After an October press conference on former Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo‘s controversial and politically-motivated dismissal, Mayor Francis Suarez left his talking points on a podium for all to see. Among the people copied on the email with the talking points and packaged answers to potential questions was Otto Boudet.
The name didn’t mean anything to Ladra but others noted that some high falutin’ developer type had gone to work in the mayor’s office.
Now, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way that would ever happen. That would be way too obvious.
The Otto Boudet that works in the mayor’s office is only the son of developer Otto Boudet-Murias, managing director of The TREO Group, a privately owned real estate investment and development company.
The younger Boudet is a senior aide — he says deputy chief of staff — to Suarez. He was hired in April of 2020, brought on by former Congressman Carlos Curbelo, who was paid $25,000 as a special advisor for the mayor from October of 2020 to March of 2021, according to invoices provided by the city through a public records request.
Read related: Miami still has no new manager but mayor has new advisor: Carlos Curbelo
Boudet interned for fellow Belen boy Curbelo in Congress when he was at George Washington University, he told Ladra. Curbelo is the first reference on his application with the city.
The other personal reference on Boudet’s application is J.P. Chavez, Curbelo’s childhood friend and business partner at a public affairs startup Curbelo founded called Vocero — which is Spanish for spokesperson — which he swears did not benefit from any of the $390,000 his campaign paid Chavez during his final two years in office for political consulting. No wonder he lost. Chavez is a dentist, not a political consultant.
Boudet’s experience is bipartisan, though. It also includes a short stint at Mercury Public Affairs, which is a lobbying and campaign firm for mostly Democrats and progressive issues. He worked as a “registered foreign agent” for the governments of Libya and Guyana, “as well as other tasks such as client management, speech writing, legislative analysis and congressional bill-tracking.”
Congressional bill-tracking for Libya?
He also served as deputy campaign manager for the senatorial campaign of former State Rep. Javier Fernandez.
“This is my first real job,” he told Ladra about the mayor’s office.
¡Que cute!
And he must be doing a bang up job, because he’s gotten not one, but two raises since he was hired at $45,000-a-year in April of 2020, according to documents provided by the city after a public records request. Boudet got bumped up to $55K in January of this year and then again to $65K six months later in June. He must be a rockstar!
So, what does he do? “It changes with whatever is going on in our office at any given moment,” Boudet said, adding that he writes the talking points and speeches and has been acting as a liaison with the “tech movement.”
So, if anyone asks, he’s the one responsible for the techbro ambiente around Baby X and his social media.
Read related: Mayor Francis Suarez leaves his cheat notes on Art Acevedo at press podium
Meanwhile, Boudet’s papi — who is also developing the $125 million TREO SoMi Station, a transit-oriented, mixed use complex with student housing next to the South Miami Metrorail — is finishing off the Regatta Harbour project, a joint effort by TREO, the city and the Miami Parking Authority to reboot the waterfront area next to City Hall where the old Scotty’s Landing and Chart House used to be.
Delivered in phases — the parking garage was finished last year — another part of the mixed use complex of stores and waterside dining should be completed by the end of next year.
Miami mayor’s aide Otto Boudet is developer’s son, Carlos Curbelo protegé added by Ladra on
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