After coming in 6th, Papi Suarez backs Emilio Gonzalez for Miami mayor

Where will the rest of the pack land?
The first endorsement from one of the losing Miami mayoral hopefuls is vintage Miami.
Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez, the original Mayor Suarez, the father of our camera-obsessed current mayor Francis Suarez, has thrown his weight (and his word count) behind Emilio González in the upcoming Dec. 9 runoff for Miami mayor.
Because, of course he did. If he couldn’t make a comeback, he could at least help crown a new king.
Read related: Eileen Higgins heads into partisan Miami mayoral runoff with momentum
The elder Suarez — who got about 5% of the vote in the crowded Nov. 4 race — said Monday that González, a former city manager and retired Air Force colonel, has all the good-government virtues Miami hasn’t seen in decades: integrity, professionalism, empathy, compassion, bilingual brilliance, and, wait for it… bonhomie.
Yes, bonhomie. That’s a new one for Miami politics. It literally means exactly what it sounds like it means: Cheerful, friendliness, geniality. In other words, un buen homie.
In a lengthy letter that Emilio’s team proudly distributed as if it were a papal decree, Suarez Sr. praised González’s service as Miami city manager, as the county’s aviation department director, and as head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He called him “a courageous reformer” and “a proven public servant.”
He even commended Emilio for filing the lawsuit that got the election back on track after the city commission voted to postpone it for a year without getting a public vote.
But let’s not forget, dear readers, that González’s tenure as city manager didn’t exactly end in a happy dance. He resigned amid accusations that he fast-tracked permits for his own home improvements. He said it was to care for his ailing wife, but the timing was sus. Of course, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust cleared him of any wrongdoing and all of that was just Commissioner Joe Carollo trying to deflect from his own problems.
Still, this endorsement feels less like a surprise and more like a reunion. After all, the Suárezes and González go way back — back to the cozy corridors of City Hall where titles and favors pass like coladas at 3:05 p.m. And how much is Suarez going to pull for Gonzalez with less than 5%. Ladra doubts all 1,841 of the people who voted for X will flip for Emilio.
Read related: Eileen and Emilio headed to Miami mayoral runoff as voters end the circus
What’s next? The Alex Diaz de la Portilla endorsement? After all, ADLP did better than Suarez, with 1,929 votes. And Carollo, well he could deliver some of his 4,277 votes to someone — and it would most likely be Gonzalez, except Joe spent the last few months attacking “Colonel Clink” in ads, mailers and on radio.
Across town, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins — who won a decisive 36% in the first round, carrying every city district — is still leading the race and calling herself the true outsider in a runoff against what she calls “the City Hall establishment.” She might not say so, but she wants former Commissioner Ken Russell to endorse her. He came in third on Nov. 4 with 6,550 votes. Now, some of those can make a difference in what could be a close race.
Everybody is sort of expecting him to endorse Higgins, but they might have forgotten that she basically got him canned as the lobbyist for the Florida Sierra Club. Russell doesn’t really have to officially endorse Higgins, she will get most of his voters automatically.
Higgins, for her part, already has the unions, the LGBTQ+ groups, and a bunch of Dem mayors — the county’s Daniella Levine Cava, Javier Fernández of South Miami and former Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber — lining up behind her. She’s also got support from Sen. Shevrin Jones and State Rep. Ashley Gantt.
Read related: In Miami mayoral bid, Emilio Gonzalez goes for the law and order vote
González, on the other hand, adds the Suárez seal of approval to nods during Round 1 from Ron DeSantis, Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, and the Miami Young Republicans.
So much for being a nonpartisan race.
In a contest that’s quickly shaping up as a clash between a community coalition of newcomers and the political old guard, the endorsement from Xavier Suarez feels like déjà vu — another episode of Miami’s eternal insider telenovela.
Still, it’s the first post-election endorsement, and that counts for something, even if it does smell a little desperate. It gives González a talking point, a headline, and maybe a few older Cuban votes that still remember when the elder Suarez ruled the roost.
But it also reminds voters what’s really on the line Dec. 9: whether Miami wants to keep recycling the same names and networks — or finally take a chance on something different.

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