Miami Mayor Francis Suarez calls for more transparency at City Hall during State of the City speech

MIAMI — Mayor Francis Suarez on Tuesday called for City Hall to be more accessible and transparent during his annual State of the City speech.

During the program at Camillus House, the mayor looked back on his accomplishments for 2024 while also sharing his vision for this year.

“This is truly Miami’s moment,” Suarez said. “We have built a record of success.”

Before the mayor spoke, a brief video ran that highlighted several of the mayor’s accomplishments, including the city’s big drop in reported crime last year.

During an earlier news conference, Suarez said 2023 would likely turn out to be the lowest year for murders in the city’s recorded history.

The other initiative the mayor spoke about were proposals he said would make City Hall more fully open to those interactive with Miami City Hall.

That includes naming a new committee that will review proposed amendments to the city charter that could be submitted to voters for consideration.

What could turn out to be two of the more controversial proposals to go before the committee would be:

• Expanding the current Miami City Commission to seven members.
• Changing the mayor’s role to a full-time position with administrative oversight over city government, similar to the Miami-Dade government set-up.
• Creating an independent auditor who could oversee municipal workers and avoid interactions or actions that could be seen as improper.
• Changing election dates to even-year cycles, a move Suarez said would increase voter participate.

“Public office is a public trust,” he said. “We demonstrate that trust by regular disclosures and dedicated hard work.”