MIAMI -- The election was close, but on Tuesday evening, Francis Suarez claimed victory in the runoff race for commissioner of Miami's District 4.

Suarez, the son of former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez, beat Manolo Reyes 52 percent to 48 percent.

"It's just an opportunity to give back to this community that I love and to serve this community that I love so much," Suarez said.

Even as last-minute voters hurried to the polls Tuesday evening, Suarez and Reyes were out in full force.

"For me, it's the end of a long process, but hopefully it's the beginning of a new one," Suarez said. "Obviously, it's a sad time for the city of Miami because we're losing two commissioners, but at the same time, I look at it as an opportunity to start fresh."

Suarez said it will take a fresh look to solve Miami's crushing financial burden, a problem his opponent believes is a recurring issue.

"Every 10 or 15 years, we go bankrupt," Reyes said. "Now, we have a political crisis created by the lack of a strong ethics code."

After the election ended, Reyes spoke about what he would like to see Suarez do in office.

"I just want him to do a good job, work for the city of Miami, don't work for the special interests, and try to bring the city out of the mess that the city is in," Reyes said.

Work on those issues begins immediately for the new District 4 commissioner.

"I was focused on my agenda and my platform and things in the future, and I didn't think that we'd have to be selecting a brand new commission," Suarez said.

When he takes office on Nov. 25, the city has only two days to utilize its commission quorum to select a replacement for former Commissioner Angel Gonzalez, who resigned over an ethics breach.

Suarez said he's being lobbied by "just about everyone" for the District 1 commission seat appointment.

"I was lobbied before the election and I would tell everyone that we have to wait for the results," Suarez said.

After the vacant District 1 seat is filled, the commission must fill another vacancy created by Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones when she was recently suspended from her District 5 seat after being charged with stealing grant money.

The commission, with the addition of Suarez, is expected to plan a special election for January to fill her seat. Spence-Jones would be able to run as she awaits her trial and has hinted that she would.

The political maelstrom is not unlike Miami City Hall was in the 1980s and 1990s, when Suarez's father was mayor.

"The City Hall was my playground. My father was elected when I was 8 years old, so I was running around City Hall, enjoying myself and being part of the political process," Suarez said.