Kionne McGhee has own Miami-Dade budget town hall to focus on non-profits

We already know that Miami-Dade Commission Vice Chairman Kionne L. McGhee is not happy about the mayor’s proposed $12.9 billion 2025-26 budget of service cuts and fee hikes — especially not when the county’s most vulnerable residents are going to pay the price. Especially when the nonprofits brace for extinction while the county still has $46 million earmarked for FIFA World Cup subsidies.
McGhee has already called for the county to claw back the $46 million committed to FIFA World Cup related activities in light of a $402 million budget shortfall that could cause a slash in spending that includes $40 in grants for non-profits.
On Tuesday, McGhee announced an urgent community meeting on the purposed cuts to community organizations, which are a lifeline that fills the gaps the county services can’t get to. What we can call a crisis roundtable will begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8 at Kristi House, 1265 NW 12th Ave., where McGhee aims to bring together leaders from some of the nonprofits whose funding was cut in Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s austerity plan.
Read related: Facing $400M budget shortfall, Miami-Dade cuts senior meals, lifeguards, more
That budget, as Ladra has already told you, tries to plug a $402 million hole with a nasty combo of service cuts and fee hikes meant to keep property tax rates flat (which still means a small increase due to rising property values). It slashes funding to arts groups, park programs, senior meals and services — and about $40 million in grants for community-based organizations that provide everything from mental health treatment to trauma care for abused children.
And McGhee has had enough.
“Miami-Dade’s nonprofit organizations provide life-saving, transformational services to thousands of residents every single day,” McGhee said in a statement. “I intend to ensure their voices are heard and that we work together to preserve the critical support systems that hold our community together.”
Read related: Buyer’s remorse: Kionne McGhee wants refund on $46M to FIFA World Cup
The commissioner chose Kristi House, a nonprofit that has become a municipal darling in the fight against child abuse and sexual violence, because he wants to emphasize how deep the cuts will hurt. The organization will nearly half a million dollars short because of the county’s budget cuts. Kristi House CEO Amanda Altman didn’t mince words at the public budget town hall Wednesday in Arcola Lakes.
“What am I supposed to tell the 354 children Kristi House will have to turn away this year because the county decided they weren’t worth fighting for,” she asked Levine Cava, according to to a story by the Miami Herald (Doug Hanks has been to all the town halls).
Kristi House
“These proposed cuts threaten to dismantle services that children and families depend on,” Altman said in a statement released by McGhee’s office, which then included, “We’re incredibly grateful to Vice Chairman McGhee for shining a spotlight on this urgent crisis.”
There it is. McGhee isn’t termed out until 2028, but he has been making a lot of public statements lately and it seems he is trying to position himself as a Democrat candidate for Congress or state senate.
But, also, he’s not wrong. This is a crisis that will have untold consequences. And while the mayor defends her cuts and fee hikes at her budget town halls, this week, those meetings have focused more on blaming the constitutional offices than finding a solution.
Like maybe not giving FIFA boosters $46 million.
And while Chairman Anthony Rodriguez is busy fluffing pillows for the DOGE squad and touting “efficiency” and “transparency,” McGhee is fighting for the people who actually need government support. Rodriguez wants to cut budget fat — McGhee wants to stop cutting flesh and bone.
Read related: Anthony Rodriguez rolls out red carpet for state DOGE, calls it ‘collaboration’
If the county can find $46 million for FIFA, it can find $3 million to keep families in their homes. If it can fund fan zones and broadcast infrastructure, it can fund trauma counseling and summer lunches.
This isn’t just a budget crisis. It’s a moral one.
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