Miami’s Francis Suarez loses big as voters reject strong mayor measure

Miami’s Francis Suarez loses big as voters reject strong mayor measure
  • Sumo

In a resounding defeat to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, voters solidly rejected the strong mayor initiative by 65% of the vote Tuesday — a signal that the new mayor doesn’t exactly have the mandate he thought he had.

Is Francis the Future suddenly the Prince of the Past?

Maybe it wasn’t a complete loss. Voters did approved the Miami Freedom Park retail complex with a soccer stadium that he lobbied so hard for. But they approved that and the lease and development of the Miami Riverfront Center property by 60 percent — and then shut Suarez down.

It was like, yeah this, sure that, and then nananina to the Suarez power grab, which he has spent several years and millions of dollars on.

It’s not just a huge blow to Baby X — whose allies on the dais just got targets on their backs — it hurts his papa, Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez, who has had thoughts of running for county mayor in 2020.

It’s bittersweet for Ladra. Because while we did not support the strong arm mayor move, we certainly don’t enjoy how smug Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his cohorts are feeling right about now. Both raised money for campaigns against the measure. We won’t know how much they spent for weeks.

And Ladra is pretty sure this sets the stage for a Gimenez run for Miami mayor in 2021. Then he will try to push forward a different strong mayor referendum that he will call strong mayor lite.

Suarez is likely going to lie low for a few days, but he already told the Miami Herald that he wanted to try again with a different, probably also “lite” version.

Ladra thinks he should try to score a few victories first and concentrate on making the voters who elected him — and who have been shaking their heads for the last few months — remember why he was once Francis the Future.

9 Responses to "Miami’s Francis Suarez loses big as voters reject strong mayor measure"

  1. Strong Mayor? Terrible idea. No-Bid deal to kill a public park. Another terrible idea. Both scams promoted by Suarez.

  2. …we landed on these shores in nineteen sixty one, and never left, except for vacations. This should indicate a strong attachment of place. We’re sorry that Miami’s diversity of cultures, is not accompanied by a more uniform economic sense. We would never lend our real estate, nor give it away, as you would not either. We know there’s a hold on the golf course’s disposition, but we think it’s only transitory.

  3. Congratulations to the City of Miami voters for their victory striking down the strong mayor initiative. You guys had the foresight to see behind the curtain. Unfortunately, unlike Miami-Dade County voters. It continues to amaze me how these megalomaniac’s are continuously trying to bamboozle the voters. Never mind the man behind the curtain! They want absolute power just like Gimenez! So they can forward their personal agendas, load their coffers, provide for their cronies and decimate anyone or any civilian/government element that interferes. To recite a great quote from Lord Acton (John Acton) “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. It is imperative that voters keep themselves informed and be extremely curious why a politician wants something. My trust for ANY politician goes as far as I can throw them.

  4. The defects of this week’s Miami Strong Mayor plan proved that its sponsor is not the right man for the job he inveigled voters to create.

    Our last strong Mayor had his powers unceremoniously castrated by the City Commission after the Marlins Park fiasco.

    Voters had the sense to pre-emptively turn down Suarez’s power grab and in so doing, stick a fork in his fast falling political career.

  5. They should all go back to Cuba, not liked or wanted in Dade County in any capacity. They are power hungry scoundrels, similar to the people who their fathers in Cuba escaped from Cuba to Miami, now their sons and grandsons look like Fidel Castro. You can’t make this up.

  6. Let me try and take it a little further Ladra :Since I voted no for the Miami Strong Mayor initiative set forth by all the Greedy money grabbers let’s hope that Miami as well as the Miami-Dade voter’s have set the tone to get rid of the Miami Dade County Strong Mayor no matter what kind of theme Miami Dade County Strong Mayor Carlos Gimenez views as positive for his self interest as well as all his Greedy/Grubbing people.I’m so proud of the Miami voter’s for the no Vote for the Miami Strong Mayor initiative:Congrats people !

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