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After months of hearings, memos, and budget maneuvers, one thing is clear: Miami-Dade’s taxpayers deserve better than another $12.9 billion government shell game. This budget season has been about more than numbers; it has been about trust, transparency, and priorities.
Because of persistent questioning and hard work from me and my colleagues, the Sheriff’s office is fully funded and the issue of shifting Fire Rescue helicopter costs onto district taxpayers has been resolved. Making public safety a priority was a victory for fairness and common sense. But much more remains to be done if we are to deliver what residents truly need: protection from fee hikes, genuine property tax relief, and smarter use of public dollars.
I have sent the mayor a memorandum based on the limited information that has been shared with us identifying more than $59.4 million in additional budget savings for property tax relief that I will put up for a vote on September 18th. My proposal will also eliminate fare increases to public transit and STS, keep solid waste fees flat, and deliver a 2 percent cut to the millage rate for tax relief that has never been delivered by this administration.
These aren’t abstract accounting tricks; they are concrete adjustments across multiple departments that cut waste, scale back questionable programs, and prioritize essential services. The result is eliminating increases in fees, funding freed up for animal shelter upgrades, and tax relief for working families.
First, let’s get rid of the mayor’s proposed $21 million contribution to the World Cup. With more than $200 million in tourist taxes projected next year, there is no reason homeowners should foot this bill. Redirecting tourist dollars for tourist events is common sense and frees $21 million for tax relief.
Then, let’s make adjustments that are about compassion and common sense. At Animal Services, for example, savings from administrative vacancies can fund long-overdue air conditioning and pest control at the Medley Animal Shelter, where conditions are unacceptable.
Finally, we can trim departments to deliver tax relief. At the Department of Transportation and Public Works, this budget puts nearly $29 million more into transit operations than is required. Scaling that contribution back to a still-generous level saves $28.99 million. Ten million dollars of that would eliminate proposed transit fare hikes, while the remaining $18.99 million would go directly to property tax relief. Similarly, the $1 million planned increase in Special Transportation Services fees can be erased by adjusting inflated elevator maintenance contracts, still leaving spending above historic levels.
In other departments, the theme is the same: cut bureaucracy, invest in basics. Parks should not spend $3.58 million on “special community projects” that the mayor cannot describe. Department consolidations should save money, not cost more. That’s why communications should not have vacant marketing and media jobs on the books, costing $1.44 million, nor should a brand-new Business and Creative Services Division be funded at levels far above its predecessor offices. Trimming it back saves another $3.81 million.
The Department of Environmental Resource Management should not be spending $7.26 million to absorb positions from the Office of Resilience, an office created by the mayor that she claims to have eliminated. It also shouldn’t spend money on glossy “Resilient305,” “Extreme Heat,” and “Biscayne Bay” marketing campaigns. That money belongs back with taxpayers.
At Housing, shifting dollars toward maintenance and away from advocacy staff and bureaucracy ensures public housing units are kept safe and livable. Similarly, at Solid Waste, eliminating redundant management positions avoids a proposed household fee increase. At Water and Sewer, trimming duplicative administrative jobs and fluoridation savings can help lower water bills.
With the information we have, we went from a supposed deficit to eliminating fare increases to public transit, lowering solid waste fees, and even lowering the millage rate by slightly more than 2 percent. This cut is twice more than the last two millage rate reductions.
Miami-Dade County taxpayers deserve our best efforts at protecting their hard-earned dollars. They should not be punished with higher bills for the sake of pet projects and bureaucratic comfort. By making government live within its means, we can protect essential services, improve quality of life, and finally give Miami-Dade residents the relief they deserve.
