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Miami Mayor Francis Suarez tweeted that he will accept his next paycheck entirely in bitcoin. The prominent bitcoin supporter responded to an Anthony Pompliano tweet questioning who would be the first politician to do so.
Francis Suarez, the mayor of Miami, also a strong supporter of bitcoin, has announced that he will take his next paycheck entirely in bitcoin. Mayor Suarez tweeted the news on Nov 2, which was a response to Morgan Creek co-founder Anthony Pompliano asking which United States politician would be the first to accept their salary in bitcoin.
The news was well received by the crypto community, which is always eager to hear such developments from those in the political system. Pompliano also responded to the tweet, asking City of Miami CIO/Director of Innovation and Technology Mike Sarasti to help set the process up. The latter was enthusiastic and said that he had already initiated the registration link.
Mayor Suarez is one of the handfuls of American politicians who are actively pushing for positive crypto regulation. He himself has made several related announcements, which has made the state of Miami something of a hub for crypto in the U.S. He recently won reelection quite comfortably, so the local citizens themselves appear satisfied with his governing.
Suarez’s decision to accept his salary in bitcoin was hinted at in mid-October when he said that paying government employees in bitcoin was a “major priority.” But that is only one of many actions taken up by the mayor, who has made it a point to make Miami a technological hub.
Miami among the most bitcoin-enthusiastic cities
One of the most notable developments with respect to Miami’s adoption of crypto is MiamiCoin, which was the first of its kind launched through CityCoins. Within ten days, it had already generated over $1 million from a 30% revenue through miners.
Mayor Suarez has also been in talks with local energy officials to bring cryptocurrency miners to South Florida. He has stated that he wants to capitalize on the shift towards mining in the U.S. He also emphasized that Miami can provide clean energy solutions to mining cryptocurrencies.
Mayor Suarez’s words and actions have also attracted the attention of Vitalik Buterin, who published a post on Oct 31 talking about the increase in interest in crypto from local governments. Buterin highlighted the growth of such platforms as CityCoins.