I had the chance to talk with Francis X. Suarez, the 43rd Mayor of Miami, about how his "open-for-business" leadership transformed the city into a global tech and finance hub. We unpack Miami’s “quantum opportunity,” the practical growing pains—housing, schools, transit—and the civic strategy behind international diplomacy and major sports deals. We also explore his run as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and his reflections on leadership, resilience, and embracing failure.

Highlights:

• How Miami built an ecosystem so attractive that "companies managing trillions wanted to be here"
• The “quantum opportunity” from migration trends after New York’s November election
• Zoning reforms to boost school capacity, and the housing affordability challenge
• Using Inter Miami’s stadium and star signings (Messi, Busquets, Alba) as civic brand accelerants
• The diplomacy of being "on the ground" in Riyadh during the Gulf trip
• Leadership in the age of mistakes: confidence, humility, and reflection

Guest Bio:

Francis X. Suarez — Mayor of Miami since 2017, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (2022–2023), and architect behind Miami’s rise in tech, finance, and global presence. He’s known for civic modernization, bold branding moves, and strategic city-scale investments.

Our Podcast now receives more than 300,000 downloads a month. Are you interested in sponsoring an episode? Please email David Weisburd at [email protected].

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X / Twitter: David Weisburd: @dweisburd

LinkedIn: David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/ Francis X. Suarez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francissuarez/

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(0:00) Preview (1:49) Strategies for attracting entrepreneurs and addressing growth bottlenecks (9:14) Advice for political campaigns and US international relations insights (15:04) US-Saudi Arabia relationship and insights from diplomatic trips (21:41) Trump's diplomatic skills and comparison of political career paths (26:30) Personal and psychological insights into President Trump (30:35) Francis Suarez's advice to his younger self and reflections on success (34:45) The role of mindfulness and embracing failure in life (37:21) Closing remarks