MIAMI (WSVN) - It was a bittersweet moment as Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez gave his last State of the County address.
Gimenez addressed the crowd at the Frost Museum of Science on the 1100 block of Biscayne Boulevard, Tuesday.
To a standing ovation, Gimenez wrapped up his last address after leading the county for three terms, spanning just shy of a decade.
“Today, I’m proud to say the the state of our county is stable and strong,” said Gimenez. “Miami-Dade’s future is bright indeed.”
The mayor spent more than an hour highlighting various achievements and success stories — from slashing government spending to boosting community safety.
He spent most of his speech discussing the economy.
“Miami-Dade County’s economy is now booming,” said Gimenez. “Our real estate market is robust. The unemployment rate stands below 3%.”
Gimenez credits Miami-Dade’s big success in terms of growth and economic health to Miami International Airport and PortMiami.
“When you wonder — why do we do these investments in the airport, in the seaport?” he said. “Think about 425,000 jobs here in our community.”
The county plans to invest billions into both facilities over the next few years.
“The port’s expansion will generate an increase economic impact to South Florida of about $7.8 billion, supporting an additional 27,500 jobs annually,” said Gimenez.
Following Gimenez’s final address will be a change of leadership.
“I’m going to leave the next mayor in a good financial condition and then they can move forward,” said Gimenez. “What happens after that is up to the next man.”
Gimenez shared with 7News what he plans to do moving forward.
“When one door closes, you know, then one door opens, right?” he said, “so you know, what that next path is is still to be determined, but I leave it in God’s hands.”
It is rumored that Gimenez is expected to announce a run for Congress and aims to take the seat currently held by Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a democrat.
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