Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo wants Mayor Francis Suarez to resign. This comes after the Miami Herald investigated and found out about the mayor’s close ties with Saudi Arabia’s ruling leaders.
Following the publication of an article discussing Suarez’s involvement in the Saudi government’s attempts to improve its image regarding human rights issues, Commissioner Pardo, in an exclusive interview, stated that the mayor should step down right away.
Pardo, who was elected in November, stated, “It’s the only way confidence in elected officials and in our city government will be restored.” “It’s unclear which interests—residents’ interests or outside, wealthy interests—are being served.”
After reviewing city emails and promotional materials for the summit, it was found that Suarez, along with a few city staff members, played a role in making the event happen at a Miami Beach exhibition hall.
This raised questions about whether Suarez should have registered as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice. This registration is required for individuals involved in political advocacy or public relations work in the United States on behalf of a foreign government, with a few exceptions.
Five experts on the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) expressed concern that the work Suarez and his staff did for the event could be an issue because none of them were registered under FARA.
On Monday, Stephanie Severino, a spokesperson for Suarez, issued the first public statement from the mayor’s office in response to the Herald’s investigation while addressing concerns raised by Pardo.
Pardo, who promised to clean up the troubled City Hall and fight corruption, stated that Suarez and any other city officials involved in unethical behavior should step down right away.
He stated that, “The allegations against Mayor Suarez continue to raise serious questions about the culture of corruption that has gone unchecked in Miami’s City Hall for too long.”
Pardo said that in order to “put some guardrails around outside income” for elected officials in Miami, it is necessary to revisit the city charter. In the city, serving as a commissioner or mayor is seen as a part-time position.
The commissioner mentioned that he hadn’t talked to the mayor after the Herald’s report.
Suarez, who’s been in office since 2009, is currently in the middle of his second term as mayor. He briefly tried to become the Republican nominee for president, but faced controversy when it was revealed in the Herald that he was quietly getting paid by a real estate developer.
This developer had received assistance from the mayor’s office to deal with a permit problem for a project in the city. The FBI is looking into the situation.
