Two of Miami-Dade’s newly-elected officials – the county tax collector and the sheriff – are publicly supporting a proposed statewide tax cut, saying local governments should spend less, while seeking more public money for their own budgets.
Editor’s Note: This story was first published on September 28 by WLRN Public Media. The Spotlight is re-publishing the story under a partnership agreement with WLRN.
Four of Miami-Dade County’s recently elected constitutional officers have broken ranks with many other elected leaders and come out in support of Florida’s proposed Amendment 3 property tax referendum on November’s ballot.
The officials claim that local governments need to tighten their belts, even though some of those same officials have asked for major increases in their own budgets.
At a press conference this week inside the Versailles Cuban Restaurant in Miami, a group led by Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Tomás Regalado argued for the passage of Amendment 3 — which will increase Florida’s homestead property exemption cap from $50,000 to $250,000 — saying property owners need long-awaited tax relief.
“ We are here because we have a lot of people who are trying to survive and to keep their homes,” Regalado, a former Miami mayor, said.
The referendum has drawn criticism from the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida Professional Firefighters, while a group of city and county officials around South Florida likened the proposal to a “payday loan scam.”
Critics say the amendment will drain millions from municipal budgets used for essential services like libraries, park maintenance and trash pickup, and governments may be forced to increase other fees to make up for the shortfall.
Read more: Shorter Hours, Fewer Services: Proposed Cuts Loom Large for Libraries
The county’s five constitutional officers, who assumed office last January, are: Property Appraiser Regalado, Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez, Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, and Clerk & Comptroller Juan Fernandez-Barquin.
Fernandez-Barquin has not taken a public stance on Amendment 3, while the other four constitutional officers have given the measure their support.
Fernandez, the county’s tax collector, said local governments need to “tighten belts” and reduce their budgets rather than argue against a tax reduction.
“ When expenses increase, families sit down, establish priorities, eliminate unnecessary spending, and find a way forward. Government should be willing to look at its budget with that same care,” Fernandez said.
Miami-Dade County has faced a series of cascading budget crises in recent years, in part owing to the creation of new independent constitutional offices like Fernandez’s in 2025, which necessitated new external taxpayer-funded budgets outside the county’s immediate purview.
Miami-Dade County Tax Collector
The County Tax Collector’s budget in particular ballooned when Fernandez took office.
When the Tax Collector’s office still reported to the county mayor prior to 2025, the office’s approved budget was $46 million.
During Fernandez’s first budget hearing last year, his office requested a budget increase of more than $60 million, a 132% jump by his office’s own calculation.
The Tax Collector’s Office added 500 employees in 2025 and built multiple new offices, many branded with Fernandez’s name and likeness.
Fernandez pushed back on questions about his office’s increased budget, saying he provided much needed service to Miami-Dade residents.
“Before my time, people were waiting in line more or less eight months just to get an appointment. Before my time, people were selling appointment online just to get an appointment to go to enter to our office,” Fernandez told WLRN.
While a line-item breakdown of Fernandez’s 2026-2027 budget request was not available on the county’s website, an email from the Florida Department of Revenue obtained by WLRN raises questions about his office’s spending.
In particular, his proposed budget includes a $2.3 million request this year for legal services, including a $1.8 million payment to a single law firm, Continental PLLC.
A Florida Department of Revenue employee noted that Fernandez’s budget request for legal services is “well above that of peer offices” and characterized it as a “substantial increase,” according to an email reviewed by WLRN.
Fernandez declined to take questions about his office’s budget.
Fernandez’s office has contributed certain tax savings to plug county’s budget deficits.
Miami-Dade County Sheriff
Other Republican constitutional officers have publicly supported Amendment 3, including Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
In a statement, Cordero-Stutz said that Amendment 3 will not affect public safety and said the government needs to look for efficiencies.
“Every government agency, including a Sheriff’s Office, has a responsibility to carefully examine its spending, identify efficiencies, eliminate unnecessary costs, and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used wisely,” Cordero-Stutz said.
At the same time, Cordero-Stutz has asked the Governor’s office to approve a $42 million increase in spending for her office after County Commissioners refused to approve her request for a 12% budget increase in 2027.
Instead, the County Commission approved a 6% increase, boosting her total budget to $1.2 billion.
County officials contend that if the state cabinet forces the county to approve that increase, other services like transit and public parks may need to be cut.
Miami-Dade County estimates it will lose $359 million in tax revenue in the first year if Amendment 3 passes, with the deficit increasing every year.
Amendment 3 also limits what local governments can spend property taxes on to specific categories, which may dramatically shift local budgets.
State Rep. Alex Rizo, a proponent of Amendment 3, said the state legislature will go back to Tallahassee in the Spring and seek other forms of tax relief for senior citizens and other Floridians.
Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, also at the Monday press conference, said he still supports Amendment 3 even though it will reduce his city’s budget. He argues government officials must seek places to cut costs so property owners can save money.
