‘Miami-Dade’s soul is not for sale,’ commissioner says
Faced with a $402 million shortfall and serious cuts to county services and programs, Miami-Dade Commissioner Kionne McGhee wants to take back the $46 million that has been approved in cash incentives and in-kind services to FIFA World Cup for the activities surrounding the matches that will be here in 2026.
McGhee has asked the administration to halt any World Cup funding to pre-empt what he called “devastating budget cuts” — including senior meals, child nutrition programs, and even rape kit testing services — in Mayor Daniella Levine Cava‘s proposed 2025-26 budget.
“This is not fiscal responsibility — it is moral failure. Entertainment cannot come before humanity,” McGhee said.
He was one of the commissioners who voted for the expenditure of $21 million in cash and $25 million in in-kind services like police and fire rescue. But now, he’s got buyer’s remorse.
Read related: Miami-Dade could cut back services, give millions to FIFA for World Cup
“I was proud to support bringing the World Cup to Miami-Dade, believing it would showcase our world-class community and drive economic growth,” McGhee said in a statement. “But the Mayor’s proposed budget, which guts critical nonprofits and our county’s Community Action Agency, changes everything.
“When our residents are facing the loss of programs that keep communities alive, safe, and dignified, spending millions on FIFA stadiums and events becomes indefensible. I can no longer support it.”
McGhee cited severe recent cuts to:

Senior support services (meals, transportation, healthcare)
Summer lunch programs for food-insecure children
Trauma counseling and mental health resources
Testing of backlogged rape kits for survivors
Cultural arts grants sustaining local artists and educators
Non-profits providing direct aid to vulnerable families

Meanwhile, there are $46 million earmarked for FIFA “while seniors lose meal deliveries, children go hungry without summer lunches, rape kits gather dust untested, and trauma survivors are turned away from counseling,” McGhee said.
Read related: Facing $400M budget shortfall, Miami-Dade cuts senior meals, lifeguards, more
The FIFA allocation was sponsored by Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, whose district includes Miami Gardens, home to the Hard Rock Stadium that will host seven matches, including a quarter-final and the third-place game, between June 15 and July 18, 2026. 
Lobbyist Rodney Barreto, whose firm represents the Dolphins and who serves as co-chair of the World Cup hosting committee, told The Miami Herald that economic boost from the events will more than make up for it. “The hotel tax revenue produced will be more than enough to justify the item,” Barreto said.
But that was before international visitors started canceling their travel plans because of the aggressive U.S. anti-immigration movements and rhetoric. And les mauvaises langues, or las malas lenguas across the pond, are saying that FIFA is seriously considering moving the U.S. matches to Canada or Mexico, which are also hosting games, simply to avoid the entry visa nightmare and potential detention of players, staff and fans.
McGhee is serious about his demands. He doesn’t just want the immediate suspension of all funding for World-Cup related activities or projects, he wants the full $46 million refunded and he wants the unspent dollars redirected to restore grants for non-profits.
One more small thing: McGhee also wants a public audit of World Cup expenditures to date to “ensure swift return of taxpayer funds.”
“Until the Mayor’s proposed budget fully restores the $46 million to the organizations saving lives in our neighborhoods — not stadiums — I will oppose every dime spent on FIFA. Miami-Dade’s soul is not for sale.
“We choose communities over stadiums, people over spectacle, and compassion over glamour.”
He will have to get at least seven other commissioners to go along if he wants to reverse the vote. And only three voted against the subsidy already: Commissioners Marleine Bastien, Juan Carlos Bermudez and Roberto Gonzalez, who also voted against the flat tax rate proposed with the millage. But that vote for the FIFA allocation was in May, so it was before the budget cuts were announce.
Maybe someone else will have some post-decision dissonance with the gift.
The post Buyer’s remorse: Kionne McGhee wants refund on $46M to FIFA World Cup appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, facing the harshest budget year of her administration and almost certain cuts to services, asked all department heads earlier this month to identify where they could cut 10% of their expenses. Then, this week, she has recommended the county hand another $10.5 million subsidy to FIFA for the seven 2026 World Cup games that will be played here.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association already got $10.5 million in cash and another $25 in donated or in-kind county services, like police and fire rescue. It was cut from their original request for $21 million in cash after pubic outcry last year, including criticism from Florida House Speaker Daniel “Danny” Perez.
Even Levine Cava, last year, had concerns about the subsidy, calling it a significant cost. That resistance was why Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, who sponsored the legislation (the World Cup games will at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens), decided to compromise and as for only half of the cash the organization wanted.
But even then, it seemed like another bait and switch was coming when Miami-Dade Commissioner Anthony Rodriguez said, “We might need more.”
Read related: Rep. Danny Perez enters Miami-Dade politics — as precursor to mayoral run?
Gilbert is again sponsoring the legislation that would give FIFA the other $10.5 mil.

But do they really need it?
All FIFA tournaments generate revenue from sponsorships. In 2022, FIFA had revenues of over $5.8 billion, ending the 2019–2022 cycle with a net positive of $1.2 billion, and cash reserves of over $3.9 billion, according to Wikipedia, which cites the organization’s own Financial Highlights report of April 2023. There have been investigative journalism reports over the years that have linked FIFA leadership with corruption, bribery and vote rigging.
Hmm. They should fit right in here.
This $10.5 million is a drop in the bucket for FIFA leaders, who all get big, fat bonuses, but important to Miami-Dade residents, who could see their services decrease.
The legislation is coming up at Tuesday’s county commission meeting. It is part of the “mid-year supplemental budget adjustments and amendments” for operating and capital expenses that total $137.258 million, according to the memo from the mayor’s office. That includes:

Almost $30 million for the new Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Department, most of it for bargaining concessions and overtime.
More than $1.3 million to the Property Appraiser’s office.
$6.3 million to the Tax Collector’s office.
$3.7 million for the Supervisor of Elections, for 16 new positions and “rebranding efforts.”
$750,000, or $150K for each of the constitutional positions, for outside legal counsel in the transition process.

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What is State Rep. Daniel “Danny” Perez doing getting all involved in the proposed Miami-Dade subsidies for the World Cup? This week, the Miami Herald published a story in which Perez came out against a move to give $46 million away for the privilege of hosting seven World Cup matches in 2026.

Perez, a Republican representing House District 116 (Westchester), says no public funds should go to the “elites of FIFA,” referring to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, which organizes the international tournament every four years, and that the money should go to other needs, of which there are plenty.

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