Francis Xavier Suarez (; born October 6, 1977) is an American attorney and politician. He is the 43rd and current Mayor of Miami . He was elected on November 7, 2017 with 86 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in 2021. Suarez is the first Miami-born mayor. He is a Republican . Suarez is the son of former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez .
Saurez was seen as a possible candidate for U.S. President or running mate choice in the 2024 presidential election following the 2020 election . He briefly ran for president in the 2024 election.[ 1]
Early life
Suarez was born in Miami , Florida .[ 2] His father, Xavier Suarez , was also mayor of Miami.[ 2] He graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a bachelor's degree in finance. He later studied law at the University of Florida .[ 2]
Early political career
Suarez was first elected as City of Miami Commissioner for District 4 in 2009. Suarez made it to the runoff election against Manolo Reyes.[ 3] The runoff election was on November 17, 2009 and Suarez won with 51.41%. He was reelected unopposed in 2011 and 2015.[ 4]
Mayor of Miami
Suarez was elected mayor in 2017 with 85% of the vote.[ 5]
In February 2019, he wrote an article with former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon about how Miami is defending itself from the effects of climate change .[ 6] Suarez has been known for his support for cryptocurrency , and takes his mayoral salary in Bitcoin .[ 7] [ 8]
In June 2020, he was elected by American mayors to serve as the Second Vice President of the United States Conference of Mayors [ 9] and in June 2021, he was elected as the first vice president of the organization.[ 10] From June 2022 to June 2023, he was the president of the US Conference of Mayors.[ 11]
During the 2018 gubernatorial election , Suarez voted against Republican nominee and eventual winner Ron DeSantis and instead voted for his Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum .[ 12] He did vote for DeSantis in the 2022 gubernatorial election .[ 13] Suarez did not vote for President Donald Trump in the 2020 election .[ 14]
Suarez was re-elected in 2021, winning over 78% of the vote in the first ballot.[ 15]
2024 presidential campaign
In April 2021, Suarez was seen as a possible candidate for either President of the United States or Vice President of the United States in the 2024 election [ 16] Suarez filed to run for president with the Federal Election Commission on June 14, 2023.[ 17] The campaign ended on August 29, 2023 after Suarez failed to qualify for the first debate.[ 18]
Personal life
Suarez is married to Gloria Font and they have two children. His aunt, Lala, is the mother of U.S. Congressman Alex Mooney from West Virginia .[ 19]
In March 2020, Suarez was infected with COVID-19 .[ 20]
References
↑ Astor, Maggie; Mazzei, Patricia (June 14, 2023). "Francis Suarez, Miami Mayor, Files for a Republican Presidential Run" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved June 14, 2023 .
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Mayor Francis Suarez" . www.miamigov.com . Retrieved June 15, 2023 .
↑ "November 3, 2009 Municipal Elections" . Miami-Dade County Elections.
↑ "Miami Commissioner Suarez reelected by default; Gort faces challenger" . DAVID SMILEY . Miami Herald . September 19, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2017 .
↑ "Miami's new, homegrown mayor has a 'mandate' and a big agenda" . DAVID SMILEY AND DOUG HANKS . Miami Herald . 7 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017 .
↑ Ban Ki-moon and Francis Suarez (February 20, 2019). "Opinion | Miami Battles Rising Seas (Published 2019)" . The New York Times . Retrieved January 8, 2021 .
↑ Crooks, Nathan; Mills, Madison (2022-05-24). "Miami Mayor Suarez Tells Davos He Still Takes Salary in Bitcoin" . Bloomberg . Retrieved 2023-06-22 .
↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Karaian, Jason; Merced, Michael J. de la; Livni, Ephrat; Kessler, Sarah (2021-03-23). "Miami Wants to Be the Hub for Bitcoin" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-06-22 .
↑ Durr, Sara (June 30, 2020). "Louisville, KY Mayor Greg Fischer Becomes 78th President of the United States Conference of Mayors" . The United States Conference of Mayors. Retrieved November 12, 2021 .
↑ Durr, Sara (June 11, 2021). "Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley Becomes 79th President of the United States Conference of Mayors" . The United States Conference of Mayors. Retrieved November 12, 2021 .
↑ "Mayor Suarez, From Miami, Elected as Second Vice President for the USCM" . Business Wire . June 30, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2021 .
↑ Joey Flechas (November 9, 2018). "Voters refused to expand Miami mayor's power. He might be politically weaker now" . Miami Herald .
↑ Leonard, Kimberly (December 28, 2022). "Miami Mayor Francis Suarez voted for DeSantis in 2022 after supporting his Democratic opponent 4 years ago and not voting for Trump in 2020" . Insider . Retrieved June 15, 2023 .
↑ Botelho, Jessica A. (June 14, 2023). "Miami Mayor Francis Suarez enters GOP presidential race days after Trump's indictment" . WTGS . Retrieved July 17, 2023 . [permanent dead link ]
↑ "Fall Municipal Elections 11/2/21" . Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Election . Retrieved 2 November 2021 .
↑ Sabrina Rodriguez (April 28, 2021). "The Trump-rejecting Florida Republican who has a plan to fix the GOP" . Politico .
↑ Kaanita Iyer; David Wright (June 14, 2023). "Miami Mayor Francis Suarez files to run for president in 2024" . CNN .
↑ Breuninger, Kevin (August 29, 2023). "Miami Mayor Francis Suarez suspends presidential campaign after failing to qualify for debates" . CNBC . Retrieved August 29, 2023 .
↑ Van Buren, Eleanor (October 29, 2020). "Don't Throw Out Your Intern ID Badge. You May Want It When You're in Congress" . Roll Call . Retrieved October 29, 2020 .
↑ Flechas, Joey (13 March 2020). "Miami mayor tests positive for coronavirus after event with Brazil President Bolsonaro" . Miami Herald . Retrieved 13 March 2020 .
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