Former Miami City Manager Emilio González says his first act as Miami mayor, if elected next November, would be to invite Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “state DOGE task force” to review the city’s budget and expenditures.
Speaking Sunday with Jackie Nespral, host of NBC6 Impact, González said he would want to see an “across the board” assessment of city expenses. He ticked off a list of departments and programs, from the “commissioner’s office, CRA’s (Community Redevelopment Agencies), the Bayfront Trust — you name it.”
“I want to know if [money] is being spent in a frivolous way,” said González, a retired U.S. Army colonel. The city budget is roughly $3.4 billion.
DeSantis, borrowing from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump, created a statewide panel this year “to streamline our government and continue to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy,” including local government spending.
González, who announced last month he was running for Miami mayor, served as Miami city manager from 2018 to 2020. He has an extensive resume that includes a stint as Director of U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services.
He resigned as Miami city manager after commissioners accused him of using his position to alter documents and secure a permit for his home — allegations he called “fake” on Sunday.
He told NBC6 Impact that he resigned then because his wife was hospitalized in ill health and was not forced out of his position.
“I had to choose between taking care of my wife — which is my number one priority — and showing up every two weeks for the 'circus,'” he said referring to the city commission.
An investigation by the Miami-Dade Ethics Commission later cleared González of any wrongdoing.
He said he decided to run for mayor to “fix” the “dysfunction” that plagues the city of Miami.
“There isn’t a day where you don’t read about something, hear about something,” he said. “We’ve become a joke.”
He said he wants “to bring transparency” to city of Miami government, noting, for example, that it’s unknown if the $400 million Miami Forever resiliency bond — approved by voters in 2017 — has been properly spent and accounted for. Part of the bond dollars were earmarked towards boosting affordable housing.
He said city leaders must regain the trust of city residents and “reform the political culture, which will allow us to have an open deliberate conversation about housing, about traffic about sea level rise, about any number of things.”
At least six other candidates have announced a run for Miami mayor to succeed term-limited incumbent Francis Suarez. The election is Nov. 4.
