The Suarez Family
The Family
Xavier Suarez became the City of Miami's first Cuban-born mayor in the 1980s, a milestone in the exile community's rise to political power, and remained a fixture of Miami-Dade politics for decades. His son Francis Suarez became mayor of the City of Miami in the 2010s and made himself the public face of the post-2020 tech migration — his viral "How can I help?" reply in December 2020 turning into the slogan of the "Miami movement."
The two mayoralties bracket the city's modern transformation: the father presiding over the consolidation of Cuban-American political power, the son over Miami's emergence as a destination for Northern tech and finance capital. This site sticks to their documented public roles as living figures.
Why They Matter
The Suarez family is a two-generation map of Miami's political evolution — from the exile community winning city hall to a Miami confidently marketing itself to the world. Few families so neatly bracket the arc from the Latam Capital Era to the tech wave.
The contrast in their mayoralties also captures how the job itself changed: from governing a Cuban-American city to selling a global one.
Where You See Them Today
The Suarez name remains central to Miami-Dade and City of Miami politics, and Francis Suarez's promotion of the city as a tech-and-finance hub is woven through the current era's story.
Further Reading
- Reporting on the Suarez mayoralties
- Coverage of the post-2020 "Miami movement"
Neighborhoods: Coral Gables · Downtown Miami Eras: The Latam Capital Era · The Northern Migration / Tech Wave Movements: The Cuban Exile Wave · The Tech / Finance Migration Related people: Xavier Suarez · Francis Suarez Related dynasties: The Diaz-Balart Family