Miami Mayor Francis Suarez enters crowded Republican presidential race

He becomes third candidate from Florida to join Republican battle for party nomination in 2024 race

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez speaks during a news conference. AP

Francis X Suarez, the mayor of Miami who has overseen a tech-driven economic boom in the city, became the latest Republican to join the burgeoning ranks of presidential aspirants, according to a Federal Election Commission filing on Wednesday.

Mr Suarez, 45, a Cuban American, is in his second term as mayor and lacks name recognition outside of south Florida, even as he has worked to build his national profile in recent months by appearing at conservative forums and travelling to early Republican primary states.

He is the only Hispanic candidate in the Republican field and the third candidate from Florida, along with front-runner Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Mr Suarez drew criticism after championing cryptocurrency firms such as the bankrupt FTX, which bought naming rights to the city basketball arena but was then forced to surrender them. He also backed a Miami-branded digital currency now valued at nearly zero.

But Miami has seen an influx of more traditional tech companies and wealthy investors during his tenure, many fleeing more rigid regulatory environs.

Booming construction has helped to revive the city's long-standing reputation as a top international tourism destination.

The Miami mayor’s job is technically a part-time position.

The much larger Miami-Dade County government manages most of the region’s functions.

Mr Suarez has had thorny relationships with both Mr Trump and Mr DeSantis. He did not support Mr Trump in his 2020 re-election bid and was critical of some of Mr DeSantis’s Covid pandemic-era policies.

In April, Mr Suarez took a shot at Mr DeSantis’s social skills, telling Fox News that he “seems to struggle with relationships, generally”.

“I look people in the eye when I shake their hands,” Mr Suarez said.