Xavier Suárez

Xavier Louis Suarez (born May 21, 1949) is an American politician who was the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami and was a Miami-Dade county commissioner.

Early life and education

Suarez was born on May 21, 1949, in Las Villas, Cuba. Suarez moved to Florida and attended the Colegio de Belén, but graduated from St. Anselm's Abbey School in 1967.The International Jesuit Alumni Directory – Belen (Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company, Inc., 2004), p. 251. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering from Villanova University in 1971, followed by a Master of Public Policy and Juris Doctor from Harvard University.

Career

After completing his education, Suarez returned to Miami and was sworn in as mayor on November 13, 1985, succeeding Maurice Ferré.

Suarez was first elected Mayor in 1985. He was re-elected in 1987 and again in 1989 for a four-year term. Suarez was highly regarded as a popular Mayor of Miami. According to a March 30, 1993 article in The Miami Herald, "In 1989, uarezwon national admiration when he waded through hostile crowds in Overtown during civil disturbances to try to make peace." 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. He decided not to run again in 1993 in order to spend more time with his family. He returned to practice law in Miami before he decided to run again in November 1997 and was re-elected. His opponent, Joe Carollo, challenged the election in court. The judge presiding over the case decided to throw out all absentee ballots, effectively handing the election to Carollo.

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.

During his time as Mayor, Suarez also 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.

Family

He was the ninth child and second son of 14 children of Manuel Suarez-Carreno, the first Dean of the School of Engineering at the (St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic University), and Eloisa Gaston. He is married to Rita and they have four children: Francis Xavier Suarez, who became Mayor of Miami in 2017, Olga Marie Vieira, Anna Teresita, and Carolina Suarez. His sister, Lala, is the mother of U.S. Congressman Alex Mooney from West Virginia.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Suarez, Xavier
1948 births
20th-century mayors of places in Florida
American politicians of Cuban descent
Hispanic and Latino American mayors in Florida
Living people
Villanova University alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Mayors of Miami
County commissioners in Florida
Florida lawyers
Florida independents
Harvard Kennedy School alumni