Out-of-office Francis Suarez thought the Miami ‘protection’ cops were his to keep

Miami’former frequent flyer mayor — the guy who once turned taxpayer money into his own personal presidential wannabe protection program, with cops in tow across Asia, the the Caribbean, and the campaign trail — has added a new footnote to his abuse of power file.
Remember when activists pointed out that while Francis Suarez was skipping all over the globe, Miami was footing the bill for security that tagged along to luxury hotels and state visits? That $20,000 security tab during his short-lived presidential run raised eyebrows several times — enough for ethics complaints, even if they got tossed on technical grounds.
The same officers — whose time is billed to residents as “dignitary protection” — was recently spotted again last week with a police unit outside Baby X’s $2 million Battersea Road house. But he is no longer mayor. Not on vacation. Not on a travel jaunt. He is termed out. Gone. Out. Finito. Newly elected Mayor Eileen Higgins was sworn in and got the keys to City Hall on Thursday.
Read related: Goodbye, Francis Suarez: Miami’s most frequent flyer mayor takes off for good
But still, there they were, cops idling outside the former mayor’s house like a Kardashian lived there or it was a VIP lounge — taxpayers paying for watchful eyes while the rest of Miami watches cops scramble for staffing.
“The police unit that had been stationed outside the former Mayor’s residence was originally established during the previous administration. During the transition following the election of Mayor Higgins, the detail was inadvertently not discontinued,” said Police Chief Manny Morales, responding to Ladra’s inquiry. “Once the oversight was brought to my attention, it was promptly corrected,” he said.
Translation from Ladra: Oops! We forgot to turn it off — but now we did.
That’s right: according to the Chief, the only thing more persistent than Francis Suarez’s frequent flyer miles was his taxpayer-funded protective detail — apparently forgotten like leftovers in the back of a fridge. And once someone (read: Ladra) asked about it, voilà — gone. Poof. Like magic.
Read related: Miami Police commander says Chief Manuel Morales is corrupt, unethical
Inadvertently, Morales said. As in: no one noticed. As in: no one stopped it. As in: Francis Suarez never thought to say, “Hey, maybe I shouldn’t still have a cop posted outside my house.”
Because that’s the real outrage here. The cops were there with his knowledge. With his silence. With his acceptance.
This is the same Francis Suarez who normalized flying around the world with Miami police officers in tow — on the public dime — while selling himself as a global brand, a crypto evangelist, and a presidential contender. The same guy who blurred the line between public service and personal privilege so badly that even now, after he’s gone, the perks apparently lingered like an unpaid bar tab.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a paperwork “oopsie.”
This is about a former mayor who apparently felt perfectly comfortable continuing to enjoy taxpayer-funded police protection after leaving office, while the city struggles with staffing shortages, overtime costs, and neighborhoods begging for patrols.
He should be forced to pay the city back for their salaries those days they were there out of his million of dollars that he got as he was mayor.
If this reads like a comedy of errors, that’s because it is. Miami watched cops jet off to foreign lands on the public dime to babysit a mayor on official visits that seemed more like selfies and second breakfast than security priorities. Now even after he’s out of office, the protective detail apparently needed someone to notice before it evaporated.
Meanwhile, residents are left wondering: whose safety was the priority here — the people who pay the bills, or the guy who enjoyed them?
Miami residents didn’t elect a king. They hired a mayor — temporarily. And when the job ends, so do the privileges.
Or at least, they’re supposed to.

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