MIAMI , Miami Mayor Francis Suarez hopes to win a second term Tuesday. His reelection campaign shows he can raise millions to help him elevate his profile on a national scale.
Suarez, 44 years old, is well-known for his efforts to attract technology investors to the city in the beginning of the year. He met with Peter Thiel, Marcelo Claure, a tech magnate, and engaged on Twitter with Elon Musk CEO, Tesla.
Analysts believe Suarez was able to spot a moment in which some investors were seeking to relocate to South Florida to escape the tax and COVID-19 restrictions. The mayor was more than willing to help. Suarez responded to a tweet in December by asking for help moving Silicon Valley from California to Miami
It is not clear what his tech push has done for migration and job creation, as the census data does not include data for 2021.
Blackstone, a private equity firm, announced last fall it would open a new office downtown to increase its tech capabilities. Softbank Group, Japan’s early investor in Alibaba, is looking to expand its presence in Miami. It has invested $250 million in Miami startups. Venture capital firm Founders Fund also has a presence in Wynwood.
Miami hosted a Bitcoin conference in January and began accepting funds through a cryptocurrency called MiamiCoin. The contributions have been approximately $17 million so far, but it has yet to be spent.
On Wednesday, Adam Bain, former Chief Operating Officer of Twitter, tweeted that he was in Miami to attend a meeting and check out the “startup scene”.
He wrote, “What I thought was hype actually is real.” People in Miami exude an overwhelming feeling of optimism right now. It’s electric! Optimism is the foundation of technological progress.”
Although the Miami mayoral race does not have a partisan component, Suarez could easily transition to partisan races if his ambitions come true.
He is a registered Republican but he has been critical of President Donald Trump and pushed back against the Florida Governor. Ron DeSantis’ COVID-19 activities, including the governor’s refusal to allow local communities to impose mask mandates, were among his COVID-19 actions. Suarez stated that he hopes that the party will pick more people who “unify us, and not divide us.”
Suarez does not rule out the possibility of a White House bid. Suarez believes that the social media and pandemic have made “national mayors” more prominent and more attractive, making them better candidates for the presidency. Suarez will be the president of U.S. Conference of Mayors next year, giving him a larger platform.
Suarez met in April with the former governor of South Carolina. Nikki Haley called Suarez a “rockstar mayor” in an episode of his YouTube video series “Cafecito Talks”. Haley was a U.N. ambassador under Trump and has considered running for president. There is speculation that Suarez might be part of her ticket.
Dario Moreno from Florida International University, a political science professor, said that “he is seen as different with all of the talk about tech, business, and Bitcoin.” It makes it appealing to young people.
Suarez, a real estate lawyer and the son of Miami’s first Cuban born mayor, is Suarez. He stated that he was aiming to improve the image of Miami’s dysfunctional government when he ran for mayor in 2013.
The mayor, like his predecessors has had trouble shedding that image. He tapped Houston’s chief police officer to head the Miami police department earlier this year and called him “Tom Brady” or “Michael Jordan” among chiefs. Chief Art Acevedo was dismissed due to clashes between politicians and the police union, which were aired in public during long commission meetings.
Suarez stated that sometimes things don’t go according to plan. “Part of leadership involves accepting those things and turning the page.”
In 2017, after the term limit restrictions forced the former mayor to resign, Suarez won 86% of the votes. He hopes for a similar outcome.
He faces four challengers this year who have never held office. These include Max Martinez, who owned a digital marketing firm; Marie Exantus who worked in marketing and at call centers; and Frank Pichel who was a former officer who became a private investigator and was charged with impersonating law enforcement.
The fourth candidate raised only $150 and the second challenger was disqualified because he lived outside of the city limits.
Suarez and his political committee have raised over $5 million, which is more than the $28,000 raised by his rivals.
Mayor says that they will likely end with $5million unspent that he can put to use in the future.
He said, “We’ll be watching where it goes.”
