Miami mayor and GOP presidential hopeful Francis Suarez watched the Grand Prix race hosted by his city as the personal guest of Florida's wealthiest person.
The recently announced candidate attended the race as the guest of Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, whose company has lobbyists registered with the city and is developing various projects in Miami, including the $1 billion Brickell tower. The pair watched from the Formula One Paddock Club, reported the Miami Herald.
Citadel spokesman Zia Ahmed told the newspaper that Griffin gave the mayor and his wife Gloria tickets to the club area, where the billionaire hedge funder hosted a private party for about 50 friends and which charges $14,000 per person for general admission.
Florida ethics laws prohibit elected officials from accepting expensive gifts from anyone with business before their city, and Ahmed followed up a week later and told the Herald that Suarez -- whose salary is $130,000 -- had “appropriately covered the cost” for himself and his wife at the event but refused to say when or how much the mayor paid.
Ahmed also said that any suggestion that Suarez did not pay would be “troubling, irresponsible, and misleading to readers" and described any such claims as “misplaced conspiracy theory.”
Citadel lawyers sent a formal letter to the Herald warning the newspaper to “not recklessly publish false and damaging statements or implications."
The mayor's attendance at the Miami Grand Prix came to light when he was tagged in Instagram posts by other guests at the Paddock Club, but he refused to tell reporters who had given him passes to the event, and he also has refused to answer questions about his attendance at the Formula One races last year or his tickets alongside David Beckham at 2022 World Cup semifinal match in Qatar.
