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I’ve spent nearly a decade inside Miami city government, including serving as Assistant Director of the Building Department. I’ve seen firsthand how enforcement sometimes harms the very people it’s intended to help.
Small businesses are the backbone of Miami’s economy, yet they’re often treated like suspects rather than valued community members. The city’s approach to code compliance has become overzealous, inefficient, and disconnected from the realities small business owners face.
Under pressure from Commissioner Joe Carollo, enforcement shifted from promoting compliance to enforcing a draconian, one-size-fits-all public spectacle. Consider the reinstatement of the “Dry Hour Task Force.” Originally brought back post-COVID to comply with state regulations, it inexplicably remained active, targeting fully licensed and permitted restaurants and bars. There is no criteria or clarity as to how a restaurant gets selected, or why the Task Force returns to the same property but never visits another.
Imagine the impact of a dozen city staff entering a packed dining room during peak business hours. It feels like a raid. It sends a message that the city views small businesses as adversaries.
Moreover, it’s redundant. Code Enforcement and Fire Rescue already perform routine inspections during regular hours. Yet the city now sends Building Department inspectors late at night, when meaningful assessments, such as structural or electrical inspections, cannot occur. Inspectors must return again during the day, diverting crucial resources from actual public safety threats like unsafe structures solely for political optics.
The result? We waste resources, stretch our staff thin, and fail to focus where it counts.
This punitive mindset extends beyond Dry Hour. For years, even minor violations could result in revoking a business’s Certificate of Use. The city tried to create workarounds, like temporary certificates of use, but outdated systems and arbitrary criteria forced staff to process these manually. What started as a fix just created more red tape.
The same thing happened with the Unsafe Structures Panel. It used to offer flexibility. If a property owner was making a good-faith effort to comply, the city could work with them. But under political pressure, discretion was removed. Every case was treated the same: comply by the deadline or face demolition, even if permits were processed and work was underway. The only option left for many owners was to go to court.
Attempts to fix these policies often made the system even more confusing and burdensome. That’s what happens when enforcement is guided by optics and politics instead of practical governance.
Let me be clear: life safety is not negotiable. Life safety reviews and checks are mandated and continue. But small business owners are being forced to hire attorneys just to keep the lights on. Enforcement should be focused, fair, and rooted in good judgment, not intimidation.
This is where experience matters. I’ve helped manage one of the largest regulatory departments in the city, larger than most municipalities in Miami-Dade. I wasn’t theorizing. I was solving real problems, leading emergency responses, and helping staff, customers, and residents navigate broken systems from the inside. I know what’s not working, and I know how to fix it.
That’s the difference in this race. Miami needs someone who knows the city, who’s seen the dysfunction up close, and who can lead on day one, independently, without being tied financially to any commissioner.
If elected, here are my first steps for small businesses:
- End unnecessary late-night inspections by the Building Department. Concerns should be managed as they are for every other property type, via referral.
- Restore discretion in Unsafe Structures enforcement. Let staff prioritize actual risk, not arbitrary timelines.
- Separate minor violations from business shutdowns. If it’s not a life safety issue, businesses should stay open while they come into compliance.
- Modernize our permitting and licensing systems. These platforms must communicate to reduce delays and unnecessary administrative work.
If we truly care about small businesses and public safety, it’s time to treat compliance as a civic responsibility, not a crime. Let’s enforce the rules smartly, fairly, and with common sense.
