Facing $400M budget shortfall, Miami-Dade cuts senior meals, lifeguards, more

Meanwhile FIFA still gets $46M from taxpayers
Say goodbye to addiction outreach teams, and hello to more overdoses and addicts, if Miami-Dade commissioners approve the 2025-2026 budget proposed this week by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. It proposes a number of cuts to fill the $402 million budget shortfall that the county is facing now that all our federal COVID cash has dried up.
Abuelito‘s subsidized lunch? No más, as three food programs for seniors are on the chopping block. Two senior day care centers — one in Little River and one in South Dade — could be closed.
Also, everybody may have to pay $5 to park at Tropical Park or A.D. Barnes Park. And if you go to a public county pool, well, swim at your own risk or take your own personal lifeguard. But mosquitos and rats will get their time to shine as the county cuts down on landscaping in public areas.
And there are about $40 million in cuts to non-profit grants, some of which may be justified but others that will definitely affect safety nets for thousands of people who live and work in Miami-Dade and fall through the government cracks.
Meanwhile, FIFA still gets $46 million from the taxpayers in cash and in-kind services for their World Cup. Because, you know, priorities.
Read related: Miami-Dade could cut back services, give millions to FIFA for World Cup
Subsidies for billion dollar brands and “economic incentives” do not seem to be as expendable as park programming or, say. senior meals when it comes to the recommended cuts to the $402 million budget shortfall that the county is facing now that all our federal COVID cash has dried up.
The proposed budget “reflects the needs of our community, with responsible, accountable fiscal leadership,” Levine Cava said, with a straight face, in a press conference at County Hall Tuesday that looked more like a funeral. She was flanked by her bloated cabinet of chiefs of this and that, including Public Safety Chief James Reyes — who is doing what, exactly, now that we have a sheriff? — and Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales, who was hiding behind the sign language interpreter in the corner.
None of them looked very happy.
It seems they should be smiling more if they are really “building a stronger, more secure Miami-Dade for tomorrow and delivering essential services, spending every single taxpayer dollar efficiently and being accountable to the residents we serve,” as Levine Cava said.
The mayor bragged long-delayed improvements made to Miami International Airport — which still has a long way to go (more on that later) — increased investments in law enforcement and the public transit system, residential and business assistance programs and a spike in the county’s bond rating, which saves more than $500 million over the life of the bonds. She also said these investments made Miami-Dade “one of fastest recovering economies in the country” after the pandemic.
Levine Cava thanked the commission for two consecutive years of decreases in the county’s millage, or tax rate, bringing it to its lowest since 1982, and “easing the burden for many families in our community who are struggling to help ends meet.”
“But today, we are facing a new and difficult fiscal reality,” Levine Cava said. “This budget year brings extraordinary challenges.”
This year’s proposed flat rate will mean that almost everybody pays higher taxes due to increased property values (more on that later).
La Alcaldesa laid the blame for nearly half of the shortfall on the five constitutional offices for the elected county sheriff, supervisor of elections, clerk, property appraiser and tax collector, which are now separate entities, the result of a “mandate,” which is what she called the state charter amendment that was passed by 58% of county voters in 2018.
“The expansion of essentially one county government into six has come at a great cost,” Levine Cava said.
She also said that there has been an increase in the demand for services as well as in the cost of goods and services that affect the government just like it affects families. This has created what she called “the perfect storm.” And like any household, the county has had to tighten its belt, “making sure that every single taxpayer cent is spent” wisely.
Read related: Miami-Dade elected officials say they went to Panama on their own dime
Departments have cut their budgets between 10 and 35 percent, Levine Cava said, adding that some would merge to streamline services, combine functions and create savings while maintaining services. Some park programming would be sacrificed and grants to nonprofits, which has become a controversial process recently, are also going to be “scaled back,” she said.
While Metro Connect — an on-demand, shared-ride service designed to fill the “first mile, last mile” gap in public transportation — will also be scaled back, there are no proposed cuts to Metro Rail, Metro Mover and Metro Bus. In fact, the county expects to launch the South Dade Bus Rapid Transit line later this year. Seniors can also continue to get their Golden Passport for free, which allows them to ride for free.
Maybe they can go get something to eat.
“We did everything possible to protect essential services and employees,” Levine Cava said. Really? Ladra knows where you can find $46 million.
Miami-Dade Commissioners seemed surprised by the proposed budget at Wednesday’s meeting, where they were tasked with setting the tax rate. But each of them have met with the mayor or someone from her office. Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez said said he met with Levine Cava weekly on the budget and that she told him more than once that “she’s lost a lot of sleep” over it. “As have I,” Rodriguez said.
