City payroll data show 110 Miami employees now earn more than $200,000 a year — more than twice the number in 2023.
At least 110 City of Miami employees will earn at least $200,000 in the current fiscal year — more than double the number who reached that threshold just two years ago.
In 2023, 47 city employees earned $200,000 or more, meaning the number of top earners has increased by more than 130% in a relatively short period, even as Miami’s population growth has remained largely flat.
The Spotlight obtained 2025 payroll data through a city public records request. Payroll figures for 2023 were sourced from publicly available government employee databases such as GovSalaries.com.
The expansion of six-figure salaries comes amid a period of rapid growth in the city’s overall budget – and a pledge by newly-elected mayor Eileen Higgins to closely examine where and why city spending has grown so sharply.
While overall employment rolls have increased 11% over the past five years, salaries and wages have jumped 54% to $591.5 million. Employee benefits have increased even further, 62%, to $356.2 million this year.
Together, salaries and benefits for the city’s 5,031 employees account for 77% of the city’s operating budget.
At the top of the 2025 payroll list is City Manager Art Noriega, who will earn just over $525,000 this year. Noriega oversees the city’s $3.8 billion budget and has broad authority over administrative operations and staffing.
Since taking office in 2020, Noriega’s pay has increased sharply, placing him well above his counterparts in neighboring cities.
Noriega is not alone among top earners with sizeable pay bumps in recent years. Several members of the City Manager’s Office and other executive departments now earn well north of $250,000, including deputy city managers, the chief financial officer, and top police and fire-rescue officials.
Under Miami’s charter, the city manager is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Commission. Higgins has said Noriega will remain in his role at least through the early months of her administration to ensure an orderly transition.
The table below lists the 110 City of Miami employees earning at least $200,000 for the current fiscal year, providing a snapshot of executive compensation at City Hall as the city transitions to a new mayoral administration.
The City of Miami’s $200K Club for 2025
| NAME | JOB TITLE | SALARY |
| Arthur Noriega | City Manager | $525,017.61 |
| George K Wysong | City Attorney | $417,642.12 |
| Kevin R Jones | Deputy City Attorney | $361,725.00 |
| Manuel A Morales | Chief Of Police | $350,000.00 |
| Deanna D Rasco | Senior Assistant City Attorney | $322,770.00 |
| Natasha S Colebrook-Williams | Deputy City Manager | $312,641.70 |
| Robert Hevia | Chief Of Fire | $290,927.20 |
| Erica T Paschal | Chief Fin Officer (CFO)/Assistant City Manager | $285,935.35 |
| Asael Marrero | Assistant City Manager | $283,147.20 |
| Arturo Duque | CIO/Director of Innovation & Technology | $280,558.12 |
| Barbara C Hernandez | Assistant City Manager | $277,248.30 |
| Juvenal Santana | Dir Public Works | $276,780.20 |
| Richard Perez | First Assistant Chief of Police | $272,466.56 |
| Annie Perez | Dir, Purchasing | $265,493.40 |
| Niorge Aragon | Deputy Fire Chief | $264,479.29 |
| Scott K Dean | Deputy Fire Chief | $264,479.29 |
| Rachel S Dooley | Assistant City Attorney, Supervisor | $262,931.87 |
| Armando R Aguilar | Asst Chief Police | $259,491.97 |
| Eric N Gonzalez | Asst Chief Police | $259,491.97 |
| Chiquita F Thomas-Butler | Asst Chief Police | $259,491.97 |
| Angela V Roberts | Dir Human Resources | $253,780.43 |
| Leon P Michel | Assistant Director, Management and Budget | $250,422.68 |
| David M Goehl | Senior Assistant City Attorney | $249,681.96 |
| Cesar A Llave | Information Systems Manager, Fire/Police | $247,623.17 |
| Andres Valdes | Police Commander | $247,135.22 |
| Fabria D Ellington | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Max Gabriel | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Daniel Garrido | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Albert S Guerra | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Jesus Ibalmea | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Robert G Laurenceau | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Winsor D Lozano | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Um S Ramos | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Jose A Rodriguez | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Ernesto R Sierra | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Keandra T Simmons | Police Major | $247,135.20 |
