|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
As America approaches its 250th anniversary later this year, much attention will rightly focus on the nation’s founding documents and institutions. But democracy does not live only in Philadelphia or Washington. It lives closer to home, in the governing documents that quietly shape everyday decisions. In Miami-Dade County, that document is the charter.
Miami-Dade’s charter was adopted by voters in 1957, making the county the first “home rule” county in Florida. That distinction matters. A home rule charter grants residents broad authority to design their own local government, rather than relying solely on powers narrowly delegated by the state legislature. In plain terms, it means Miami-Dade voters, not Tallahassee, set the fundamental rules for how their county is structured, how power is divided, and how decisions are made.
The charter is the county’s “We, the People” agreement. Approved directly by voters, it cannot be changed by elected officials acting alone. Any amendment must ultimately go back to the public for approval at the ballot box. Everything else – ordinances, codes, administrative rules – flows from it.
Think of the charter as the floor of local government. It establishes the baseline: the powers of the County Commission and Mayor, the rights of residents, the framework for elections, how cities are created, and the mechanisms for citizen-led initiatives. Policy decisions and political priorities rise from there, forming the ceiling.
Every few years, the County Commission initiates a formal review process and appoints a volunteer advisory body known as the Charter Review Task Force. Its charge is deliberate and unglamorous: review the document section by section, line by line, to ensure it reflects current law, addresses real-world governance challenges, and remains clear and functional for the long term.
The current Task Force was impaneled in the summer of 2025. Since then, members have spent hours in public meetings, hearing from residents, county administrators, constitutional officers, and legal experts. They debate, refine, and vote on recommendations that are then transmitted to the County Commission. The Commission decides which items, if any, are placed on a countywide ballot. Nothing becomes law unless voters approve it.
Charter review is not intended to be an insider exercise. Meetings are open to all. Materials are posted publicly. Comments can be made directly. Two meetings are scheduled this month, with several more planned in coming months. Learn more here: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/government/charter/home.page
As the nation reflects on 250 years of self-government, local charters are where that experiment is continually renewed. Miami-Dade’s Home Rule Charter is not a relic. It is a living document that only works if people engage as it is being written.
Rebecca Wakefield is a member of the Charter Review Task Force. She is a strategic consultant with decades of experience at the intersection of public policy, economic development and civic engagement – as a former journalist, local government official, non-profit leader and advocate.
