Francis Suarez announces bid for Miami mayor

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Miami City Commissioner Francis Suarez is hoping to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming the city's mayor.

Tuesday morning, the 35-year-old Suarez officially threw his hat into the ring to challenge incumbent City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and officially announced his candidacy. He made the announcement on the front lawn of his family home in Miami.

He was surrounded by friends and family, including his father, former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez, as he announced his candidacy. Suarez said he is running on a platform to reduce crime by hiring more police officers and adding jobs to get people working in the city again.

He has been a commissioner for three years now. Suarez has criticized Regaldo and what he called a dysfunctional administration with a high turnover rate.

During his announcement, Suarez said, "My promise to the residents of the City of Miami and my vision for the future is to create a stable government that instills confidence in our residents and the business community. I am committed to hiring and keeping the best and the brightest in the city and to share my dream that the City of Miami can become a new model for innovation across the county and the world."

The election will be on Nov. 5. Suarez has acknowledged he expects a hard fought race. "I think anytime you run against an incumbent, it's always a challenge," he said.

Reglado was not at City Hall on the day Suarez made his announcement and did not respond to our repeated calls for a comment on the race.

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