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My opponent, the incumbent Mayor, has made it known that she has received the endorsement of many unions that supposedly represent public sector employees. Who in these unions decides which candidates endorse? The rank and file? Or is it their executive boards? We have seen recently how public employee unions endorse candidates against the wishes of its own rank and file.
The situation in Miami Dade County is similar, these unions say they represent the working class but as we all know, every day that passes it gets harder and harder for working- and middle-class folks to live in Miami-Dade County. Rents and home prices rise astronomically, why? Largely in part because our mayor has guided our county government to its largest budget of over $11.7 Billion in the history of Miami-Dade County, that is an increase of more than 20% over the last three years. These budget increases are funded mostly by increased property taxes which in turn cause rents and the tax portion of mortgage payments to rise. Further squeezing our ever-tightening family budgets. We all know that beyond the public sector we need private sector job growth for our economy to grow in Miami-Dade County.
The backbone of that job creation is small and mid-size businesses. Yet the county is continuing to make opening or expanding a business more and more difficult with a permitting process that drowns small businesses and homeowners in red tape. Permits can take months and, in some cases, years hindering job creation and economic growth. How do any of those things help Miami -Dade County’s working, middle class, or small business owners?
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> To add to the disconnect of the current administration, Mayor Levine-Cava is pushing for the approval of a $2.5 Billion bond that will increase taxes. She falsely claims it will be “revenue neutral” but the reality is clear it will either increase your taxes or prevent the county from lowering your taxes.
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> I propose to fix all this by doing what has already been done in Miami Lakes during my time as Mayor there. In 2023 we rolled back taxes saving taxpayers over 10% on their property taxes. We revamped the building department in Miami Lakes to make sure that the needs of those seeking a permit were taken seriously and their time valued. Today, the average time to acquire a permit in Miami Lakes is four days. We don’t look at small businesses or homeowners as adversaries, we treat them like customers who should receive prompt and attentive service. My ultimate goal is to make sure our working families, middle class and small business owners can afford to live and work in Miami Dade County by creating a Miami-Dade County government that is affordable and works for ALL of us.
Manny Cid, Mayor of Miami Lakes and currently a candidate for Miami-Dade County Mayor.
