Francis Suarez believes in Bitcoin as the decentralized and censorship-resistant digital money of the new era.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is the first American politician to receive his salary in bitcoins.
Suarez is confident in Bitcoin's potential as a decentralized form of digital money, so He has been receiving his salary in BTC for over a year, despite the fall that the cryptocurrency suffered in 2022.
On several occasions, the mayor of Miami has said that he does not regret his decision and that, rather, he will continue to earn in the market-leading cryptocurrency.
Suarez's decision caught the attention of several of his peers, such as the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, who had also announced his intention to receive part of his salary in BTC. The mayors of Jackson (Tennessee) and Tampa Bay (Florida), Scott Conger and Jane Castor, respectively, They were also inspired by Suarez to transform a portion of their salaries into BTC and thus further boost the adoption of the cryptocurrency.
Francis Suarez and the disruptive potential of Bitcoin
Suarez has been one of the great leaders of the American crypto community. As a Bitcoin advocate, Suarez has been present at several of the most important conferences in the crypto industry. His city has even hosted events such as the Bitcoin Conference Miami 2022, focused on raising awareness of the disruptive potential of Bitcoin and accelerating hyperbitcoinization.
Thus, in his goal of continuing to contribute to Bitcoin, Suarez recently reminded the crypto community of the importance of supporting and defending the cryptocurrency, especially in the regulatory context that is developing in the United States.
On Twitter, the Miami mayor quoted a message from Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis on CBDCs. DeSantis, also a proponent of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, said that the issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by the United States for the dollar would reduce the freedom of citizens.
In mid-April, DeSantis expressed his displeasure at the possibility of a digital currency, pointing out that institutions They should not impose a CBDC to the Americans.
The governor therefore promised to ban the use of a CBDC for the dollar if the US government were to approve the issuance of one in the future. Suarez applauded DeSantis' conviction. However, the mayor of Miami recalled that banning the use of a digital dollar issued by the Federal Reserve is not enough and that further support is needed for the development of Bitcoin as a decentralized and censorship-resistant digital money.
Miami as an innovation center for Bitcoin
Suarez wants to turn the city of Miami into an innovation center for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. To do so, he has been promoting different projects and initiatives focused on the use of BTC as a means of payment and investment asset and on crypto mining.
In 2021, Suarez said he had plans to invest a portion of Miami’s treasury into bitcoin and push for laws that promote the use of cryptocurrency as a means of payment and exchange of value. The pro-Bitcoin mayor has also been inviting cryptocurrency miners to set up operations in the city in order to take advantage of its energy potential to mine BTC with nuclear power.
Continue reading: The digital dollar and FedNow raise concerns about user privacy
