Animate Map to Location is Not Working Google Maps iOS

import UIKit
import GoogleMaps
import FirebaseDatabase
import GeoFire

class MapViewController: UIViewController, CLLocationManagerDelegate, GMSMapViewDelegate {
    var mapView = GMSMapView()

    var locationManager: CLLocationManager!
    let regionRadius: CLLocationDistance = 1000
    var place = CLLocationCoordinate2D()

    @IBOutlet var myLocationButton: UIButton!
    @IBOutlet var infoWindow: UIView!
    @IBOutlet var postTitle: UILabel!
    @IBOutlet var postImage: UIImageView!

    var showing = false;
    var pins = [String: Pin]()
    var currentMarker = GMSMarker()

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        // sets up the map view (camera, location tracker etc.)
        let camera = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: place.latitude, longitude: place.longitude, zoom: 17.0)
        let mapView = GMSMapView.map(withFrame: CGRect.zero, camera: camera)
        mapView.isMyLocationEnabled = true
        mapView.delegate = self
        view = mapView

        self.view.addSubview(myLocationButton)
        self.view.bringSubview(toFront: myLocationButton)

        // Location manager
        locationManager = CLLocationManager()
        locationManager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBestForNavigation
        locationManager.requestAlwaysAuthorization()
        locationManager.delegate = self
        locationManager.startUpdatingLocation()

        // Get nearby records
        let geoFire = GeoFire(firebaseRef: FIRDatabase.database().reference().child("geofire"))
        let query = geoFire?.query(at: CLLocation(latitude: place.latitude, longitude: place.longitude), withRadius: 0.6)

        _ = query?.observe(.keyEntered, with: { (key, location) in
            let marker = GMSMarker()
            let newPin = Pin(title: "post", locationName: "\(key!)", discipline: "", coordinate: (location?.coordinate)!)
            self.pins[newPin.locationName] = newPin
            marker.icon = UIImage(named: "icon_small_shadow")
            marker.position = Pin.coordinate
            marker.title = Pin.title
            marker.snippet = Pin.locationName
            marker.map = mapView
        })

        myLocationTapped(myLocationButton)

    }

    // sets the info in the custom info window
    func mapView(_ mapView: GMSMapView, didTap marker: GMSMarker) -> Bool {

         if(currentMarker == marker && showing) {
           infoWindow.isHidden = true
            showing = false
         } else {
            infoWindow.isHidden = false
            self.view.addSubview(infoWindow)
            self.view.bringSubview(toFront: infoWindow)
            postTitle.text = marker.snippet
            showing = true
        }

        currentMarker = marker

        return true
    }

    @IBAction func myLocationTapped(_ sender: Any) {
       print("tapped")
       let cameraPosition = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: place.latitude, longitude: place.longitude, zoom: 15.0)
       mapView.animate(to: cameraPosition)
    }

I have the following code set up, designed to place a button on the google maps map that when tapped, animates the google maps camera to that location. However, my code doesn't work. The "tapped" prints in the console but the camera doesn't budge. I haven't been able to find an answer anywhere for this, so any help would be appreciated.

EDIT: Added full code for the Map View Controller

Try this way

let cameraPosition = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: place.latitude, longitude: place.longitude, zoom: 15.0)
mapView.animate(to: cameraPosition)

Edit: Issue is you aren't having the reference of your map with your mapView object, change your viewDidLoad's line:

view = mapView

TO:

// sets up the map view (camera, location tracker etc.)
let camera = GMSCameraPosition.camera(withLatitude: place.latitude, longitude: place.longitude, zoom: 17.0)
let mapView = GMSMapView.map(withFrame: view.bounds, camera: camera)
mapView.isMyLocationEnabled = true
mapView.delegate = self
self.mapView = mapView
view.addSubview(self.mapView)