Xavier Louis Suarez (born May 21, 1949) is an American politician who twice served as Mayor of Miami (1985–1993 and 1997–1998). He was the first Cuban-born individual to serve as the city's mayor. Suarez latter served as a Miami-Dade county commissioner (2011–2020). He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1996 Dade County mayoral election, 2020 Miami-Dade County mayoral election, and the 2025 Miami mayoral election.

Early life and education

Suarez was born on May 21, 1949, in Las Villas, Cuba. His father was a college professor. He earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from Villanova University in 1971, followed by a Master of Public Policy and Juris Doctor from Harvard University.

After completing his education, Suarez returned to Miami.

Early political career

Suarez ran twice unsuccessfully for seats on the Miami City Commission. Believing incumbent mayor Maurice Ferré to be vulnerable to a challenge, Suarez ran in the 1983 Miami mayoral election. Despite substantial financial backing from wealthy car dealer Norman Braman, Suarez was unsuccessful in unseating the mayor.

Suarez was sworn in as mayor on November 13, 1985, succeeding Ferré. He was the first Cuban-born individual serve as the city's mayor.

As mayor, Suarez was famous for keeping blue slips of paper in an office binder on which he recorded neighborhood concerns that had been brought to his attention by individual residents. This included concerns as small and local as an individual pothole. A joke arose in Miami politics that, as mayor, Suarez was more akin to a great public works director.

Suarez (at the time a political independent) endorsed the successful 1986 gubernatorial campaign of endorsed Bob Martinez (a Republican). His endorsement of Martinez came prior to the 1986 Republican gubernatorial primary, with Suarez actively campaigning for him.

After the police shooting of Clement Lloyd, a Black motorcyclist, Suarez personally engaged with a crowd of protesting residents. This gesture earned him praise. According to a March 30, 1993 article in The Miami Herald, "In 1989, [Suarez] won national admiration when he waded through hostile crowds in Overtown during civil disturbances to try to make peace."

Suarez received attention for refusing to greet South African President Nelson Mandela during his 1990 tour of the United States which included a stop in Miami. Suarez was in disagreement with Mandela's comments where he referred to Cuban President Fidel Castro as a "comrade in arms" due to Castro's support for the African National Congress.

On October 7, 1990, Suarez issued a proclamation declaring "Yahweh ben Yahweh Day" in honor of the leader of the Nation of Yahweh, a religious sect based in Miami. A month later, the group's founder was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.

Suarez cited the construction of 1,500 affordable homes as one of his "proudest achievements" during his tenure. He was also given the name "pothole Mayor" for his attention to City neighborhoods. In 1993 Suarez got the Latin Builder's Association to donate $150,000 to rebuild the only Catholic elementary school in Overtown.

During his first tenure as mayor, some observers speculated that Suarez had a major future in politics ahead of him. In 1996, Florida International University political science professor Christopher Warren opined that Suarez, however, had failed to demonstrate a strong political drive during his first tenure, remarking, "Suarez never showed himself to be a particularly aggressive leader. He was never someone who had a strong agenda." The judge found "a pattern of fraudulent, intentional and criminal conduct" involving nearly 400 fraudulent absentee ballots, including votes cast in the names of deceased individuals and felons. While Suárez was not personally implicated, several individuals connected to his campaign were convicted, including campaign volunteer Miguel Amador and supporter Alberto Russi. In total, 55 individuals were charged and 54 were convicted in connection with the fraud, including a city commissioner, his chief of staff, and the staffer's father. A federal appeals court ultimately invalidated the election and declared Carollo the winner without a new vote.

During his brief return to office in 1997, Suarez attracted controversy for erratic conduct that drew widespread media attention and earned him the nickname “Mayor Loco.” His actions included threatening to cut off city advertising to local media outlets, attempting to fire the police chief without proper authority, and making unannounced visits to constituents' homes late at night. A judge eventually barred him from making personnel decisions, citing violations of the city charter. Though never criminally charged, the chaotic period contributed to the perception of instability in city leadership.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner (2011–2020)

Suarez was elected as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner for District 7 on May 24, 2011 and was re-elected by a 44 point margin on August 30, 2016. During his tenure as Commissioner, Suarez continued to advocate for affordable housing, as well as workforce development programs and funding for public transit.

County mayoral campaigns

1996

In 1996, between his two terms as city mayor, Suarez ran unsuccessfully for county mayor. His campaign focused on criticizing the current county commission of misconduct, hoping to tap into voter discontent. However, he received criticism for failing to articulate new solutions to county problems.

2025 Miami mayoral campaign

In July 2025, Suarez confirmed that he would run again for mayor in the 2025 Miami mayoral election. Suarez was at the time, either an Independent or a Republican. He was considered one of the six leading candidates in the thirteen-candidate field, but was eliminated in the primary after receiving only 4.9% of the vote.

His main policies included supporting an expansion of the Miami-Dade Transit "trolley" service; and support for a state takeover of disaster insurance for new affordable housing projects.

See also

  • List of mayors of Miami
  • Government of Miami

References

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