Silicon Valley never grew into the tech hub it is today as quickly as Miami is becoming the home of web3. Miami’s residents can pay city taxes with cryptocurrency – and the Mayor even receives a portion of his salary in Bitcoin. What sets the City of Miami apart from other cities across the globe is how it identifies the opportunity web3 presents for diversity, equity and inclusion for its citizens – and the rest of the world. It is a city at the bleeding edge of this cultural, financial, digital and social revolution.
The City of Miami Mayor Suarez leads the region into the future. “The biggest reason I am passionate about the dawn of web3 is because of my residents. My job as Mayor is to provide Miamians with an endless stream of opportunities that allows people to take care of themselves and their families, web3 has the potential to diversity our economy to achieve just that.”
Francis Suarez serves the City of Miami as Mayor, working diligently to raise the standards of the community where he was born and raised. The honorable Mayor is serving his second term of office, with a groundswell of 78% of the vote, leveraging his successes throughout his illustrious political career to serve as a leader and role model to the young and old in Miami. Employing technology as a beacon, he has plotted Miami’s future to uplift not only the citizens of this beautiful city but also the state and country.
His mission is to drive social change, eradicate gender inequality, promote diversity and inclusion, and present opportunities to citizens. Many of his policies and initiatives were launched before being elected Mayor of Miami, and his position as the city’s leader has enabled him to influence more significant social change. In fact, he grew up around the offices of City Hall – his father, Xavier Suarez, also served as the City of Miami Mayor. His life is one of social consciousness and public service.
Mayor Suarez holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Florida International University. He also has a Law degree from the University of Florida’s Frederic G. Levin College of Law and specialized in corporate and real estate transactions before taking up his role in public office.
The City of Miami is built on diversity and inclusion. As a progressive and innovative city, Miami champions women and their contribution to society, especially web3. Mayor Suarez recognized the opportunity web3 presented for women to leapfrog the injustices of web2 and the real world and is positioning Miami at the forefront of this space to propel widespread DEI – with women included from the outset as voices of leadership.
“Web3 promises to become an avenue for economic prosperity, opportunity, and innovation,” Mayor Suarez believes. “It has the potential to democratize capital and empower individuals in ways never seen before. With web3, digital assets are being created that will give us an expanded ability to connect, socialize and dream. In an ever-connected world, this is a game changer.”
The City of Miami is ensuring that the next internet will have a seat for women and underrepresented communities. Web3-for-good is also good for business – and economic opportunities abound in web3 for everybody. “We’re glad to be on the forefront of building the next era of the internet, as we know that our economy is transitioning from one driven by the industry to one fueled by the internet.
Miami is a city of the future. Talent, investors, entrepreneurs, and enterprises are rushing to ‘the 305’ to set up shop to take advantage of Miami’s web3 boom. The results of embracing innovation speak for themselves.
In the past year, Miami has seen an increase in blockchain activity: Miami-based blockchain deals are up by 2,000% year on year, and more than $800 million has been invested in Miami-based cryptocurrency startups over the same period. “80 new-to-market companies have created $1 billion in wages for our city, and – most importantly – it has created 9,000 jobs directly linked to the economy of the future. Miami is currently number one in multiple rankings, including tech job growth, tech job migration, wage growth, and pandemic recovery. What’s amazing is that these economic benefits have come during the very first innings of web3’s development – just imagine what we’ll be able to accomplish in the next decade.”
The City of Miami is a living and breathing example of DEI in action – and web3 accelerates its mission to empower women and underrepresented communities. Mayor Suarez believes that for web3 to truly thrive, women’s voices and talents must be included and prioritized. Women and women-led initiatives in web3 need to be pushed forward – and Miami is a leading light in this mission with Mayor Suarez. “If web3 will live to its potential to level the playing field for all, women must be put first in our efforts to build the next generation of the internet.”
One such example of web3 driving change throughout Miami can be evidenced in the startups and organizations founded by Miamians. One such women-led initiative that stands out is Web3Equity, led by Michelle Abbs, which works to achieve gender equity and drive equity within web3. Michelle started with a small team, but her drive to make web3 a flourishing space for women has led her to host weekly events offering networking opportunities, workshops, and experiences so more women get involved in web3’s development, empowerment and inclusion. “With such organizations emerging from Miami’s tech scene, I am confident that web3 will fulfil its promise to become a new version of the internet that puts forward an agenda of equity and inclusivity.”
