Xavier Suarez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Xavier Suarez
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official portrait, circa 2010s
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| 35th and 39th Mayor of Miami | |
| In office November 14, 1997 – March 12, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Joe Carollo |
| Succeeded by | Joe Carollo |
| In office November 14, 1985 – November 11, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Maurice Ferré |
| Succeeded by | Stephen P. Clark |
| Member of the Miami-Dade Board of Commissioners from the 7th district |
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| In office May 24, 2011 – November 17, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Carlos A. Giménez |
| Succeeded by | Raquel Regalado |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Xavier Louis Suarez
May 21, 1949 Las Villas, Cuba |
| Political party | Republican (2020–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (until 2020) |
| Spouse | Rita Suarez |
| Children | 4, including Francis |
| Relatives | Alex Mooney (nephew) |
| Education | Villanova University (BE) Harvard University (MPP, JD) |
Xavier Louis Suarez (born May 21, 1949) is an American politician. He was the first mayor of Miami who was born in Cuba. He also served as a Miami-Dade County commissioner.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Xavier Suarez was born on May 21, 1949, in Las Villas, Cuba. His family moved to Florida. He went to Colegio de Belén and later graduated from St. Anselm's Abbey School in 1967.
He continued his studies at Villanova University, earning a degree in engineering in 1971. After that, he attended Harvard University. There, he earned two more degrees: one in public policy and another in law.
Political Career in Miami
After finishing his education, Suarez came back to Miami. He was sworn in as the mayor of Miami on November 13, 1985. He took over from Maurice Ferré.
First Terms as Mayor
Suarez was first elected mayor in 1985. He was re-elected two more times, in 1987 and 1989. During his time as mayor, he was proud of building 1,500 affordable homes. People also called him the "pothole mayor." This was because he paid a lot of attention to fixing streets in city neighborhoods.
He decided not to run for mayor again in 1993. He wanted to spend more time with his family. He then worked as a lawyer in Miami.
Return to Office and Challenges
Suarez decided to run for mayor again in November 1997 and won. However, he was removed from office a few months later, in March 1998. This happened because of problems found with how votes were collected in the election.
A court found that there were issues with some ballots. People working for his campaign were found to have signed for voters without their permission. Even though Mr. Suarez was not personally accused of wrongdoing, the court decided to remove him from office.
Later Public Service
After leaving the mayor's office, Suarez ran for several other positions. These included mayor of Miami-Dade County and a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.
On May 24, 2011, Suarez was elected as a Miami-Dade County commissioner for District 7. He was re-elected in 2016 by a large number of votes. In 2020, he could not run for his commissioner seat again due to term limits. He then ran for county mayor but did not win.
During his time as mayor, Suarez also gained attention for not greeting South African President Nelson Mandela in 1990. Suarez disagreed with comments Mandela made about Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Personal Life
Xavier Suarez is one of 14 children. His father, Manuel Suárez-Carreno, was a dean at a university in Cuba.
Xavier is married to Rita Suarez. They have four children together. One of their children, Francis Xavier Suarez, also became the Mayor of Miami in 2017. Francis also ran for president in 2024. Xavier's sister, Lala, is the mother of U.S. Congressman Alex Mooney.
See also
In Spanish: Xavier Suárez para niños
