SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Miami Mayor Francis Suarez publicly kicked off his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination with a speech Thursday evening at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
Suarez, a 45-year-old attorney and private-equity executive, gave his first public address since he filed paperwork to run for president Wednesday afternoon, a soft launch of a White House bid he’s teased for more than a year amid publicity over his promotion of Miami as a tech hub and, more recently, controversy over an FBI investigation into his private consulting work for a developer who needed help with a city permit.
From the palatial Reagan Library nestled atop a hill overlooking the Simi Valley, Suarez stood on a stage under the plane that served as Reagan’s Air Force One as he told hundreds gathered that his vision for America is defined not by what he opposes, but by what he is for.
“We need a strong leader who shares America’s values, who understands that unity is more powerful than division,” Suarez said.
Suarez is in his second term as Miami’s mayor, a position with few legislative powers and limited administrative responsibility. He previously served eight years as a city commissioner.
During his time in office, he has sponsored initiatives to create savings accounts for underprivileged public school students, steered public dollars to scholarships and tech education programs and helped negotiate legal settlements that helped the city avoid potentially costly judgments.
The mayor has talked of a presidential run while courting national media and serving as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. His national profile grew as he promoted Miami as a business-friendly tech capital and embraced cryptocurrency, even as the fever over crypto cooled amid dips in value for several tokens.
He’s entering a packed GOP field that includes two other top candidates from Florida: former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Most polls show Trump well ahead of DeSantis and several other candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Suarez’s announcement comes as state and local authorities investigate his private consulting work for a developer who sought City Hall approvals for a Coconut Grove real estate project. Suarez was paid $170,000 in the last two years by Rishi Kapoor, CEO of real estate Location Ventures, and internal company documents indicate Suarez was asked to help push along permits for Kapoor’s URBIN project in the center of the Grove’s business district.
Suarez has denied wrongdoing and said he welcomes the investigation.
