Miami Mayoral Candidate Christian Cevallos on Affordable Housing, Tourism, and Transparency

Candidate Vision for Miami

• 🎯 Christian Cevallos is running for Miami Mayor, emphasizing his seven years of community engagement as a former Miami-Dade County Community Council representative.
• 💡 He aims to address the needs of business owners, entrepreneurs, artists, the elderly, and minorities, believing there's much to be done for the community.

Voter Concerns and Transparency

• 🗣️ Cevallos reports that voters are tired of politics and are primarily concerned with affordable housing, support for businesses, and increased opportunities in Miami.
• 🔍 A key demand from voters is transparency in government, ensuring that officials are acting correctly and openly.
• 💰 To ensure transparency, Cevallos proposes an audit of past government spending and a commitment to annually report on how public funds are invested and spent.

Addressing Housing Affordability

• 🏘️ Cevallos identifies empty city-owned lots as a resource for creating affordable housing.
• 🤝 He plans to work with small developers rather than large corporations to build affordable housing units.

Boosting Tourism and Economy

• ✈️ Cevallos believes Miami can attract more tourism by creating more activities and events for families, citing the decline of the Calle Ocho Festival as an example.
• 📈 Increased tourism is seen as a driver for prosperity and employment in the city.

Fiscal Responsibility and Property Taxes

• 📉 Cevallos proposes lowering property taxes by 25% by cutting government expenses, particularly high salaries.
• 👴 He advocates for the complete elimination of property taxes for the elderly, citing cases where seniors struggle to afford their taxes.

Supporting Small Businesses

• ⏱️ Cevallos aims to streamline the process for opening new businesses, proposing to reduce the time for licenses and permits to 90 days.
• 🏢 He highlights the current lengthy process, which can take over a year, and sees faster business openings as a way to create more employment.

Advocating for Children with Special Needs

• 🤝 Cevallos plans to open City Hall to discussions and forums for families with children with special needs to provide information and connect them with benefits.
• ℹ️ He aims to ensure families are informed about available resources, noting disparities in benefit access based on information availability.

Evaluation of Current Mayor

• 📊 Cevallos gives current Mayor Francis Suarez a grade of 5 out of 10, suggesting he has done half his job well but has neglected certain neighborhoods like Little Haiti, which he describes as needing significant help and maintenance.