Miami Comm. Francis Suarez Plans To Run For Mayor

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Like father, like son.

Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez has announced that he plans to run for city's mayor position in 2017.

Suarez said he still needs to file the paperwork and make a formal announcement, but his mind is made up.

This is not his first run for mayor.

In 2013, he bowed out of the race after several high profile blows to his campaign, including an investigation into absentee ballot fraud.

The court documents show absentee ballot request forms filled out by potential voters at a Cinco de Mayo party in Brickell. At the top of each form is a disclaimer saying, "By signing this form you authorize 'The Future is Now' to fill out the form requesting an absentee ballot on your behalf."

"The Future is Now" was an organization affiliated with the Suarez campaign. Even with the disclaimer, prosecutors said it wasn't legal for a campaign aide to go online and request ballots for someone else—only the person requesting the ballot or a legal guardian can do that.

Two of Suarez's campaign aides were charged. Juan Pablo Baggini and Steve Suarez, Francis Suarez's campaign manager, both pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of illegally attempting to request absentee ballots.

At the time Suarez admitted that his campaign had suffered some setbacks, but said his wife's pregnancy was the real reason for stepping down.

Suarez's father, Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez, was Miami's mayor in the 1980s and 1990s.