Francis Suarez
Francis Xavier Suarez (/swɑːˈrɛz/; 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.
Francis Suarez | |
|---|---|
 Suarez in 2023 | |
| 43rd Mayor of Miami | |
| Assumed office November 15, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Tomás Regalado |
| 80th President of the United States Conference of Mayors | |
| In office 2022–2023 | |
| Preceded by | Nan Whaley |
| Succeeded by | Hillary Schieve |
| Member of the Miami City Commission[broken anchor] from the 4th district | |
| In office November 2009 – November 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Tomás Regalado |
| Succeeded by | Manolo Reyes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francis Xavier Suarez October 6, 1977 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Font |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Xavier Suarez (father) Alex Mooney (cousin) |
| Education | Florida International University (BS) University of Florida (JD) |
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
changeSuarez 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
changeSuarez 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
changeSuarez 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
changeIn 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
changeSuarez 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]
References
change- ↑ 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.