| Luis Torres | Assistant Director, Building/Building Official | $242,649.65 |
| Ricardo Martinez | Ast Dir Human Resources | $242,457.94 |
| Bianca Joseph | Police Major | $242,289.41 |
| Alex Valdes | Police Major | $242,289.41 |
| Marie M Gouin | Director, Office of Management and Budget | $241,854.90 |
| Steven M Carroll | Asst Chief Fire | $239,890.50 |
| David M Duthil | Asst Chief Fire | $239,890.50 |
| Christian F Guzman | Asst Chief Fire, Fire Marshall | $239,890.50 |
| Robert C Hardy | Asst Chief Fire | $239,890.50 |
| Melissa H Llera | Asst Chief Fire | $239,890.50 |
| Grant S Musser | Asst Chief Fire | $239,890.50 |
| Adrian E Plasencia | Asst Chief Fire | $239,890.50 |
| Tamara C Allen Frost | Director of Zoning/Zoning Administrator | $235,956.00 |
| Jose R Perez | Director, Capital Improvement Program | $235,956.00 |
| Eduardo Santamaria | Director of Building | $235,956.00 |
| David R Snow | Director, Planning | $235,956.00 |
| William W Bryson | Asst Chief Fire | $235,186.77 |
| Christopher A Diaz | Asst Chief Fire | $235,186.77 |
| Gerardo Rodriguez | Asst Chief Fire | $235,186.77 |
| Cheriene G Floyd | Chief Data Officer/Concierge Services | $231,354.86 |
| Hector Pico | IT Infrastructure Mgr. | $230,815.90 |
| Todd B Hannon | City Clerk | $229,852.50 |
| Andrew W Frey | Dir Public Facilities | $229,791.65 |
| Munirah J Daniel | Dir Finance | $228,026.14 |
| Lillian P Blondet | Director, Grants and Sustainable Initiatives | $227,656.98 |
| Tishria L Mindingall | Executive Secretary – CSB (Director) | $227,656.98 |
| Armando J Blanco | Treasurer (Assistant Director, Finance) | $225,007.56 |
| Manuel G Abreu | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Katherine D Baker | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Conrad J Chin-Quee | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Freddie Cruz | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Joaquin A Freire | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Gilberto Gomez | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Jorge L Rodriguez | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Altarr Williams | Police Commander | $224,668.38 |
| Sonia Brubaker | Chief Resilience Officer (Director) | $222,805.98 |
| Alexander Lamprou | Senior Sergeant at Arms | $222,501.97 |
| Juan C Nodal | Executive Officer to the Police Chief | $222,501.97 |
| David Valentin | Executive Officer to the Police Chief | $222,501.97 |
| Matthew D Baker | Applications Support Supervisor | $220,324.15 |
| Ileana V Oliva | Applications Support Supervisor | $220,324.15 |
| Alex J Cooper | Police Commander | $220,263.13 |
| Alfredo Delgado | Police Commander | $220,263.13 |
| Eldys Diaz | Police Commander | $220,263.13 |
| Roger R Jackson | Police Commander | $220,263.13 |
| Maurice Sodre | Police Commander | $220,263.13 |
| Mariela C Del Rio | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Supervisor | $219,564.70 |
| Patricia M Arias | Senior Assistant City Attorney | $218,148.00 |
| Juan C Perez | Senior Assistant City Attorney | $218,148.00 |
| Edson A Abbott | Senior Sergeant at Arms | $218,139.20 |
| Pierre Cazassus | Senior Sergeant at Arms | $218,139.20 |
| Keith A Carswell | Director of Economic Innovation & Development | $217,300.00 |
| Eyran Kraus | Testing And Validation Supervisor | $216,988.93 |
| James M Brako | Asst City Attorney | $216,266.78 |
| Khadijah Dean | Law Office Manager | $216,039.24 |
| Roberto J Suarez | Executive Officer to the Fire Chief | $215,979.40 |
| Jennifer Ramirez | Dir General Serv. Admin | $215,060.96 |
| Hector L Badia Moro | AD, Capital Improvements – Program Management | $213,846.92 |
| Xavier E Alban | Deputy City Attorney | $212,000.00 |
| Victor T Turner | Dir Community Development | $212,000.00 |
| Kian J Attai | Executive Officer to the Fire Chief | $211,744.51 |
| Rene I Diaz | Senior Chief of Unsafe Structures | $211,217.14 |
| Guy M Marcus | Oracle Systems Administrator | $209,832.65 |
| Charles M Alfaro | Assistant Director, Development & Transportation | $207,841.07 |
| Stephanie K Panoff | Assistant City Attorney, Supervisor | $205,905.00 |
| Roberto J Tazoe | Asst. Director, Community Development | $205,575.52 |
| Oscar Ellis | Dir., Parks & Rec | $205,000.00 |
| Francisco J Petrirena Cubota | City Manager Chief Of Staff | $203,520.00 |
| Marc A Alexandre | Executive Officer to the Fire Chief | $202,529.43 |
| Clara B Sidan | Assistant Director, Stormwater & Permitting | $201,917.93 |
| Nicholas P Basco | Asst City Attorney | $201,453.00 |
| Maria F Eisenhart | Asst. Director, Community Development | $201,201.22 |
| Eric J Eves | Assistant City Attorney, Supervisor | $200,340.00 |
| Dale Henderson | Dir. Solid Waste | $200,000.00 |