So, they knew this was coming. It’s not a surprise. Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez issued a statement that said the county commission had misplaced the blame.
“Miami-Dade County had seven full years to prepare for this transition—to plan, budget, and make sure everything was ready. But they failed to act,” Fernandez said, referring to the lack of preparation following the voter-mandated transition to constitutional offices in 2018, which was approved by 58% of the voters in Miami-Dade.
“Miami-Dade County does not have a revenue problem,” said Fernandez, a Republican. “It has a spending problem.”
The county commission was also split pretty much along partisan lines: Republicans like Roberto Gonzalez are suddenly fiscal hawks, accusing the mayor of being too generous with other people’s money. This is rich, coming from the guy who spent $1 million of other people’s money getting a second district office because the first one didn’t meet his standards.
Read related: Miami-Dade taxpayers fund $1 mil move for Commissioner Rob Gonzalez
Commissioner Raquel Regalado called the proposed budget a “work in progress” and wanted the commission to cut the tax rate by the tiniest percentage, again. It’s just a habit with her. She does it every year.
“I understand that this is a painful year,” Regalado said, agreeing with the tax collector on the constitutional offices. “We started talking about the impact of the constitutional offices five years ago. And three years ago we established a fund and started talking about what we needed to put away.”
She suggested that the commission have an appropriations committee meeting in August “to go line by line” and find more places to cut. “I don’t think this is a budget we can leave until the week before the budget hearing.
“This is not a year when we can just disagree with the mayor’s recommendation,” Regalado added. “This is a year where we have to provide alternatives to her.
“This year and next year are going to be very different and we’ve known that for a very, very, very long time. We either have to reduce services or we have to reduce growth.”
Newly-appointed Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis agreed that the tax rate should go down. “The proposal as it stands today, asks working families to pay more while getting less,” she said, adding that she was concerned about landscaping cuts leading to illegal dumping and the increased park fees.
“That’s one of the free and safe places families can go and spend time together,” Milian Orbis said.”Our budget reflects our values and this one right now sends the wrong message.”
Commissioner Juan Carlos “JC” Bermudez said he would also make himself available to find efficiencies but he didn’t want to shrink the tax rate just a tad to save few dollars at the expense of more service cuts.
“If we are going to lower it to be the equivalent of a Happy Meal at McDonald’s for our residents and hurt the services provided to the residents of  Miami-Dade County, that smacks to me of politics, it doesn’t smack to me of practicality,” Bermudez said.
Commissioner Senator Rene Garcia agreed with a special meeting to try to lower the flat rate and that the timing was perfect for it. “It’s important for all of us to really take a deep dive and find savings,” he said.
Read related: René García ditches Hialeah mayoral race — after stirring the political pot
But Wednesday’s meeting was eight hours long. How long will a line-by-line review of the budget take? Ladra would guess around three days..
The Democrats on the dais were already shocked at the cuts that are already proposed and are unlikely to support more “adjustments” to services. Commissioner Marleine Bastien called it “a budget without soul.” Commissioner Kionne McGhee said “working families are left out.”
Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, who still doesn’t realize he is no longer the chair, urged the commission to pass the flat rate because they can always reduce it later. They can’t increase it. He said he feared that “base services” like transportation and parks would be hit harder if any more cuts were needed.
“When people talk about austerity and talk about ‘tighten your belt,’ it’s figurative. They’re saying it, but they’re not actually literal. This isn’t one of the talk shows like MSNBC or CNN or FOX. This isn’t any radio show. This isn’t a newspaper. This isn’t a speech in congress. This isn’t a speech in Tallahassee.”
No, but apparently it is a speech at Miami-Dade Government Center.
Gilbert said he was willing to meet in August to work on reductions. “But I think it’s prudent for us to make sure we can at least staff and fund the government at this level,” he said. “When we take in less money, we have to provide fewer services. when we provide those fewer services, typically that accompanies layoffs.”
La Alcaldesa insists she is cutting where she can without eliminating bus routes, firing employees or closing entire parks — yet.
“They were all very hard choices, but they were the right choices,” she told commissioners at Wednesday’s meeting, asking them not to cut the tax rate. “Making any millage cuts now when we have prepared a far balanced budget despite unprecendedn financial restraints would be fiscally irresponsible and would only cause residents to experience deeper service adjustments.”
Meanwhile, residents are left asking why abuelito can’t get his meals delivered but we’re still footing the bill for international soccer.
There will have a chance to ask at two public budget hearings, Sept. 4 and Sept. 18. The appropriations committee when commissioners go line by line, with one of those combs for lice, to find more savings will likely be Aug. 20. Regalado wanted to have it sooner but the mayor said she won’t be here.
Find more information about the 2025-26 budget and the budget process here.
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