Gardens. Parrot Jungle and Pinecrest Gardens Mayor Gary Matzner speaking at a Village of Pinecrest community center event. 2004–2008 Second Mayor of Pinecrest As Pinecrest’s second mayor, he made Pinecrest Gardens free to enter by December 2004. He then finished building out the Gardens grounds, opening the Village’s library and community center there, and opened Flagler Grove Park. His term as mayor Portrait of Gary Matzner. 1973–2024 Healthcare Law Hospitals, physician groups, and health plans relied on him through five decades of change in Florida medicine. He built one of Miami’s first firms devoted to health law and trained many of the lawyers who came after him. His legal career Illustration of Temple Judea’s three-arched facade and a multigenerational congregation. 2018–2020 President of Temple Judea Temple Judea of Coral Gables was the family’s spiritual home for years. As its president, Gary kept worship, classes, and community going when the pandemic moved everything online. His service to Temple Judea Gary and Veronica Matzner seated together in the Pinecrest council chamber. Family Husband and Father Gary and Veronica were married forty-one years. They raised Ryan, Alex, Eric, and Ethan in the Pinecrest house they bought in 1984, years before Pinecrest was a village. Remembering Gary

In the Miami Herald

For three decades the Herald reported on Gary's work as it happened: the campaign to found Pinecrest, the effort to save Parrot Jungle, his term as mayor, and his law practice. The archive holds 112 of those articles, each shown as printed with a full transcription.

Explore the archive
  1. Miami Herald page: “Pinecrest: 'You get what you pay for'” Pinecrest: 'You get what you pay for'
  2. Miami Herald page: “Figuring out who will be king of the jungle” Figuring out who will be king of the jungle
  3. Miami Herald page: “Matzner ready to start his job as new mayor” Matzner ready to start his job as new mayor
  4. Miami Herald page: “Here's proof that mentorship works” Here's proof that mentorship works

From Stamford to Pinecrest, 1948–2026

The full chronology
  1. 1948 Born October 2 in Stamford, Connecticut
  2. 1973 Admitted to The Florida Bar
  3. 1984 Moves his family to Pinecrest
  4. 1996 Pinecrest becomes a village; Preserve the Jungle begins
  5. 2002 The Village buys the Parrot Jungle land
  6. 2004 Sworn in as Pinecrest’s second mayor
  7. 2018 President of Temple Judea
  8. 2024 Passes away July 20 at home in Pinecrest, surrounded by his family
  9. 2026 Gary C. Matzner Park opens

Dedication ·

Gary C. Matzner Park

The Village named the park for Gary in 2021, during his lifetime. The 3.76-acre park on North Kendall Drive has open lawns, shaded play, native planting, and a walking loop under preserved oaks.

6610 North Kendall Drive, Pinecrest, Florida

About the park Get directions
Concept plan for Gary C. Matzner Park showing lawns, paths, a playground, and preserved trees.
Approved concept plan · Village of Pinecrest