Asking Mayor Suarez what advice he would give to other cities in achieving equality in the new world, he answers: “Web3 is built upon a foundation of equity and diversity. Some believe that the jobs emerging from the metaverse won’t level the playing f ield, but in Miami, we have seen thousands of jobs being created for our residents – men and women – as a consequence of embracing web3. It is clear that our economy is transitioning to a digital era and, as local officials, it is our responsibility to deliver our residents opportunities to thrive and prosper. In other words, we have to do our due diligence and explore all possible paths to building a resilient and inclusive economy.”
The Mayor isn’t blind to the numerous challenges to mass adoption of web3 in his city and further afield. Currently, the most significant obstacle to adopting web3, blockchain technology, metaverse and cryptocurrency concerns education. He believes that most people still see web3 as something very abstract and that it is crucial to prepare the youth to become fluent in how the new internet works.
His administration has focused its efforts on creating youth upliftment programs, including giving laptops to inner-city children, donating millions of dollars to the city’s colleges to have the resources to expand technology programs for students, hosting tech workshops across the city, and continuing investments in providing training programs and apprenticeships within the web3 industry for its residents.
The more voices are given a platform, the greater the outcomes for that particular conversation. Utilizing this approach to empower initiatives, women and underrepresented communities with web3’s tools, the more significant the impacts will be for the City of Miami and its citizens. Education enables a level playing field – for all to participate and prosper. Web3 has transformational powers that Mayor Suarez has embraced with all his heart.
Earlier in 2022, Mayor Suarez launched an innovative NFT initiative for the City of Miami designed to drive revenue to local businesses and non-profits through exclusive rewards offerings. The City of Miami x TIME, Mastercard and Salesforce collection was created through collaboration. The City of Miami will unveil a unique collection of 5,000 NFTs designed by 56 local Miami artists, representing the city’s 56-square-mile area.
Leading the NFT market by example, this collection boasts truly unmatched IRL utility; the beauty of this project is that it will connect the City of Miami with its NFT holders in meaningful ways, representing a sea change in web3 utility. Holders of these NFTs will benefit from access to Mastercard’s Priceless Miami program, which provides unique experiences, from one-of-a-kind events at local Miami restaurants to curated, unforgettable private tours of Miami cultural institutions and other memorable activities. TIME will be responsible for guiding the strategy, developing the creative, and launching the initiative. Salesforce will be managing the minting and selling of these NFTs through its NFT Cloud, a new project designed to help brands deliver connected experiences across the physical and digital worlds.
Another critical attribute of this project is its environmental consideration and efforts. The City of Miami x TIME, Mastercard and Salesforce collection is being built on the Ethereum blockchain, following its recent move from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake. This change meaningfully reduces the initiative’s carbon emissions by an estimated 99%.
More than just the sunny skies and warm water attracts people to the City of Miami. The culture of web3 plays an enormous part in Miami’s growth as the web3 capital of the world. It has become the go-to destination for events, summits, and conferences with impact. Miami played host to Bitcoin 2022, CryptoWorldCon, Metaverse Miami and the North American Bitcoin Conference – all in 2022. The City of Miami is also taking a proactive role in this: it is set to host the inaugural MiamiWeb3 summit at the end of 2022.
This event will be a first-of-its-kind in the region and is expected to drive meaningful discussion and a way forward for the industry as a whole. MiamiWeb3 is hosted in collaboration between the City of Miami and web3 infrastructure provider Atlas and its parent company CTH Group. Not only will this event be a coming together of renowned startup founders, government officials and prominent investors to discuss the industry, but how web3 can contribute to adopting clean energy. The aims of this summit are to deliver a better foundation for fair and equitable growth for the world – from the heart of ‘the 305.
“Web3 is already transforming our everyday lives and the future of the global economy,” Mayor Suarez explains. “Miami is now at the cutting edge of this revolution, and this annual web3 conference – strategically synchronized with the Art Basel Miami festival – will keep Miami at the strategic forefront of web3 technology in the years ahead.”
Not to miss out on the energy, relevance and web3 growth of the City of Miami, Women of the Future is launching in the centre of Miami. Significantly, this project echoes the aims of Miami and its embrace of web3 for the empowerment of women and women-led initiatives in this space.
Web3 is being leveraged for its social change powers. The citizens of Miami have a unique opportunity to participate in the future of the internet, their city, and the world. An influx of talent, investment, and business is reinvigorating Miami like never before, placing it at the centre of a worldwide social revolution.
There is more than simple relevance that motivates Miami: it proactively supports and propels the culture and ideology of web3 through events, adoption, education and mainstream usage. It enables even greater degrees of ownership, benefits and transparency for a city (and its citizens) in the world of tomorrow. Women have unprecedented access to tech education, careers and leadership through Miami’s web3 opportunities. The City of Miami is the embodiment of the transformational clout needed to scale this technology for accessible economic development, diversity, equity and inclusion.
Website: miami.gov
