MIAMI – A newly-elected Miami city commissioner is calling for Mayor Francis Suarez to resign in the wake of new reports bringing even more scrutiny to the mayor’s office and the city.
The Miami Herald published two stories on Monday: One is about Suarez’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and whether he may have violated the law by failing to register as a foreign agent as he brought a Saudi-backed investment forum to South Florida. The other probes his frequent overseas trips, with a taxpayer-funded security detail in tow.
Newly-elected District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, told the newspaper that Suarez or any other city official “found aiding and abetting in unethical practices,” should resign.
Suarez’s business ties have already put the second-term mayor under the microscope. The Herald has previously reported that Suarez is being looked into by the FBI for ties to a local developer.
While there have been no legal or ethical conclusions drawn about any of the allegations, in an interview with Local 10 News on Tuesday, former Miami police Chief Jorge Colina, who served during Suarez’s tenure, said he believes the writing’s on the wall for the mayor.
“If you look at all of them individually, I think there’s always questions, right? And there should be always the benefit of the doubt,” Colina said. “When you start kind of looking at all collectively, then these questions do naturally arise. A lot of people in the city of Miami have reached a point where they’re thinking, ‘We don’t want to read about any more controversies.’”
Colina said “there’s a natural conflict that’s now occurring.”
“They are hiring him because it’s the mayor,” he said. “It’s his name, it’s his influence, it’s what he can leverage.”
Local 10 News reporter Glenna Milberg received no response as of Tuesday evening after she texted Suarez seeking comment. Amid ongoing questions and criticism, he has typically defended himself and his work for the city.