Greetings Friends, Clients & Colleagues,
I hope our brief #BudgetMatters Newsletter finds you and yours well.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has released the proposed FY 2026-27 budget for Miami-Dade County. The proposal seeks to balance fiscal responsibility with service delivery, holding the operating tax rate flat for the fourth consecutive year.
Here is the big picture: The proposed budget focuses on maintaining core services and efficiency, all while navigating significant fiscal headwinds. We are tracking the administration’s priorities closely as they move toward the upcoming public hearings.
Quick Highlights
Here’s the quick rundown of what’s changed, courtesy of Mayor Levine Cava’s Sep. 15 Press Release:
- Public Safety & Sheriff’s Office: $66 million in funding above last year’s operating budget.
- Transit: An increase of $66 million in spending to prioritize transit operations.
- Efficiency (WISE305): $42 million in savings, helping reduce costs by $79 million and eliminating over 400 vacant positions.
- Fiscal Planning: Protecting core services while preparing a buffer for potential statewide property tax reform.
- Arts & CBOs: We are monitoring discussions regarding the transition of cultural arts funding to five-year cycles to provide predictability for organizations, while the County continues to prioritize CBO funding as a critical component of the community safety net.
These investments reflect a targeted approach to bolstering essential services amidst a shifting economic landscape.
The budget reflects Mayor Levine Cava’s five priorities: healthy and safe communities, an economy that works for all, fiscal responsibility and efficiency, infrastructure investment, and risk reduction and resilience.
Dive deeper
Mark Your Calendars
Your input matters. The budget hearings are the best opportunity to engage with the process.
- Hearing 1: Sept. 3, 2026, at 5:01 PM
- Hearing 2: Sept. 17, 2026, at 5:01 PM
- Location: Commission Chambers. You can also join virtually via the County’s Budget website.
As always, I’m here to help navigate these developments. If you have questions about how these shifts affect your interests, just hit reply.
Warmly,
Jorge Luis Lopez, Esq. | Governmental Affairs Attorney
P.S. Special thanks to our sons AR Lopez, JD and Luis Jorge Lopez, Intern for their diligent research and writing support in preparing this edition of #BudgetMatters.