DeSantis, Suarez Attend F1 Miami Grand Prix. Who Paid?

Suarez faced an ethics investigation over his attendance in 2023.

May 5, 2025

Image: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez walking in the paddock with a city of Miami police officer at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez walking in the paddock with his city of Miami police escort at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

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Every year, celebrities descend upon the Magic City for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix festivities. Photographers snapped photos of actor Timotheé Chalamet, NFL running back Derrick Henry, and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay walking around the paddock before Sunday's race.

While the national media may be focused on the A-list stars in attendance, two Florida politicians with VIP tickets to the Miami Grand Prix caught the New Times' attention: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Governor Ron DeSantis. The question is, who paid for the politicians' tickets?

Ahead of Sunday's race, Suarez was photographed walking in the paddock next to his sergeant-at-arms — city of Miami police officer Pierre Cazassus — with a VIP ticket and Paddock Club lanyard around his neck. As evidenced by his teal lanyard and entry badge, Cazassus had a Paddock Club ticket.

Tickets to the luxurious Paddock Club can range from $9,000 to $20,000. Suarez's ticket appears to note that he is a guest of South Florida Motorsports, promoter of the Miami Grand Prix and a subsidiary of Stephen Ross' Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez walking in the paddock at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.

Francis Suarez was spotted in the paddock at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

Two years ago, Suarez was the center of a state ethics complaint after the mayor attended the 2023 Miami Grand Prix and other ritzy Formula 1 festivities, including the exclusive Carbone Beach event. Activist Thomas Kennedy alleged that Suarez improperly received VIP tickets from billionaire and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin amid his company's move to Miami. The state ethics commission later dismissed the complaint, ruling that the mayor repaid the billionaire $14,000 for his and his wife's VIP passes for the race.

However, records revealed the mayor only paid Griffin back two months after the event and a week after the Miami Herald inquired about the mayor's attendance. The ethics investigation did not mention whether Suarez had paid for the couple's passes on the other two days.

On Sunday, DeSantis, sporting his aviators, was seen walking and laughing on the grid right before the race began.

Laughing Ron DeSantis on the grid at the Miami Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/Y2FtLJPJow
— Safid Deen 💯💯💯💯 (@Safid_Deen) May 4, 2025

New Times contacted the governor's and mayor's offices to determine who paid for their tickets.

Naomi Feinstein is a staff writer of Miami New Times where she primarily focuses on news. Naomi started her career with New Times as a summer intern in 2019, then returned as a fellow in August 2022 before joining the staff full-time in February 2023. She graduated from University of Miami where she contributed to the student-run newspaper, the Miami Hurricane. She holds a master’s degree and graduated with honors from the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2021, Naomi was recognized as the College Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists of Florida, and she placed second for Best General News Story in the 2021 Pinnacle Awards.

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