The youngest commissioner on Miami’s dais amid leadership shakeups and a fiscal crisis, Francis Suarez is laser-focused on two aims: address residents’ needs and straighten out the budget.  “I’m going to let things simmer down a little before trying to push a legislative agenda just because we have so much on our plate,” he says.

Having grown up with a mayor for a father – dad Xavier led the city for eight years – the 32-year-old attorney is no stranger to politics, and he’s taken his observations to heart.

Before shopping around a platform for the November election, Mr. Suarez went door to door to hear concerns.

“What’s important to people who are in government is not always what’s important to the people who are the beneficiaries of government,” he finds.

The idea of giving back also stuck with him after being raised in a family “where being socially conscious was kind of a requirement.”

He hopes to one day form his own nonprofit to fundraise and funnel support to community organizations.

Mr. Suarez talked politics and philanthropy with Miami Today staff writer Risa Polansky.