Tech investors pump another $350K into Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s reelection bid
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s political committee raised another $350,000 from tech investors last month as his political ambitions continue to benefit from a social-media crusade to lure Silicon Valley to South Florida.
State records released Wednesday show Suarez’s committee, Miami For Everyone, raised $525,000 in February — a massive haul that boosts the first-term mayor’s war chest above $1 million as he heads into the Nov. 2 election.
Most of the dollars came from bigwigs affiliated with Google, Shutterstock and Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency Suarez frequently promotes.
Jonathan Oringer, the founder and chairman of Shutterstock, made the largest contribution with a $100,000 check. Oringer recently moved to a North Bay Road mansion in Miami Beach, and he told the Miami Herald he plans to invest in local startups through his new venture, Pareto Holdings.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Kal Vepuri, an angel investor and CEO of an at-home medication manager technology called Hero, each gave $50,000.
Keith Rabois, an early PayPal investor and partner at the Founders Fund, also contributed $50,000. Suarez recently interviewed Rabois at City Hall as part of a web series called “Cafecito Talks.”
Twin brothers and Bitcoin investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss gave $50,000 each. The brothers are known for suing rival and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. They accused Zuckerberg of stealing their idea for the social network while they were all at Harvard, a battle dramatized in the 2010 film “The Social Network.”
Suarez has trumpeted Bitcoin and cryptocurrency as a viable investment, and he’s pushing crypto-friendly policy at City Hall. At the mayor’s urging, the city is studying the possibility of doing some business in Bitcoin.
The haul reflects the second straight month in which Suarez has raised six figures from tech entrepreneurs. In January, he raised more than $400,000, including a quarter-million check from billionaire and former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya.
“I’m grateful for the generous support my political committee is receiving from those who share my vision of growth, prosperity and greater quality of life for the residents of Miami,” Suarez wrote Wednesday in a text message. “While we have an important election this year, my focus is on leading the city as we strive to recover from the pandemic and attract better jobs and opportunities for our residents.”
Suarez’s fundraising began to take flight in late December, around the time his effort to brand Miami as a haven for tech entrepreneurs caught fire. The 43-year-old real estate attorney is a prolific fundraiser, but an injection of new tech donors has helped add a new facet to the mayor’s typically robust donor base of real estate interests, lawyers, lobbyists and other local businesses.
The remaining $150,000 Suarez raised in February came from donors in the healthcare and real estate industries. Ten companies affiliated with businessman Nadim Ashi, owner of development and hospitality firm Fort Partners, gave Suarez a total of $50,000. An affiliate of developer Melo Group contributed $50,000. Illinois-based personal protective equipment manufacturer GRJ Health gave $50,000.
An ambulance service, MCT Express, gave $15,000. The smallest donation in February was $10,000 and came from a call center outsourcing company run by Miami Beach commissioner Ricky Arriola.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 8:26 PM.
