MIAMI – Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s reelection Tuesday means he will get to lead the U.S. Conference of Mayors starting January and continue his efforts to attract cryptocurrency innovators.
Suarez, the son of the city’s first Cuban-American mayor, also planned to receive his paycheck in Bitcoin as part of his commitment to technological progress in the Magic City.
On Wednesday, after a late-night party with his supporters at The Wharf on the river, the 44-year-old attorney delivered a speech about his landslide victory at City Hall.
“That for me is a validation of the work that I have done. It’s a validation of the vision that I have for the future of this city, " Suarez said.
The mayor’s inaction after Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo sent him a memo accusing three commissioners of official misconduct and of interfering with his police reform efforts didn’t hurt his campaign fundraising.
Commissioners terminated Acevedo, just months after Suarez had touted him as the “Michael Jordan” of police chiefs. Commissioner Joe Carollo, who led the effort to fire Acevedo, also had plenty of campaign funding and was reelected.
“The press often believes they sort of have the pulse of the community when in fact is often opposite,” Suarez said about the news coverage of Acevedo’s ouster.
One of Suarez’s opponents was Frank Pichel, a private investigator who was arrested in early October for impersonating a police officer. In his memo, Acevedo reported Pichel was Carollo’s associate.
I’m going to take my next paycheck 100% in bitcoin…problem solved! @Sarasti can you help? https://t.co/v4YdPZ0tYc
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) November 2, 2021
Afternoon report