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- Mayor Francis Suarez on Tuesday took to Twitter to say he'd take his next paycheck in bitcoin.
- He was replying to a tweet asking which politician would be the first to be paid in bitcoin.
- In October, Suarez said Miami will advance a plan to pay city workers in bitcoin.
Miami mayor Francis Suarez on Tuesday took to Twitter to say he would take his next paycheck in bitcoin.
"I'm going to take my next paycheck 100% in bitcoin…problem solved!" the mayor said, tagging Mike Sarasti, the city's director of innovation and tech.
Suarez was replying to a tweet by Anthony Pompliano, a crypto entrepreneur and investor, who posed the question: "Who is going to be the first American politician to accept their salary in bitcoin?"
The interaction was another display of Suarez's bullishness on crypto and his committement to building Miami up as a hub for digital innovation. In October, he told Bloomberg that Miami will advance a plan to pay city workers in bitcoin.
The move, he said, will allow Miami residents to pay fees in bitcoin and even taxes potentially if the county allows it. Suarez also wants the state of Florida to allow Miami to hold bitcoin on its balance sheet. Statutes at the state and federal levels currently don't allow cryptocurrencies to be owned by municipalities.
A month earlier, Suarez expressed hope that MiamiCoin, a new crypto project that was recently launched, could one day support the city without its residents having to pay taxes. When bought or mined, the coins allocate 30% of their reward to the city.
Suarez is seeking reelection. The 44-year-old was propelled to fame for his efforts in attracting tech firms and innovators to the city. He spoke at the Bitcoin 2021 Convention in June, said to be the largest bitcoin event in history.