Ex-Miami Beach Mayor Alex Daoud, whose tenure was tainted by bribery conviction, dies at 81
Alex Daoud — who was Miami Beach's mayor as South Beach rose from a beachfront slum to one of the most vibrant destinations in the world before going to federal prison on corruption charges — has died at age 81.
Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Gonzalez confirmed Daoud's death, according to Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami.
Posting on X, Gonzalez wrote, 'I just found out some shocking news (on social media) that one of my best friends passed, our former Mayor and lifelong Miami Beach resident, Alex Daoud.
'I don't know any of the details of his death except for a post from Robert Raven Kraft, but Miami Beach has lost a wonderful man, and I will never forget you Alex. I will miss you so much.
'I am devastated.'
He served as a Miami City Attorney, then was elected to the Miami Beach City Commission in 1979.
He was re-elected to a second term in 1981 and then a third term in 1983.
In 1985, he became the first Roman Catholic to be elected mayor of Miami Beach and was re-elected In 1987 and then in 1989 to an unprecedented third term.
However, on October 29, 1991, he was indicted on federal bribery charges. He confessed to receiving bribes from developers in return for political influence and city council votes, as well as soliciting free work on his house from contractors seeking city contracts.
He was convicted of bribery in 1992 and of other corruption crimes in 1993. He served 17 months in federal prison, followed by three years of probation.
In 2007, he published Sins of South Beach: The True Story of Corruption, Violence, Murder and the Making of Miami Beach, an autobiographical depiction of Miami Beach in the 1980s.
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