Miami

Mayor Francis Suarez delivers final State of City address at Miami Freedom Park

With 300 days left in office, Mayor Suarez wraps up his 16 years of service with the city

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez on Wednesday gave his final State of the City address at Freedom Park.  

With 300 days left in office, Mayor Suarez will wrap up 16 years of service with the city.

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First, he served as a commissioner and then he became the city's mayor.

During his city address, he highlighted projects he’s most proud of during his career, such as Freedom Park.

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Miami Freedom Park won’t only be home to Inter Miami’s new soccer venue but a groundbreaking took place for the City of Miami’s new administration building.

It will be one of Suarez’s final projects in his current role and he said, it's one of the proudest moments of his career.

“We negotiated what I believe is the best sports deal in the history of America," he said. "The reason I say that is because we didn’t put a penny of city money. The developer is privately financing it.”

Miami Freedom Park is expected to bring in an estimated $2 billion a year when it's complete.

It'll be home to Inter Miami, it's a 50-acre public park and will be the city’s new 8-story administration building, which spans more than 380,000 square feet.

All of it was built on city-owned property and was the perfect backdrop for the mayor to highlight his career.

“This is my final state of the city address,” Suarez said.

Mayor Suarez also shined a spotlight on the accomplishments of the city over the past year, including a drop in homicides from 31 in 2023 to 28 in 2024, which is the lowest rate per capita since the 1940s.

Although there was an unemployment rate that rose slightly to 2.3%, it still was 50% below the national average.

Meanwhile, the median household income has surged to $70,000.

“I inherited a city that in the 1980s was beset by violence," Suarez said. "In 2000, was stricken by poverty, and in 2010, it was bankrupt. We’ve taken it to a city that has historically low homicide rates. That has historically high-income growth rates.”

Still, income inequality and affordable housing remain key opportunities in a city that has attracted big tech and finance companies amid a real estate boom.

“We have invested nearly $50 million in affordable housing projects,” Suarez said.

With 300 days left in office, what’s next for the mayor?

“I take it one day at a time," Suarez said. "Political opportunities are constant. You never know when you get tapped for something. I still have the desire to serve.”

When asked by NBC6 reporter Chris Hush if a run for governor is on the table, Suarez said "It’s something I would consider depending on how this year evolves. We’ll see.”

The city’s new administration building at Freedom Park is expected to be completed by 2027.

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