Commissioners questioned the City of Miami’s spending habits and its chronically underfunded Solid Waste budget last week during the first of two public hearings on the city’s proposed $3.6 billion budget.
Politics
Tension and relations between policies and their advocates.
Elections, Referendums. Campaigns and Candidates.
Miami’s Billion-Dollar Boom, Part 3: City Hall’s Growing Payroll
Miami’s annual bill for salaries and employee benefits has grown by nearly $500 million in a decade, while the number of budgeted positions increased only about 12%. Meanwhile, the city’s capital plan still carries a roughly $1.8 billion funding gap.
Miami’s Billion-Dollar Boom, Part 2: The Rising Cost of Public Safety
Over the past decade, Miami’s real estate boom brought City Hall hundreds of millions in new spending power. Much of it went to police and fire, which more than doubled their annual budgets to nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars.
Inside City Hall: The Hidden Pay Fueling Miami’s Six-Figure Firefighter Pensions
Newly obtained pension records show Miami firefighters are credited with an average of $31,500 more in annual compensation than their published base salaries — and for some, the difference approaches $100,000.
Miami’s Billion-Dollar Boom, Part 1: Where Did All the Money Go?
As commissioners prepare to consider another record budget — and voters face a $450 million public-safety bond in November — an analysis of city financial records finds Miami’s property-tax collections have soared over the past decade, rising sharply even after accounting for inflation and population growth.
Miami Voters Embrace Change – Again
Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo won the change he sought at the ballot box on Tuesday. So, what’s next on his agenda?
Miami Voters Face Competing Visions for Election Reform
Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo is asking voters to move city elections to even-numbered years beginning in 2034, but critics say his proposal either doesn’t go far enough — or shouldn’t happen at all.
Miami Pulled the Plug on a $16 Million Little Havana Park. Why?
Miami City Commissioner Rolando Escalona says he stopped the five-acre park project to reconsider how best to expand green space in Little Havana. His predecessor says there’s another explanation.
Meet the Primary Candidates for House District 113
Three Republicans and two Democrats are running in the Aug. 18 primary election to represent the North Grove, Shenandoah, Brickell, and downtown Miami in Tallahassee next year.
Inside City Hall: How Miami Firefighters Retire With Six-Figure Pensions
A Spotlight analysis of retirement records, labor contracts and city payroll data explains why Miami firefighters are far more likely than other city employees to retire with six-figure pensions — and why those costs may continue to grow.
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