Goodbye Francis, Part Two: Cashing out, moving on, and closing the door

Goodbye Francis, Part Two: Cashing out, moving on, and closing the door
  • Sumo

Francis Suarez didn’t just leave City Hall.

He left the city. He closed.

Just days after officially exiting public office, Miami’s former mayor — newly free of pesky disclosure requirements and public information requests — quietly upgraded his lifestyle with a $7.4 million home purchase in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, just north of Sunset Drive.

No waterfront. No problem.

Read related: Goodbye, Francis Suarez: Miami’s most frequent flyer mayor takes off for good

The 6,700-square-foot house, completed in 2025, sits on nearly an acre and comes with six bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, a pool, outdoor grill, fireplace — and the unmistakable scent of mission accomplished. Property records show Suarez and his wife, Gloria, financed the deal with a $4.4 million mortgage from Bank of America, according to the Real Deal, which scooped everyone and broke the story days ago with this rendering, too.

Timing, as they say, is everything.

The purchase closed December 22 — just days after La Alcaldesa II Eileen Higgins was sworn in as Miami’s new mayor and Suarez officially became a private citizen again. So, that means the home isn’t listed in Suarez’s most recent financial disclosure, which shows a man who entered office in 2018 with a net worth of just over $400,000 and leaves public life worth more than $5 million — including a Coconut Grove home, investment properties, a $235,000 boat, and nearly $600,000 in cryptocurrency.

Miami-Dade property records show the couple also own a house in the Coral Gate neighborhood and two condo units on Douglas Road near Flagler Street. Baby X owns a couple other condo units on his own.

This new house, 6900 SW 72nd Ct., wasn’t just any sale. The deal ranks among the most expensive non-waterfront home sales in the area, according to The Real Deal. The vacant lot it sits on sold for $1.8 million in 2021 to real estate investor and developer Servito Morales. It was previously listed for $10 million, so maybe Baby X got a deal?

It didn’t happen in a vacuum, though.

During Suarez’s eight years as mayor, the real estate industry showed him lots of love. And vice versa. Baby X championed major projects, streamlined approvals, and helped push through Miami Freedom Park — the sprawling mixed-use stadium development that became one of his signature wins.

Developers loved him. Tech investors loved him. Crypto bros really loved him.

And Suarez, an attorney by trade, didn’t just play host — he also took on side gigs.

Among them: private consulting work for developer Rishi Kapoor, later sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly defrauding more than 50 investors out of $93 million.

Nothing illegal was ever proven about Suarez’s role, for which he was paid $10,000 a month. It just doesn’t look good.

Read related: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is all over the place — except leading the city

In his farewell op-ed, Suarez wrote movingly about Miami being more than a city to him — “my home, my responsibility and my inspiration.” He spoke of humility, gratitude, and leaving behind a city whose future has “never been brighter.”

And then he bought a $7.4 million house — not in the city he ran, but just outside it.

To be clear: there’s nothing wrong with buying a nice home after years of public service. Suarez earned a salary. He pursued private work. He invested. He took risks.

But when paired with soaring personal wealth, constant global travel, crypto fantasies that fizzled, and a mayoralty that often felt more aspirational than accountable — the move feels less like a coincidence and more like a closing bell.

Exit stage right.

He didn’t leave his personal protection right away, though. As reported earlier in Political Cortadito, on-duty police patrols were stationed outside his Battersea Road house for about a week after he left office. The police chief said it was “an oversight.” But Ladra can’t help but wonder how much his private security must be costing him now.

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

Francis Suarez leaves office richer, better housed, and finally grounded — at least geographically.

Miami is left with the brand he built, the promises that landed, the ones that didn’t, and a long list of questions about what exactly Miami for Everyone meant in practice. Because, apparently, Miami is not for everyone.

As for Suarez?

He’s no longer mayor. No longer term-limited. No longer required to explain much of anything.

Just a private citizen, in a very large house, just outside the city he once told the world was his life’s great love.

Goodbye again, Francis.

Enjoy the pool.

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