Just months after Mayor Eileen Higgins pledged to rein in runaway spending, city officials are pushing to increase the current-year budget by about 2.5% while leaving unclear why much of the money is needed and where it will ultimately go.
Politics
Tension and relations between policies and their advocates.
Elections, Referendums. Campaigns and Candidates.
Miami Eyes New Firefighter Pension Expansion Without Public Cost Estimate
As Miami’s pension obligations continue to swell, a city proposal would expand firefighter retirement benefits and extend participation in the lucrative DROP program, ending pension reforms imposed during the city’s fiscal crisis — but without publicly disclosing how much the changes may ultimately cost taxpayers.
Inside City Hall: The Soaring Price Tag for Miami’s Police
As Miami debates a proposed $450 million public-safety bond, the ever-escalating cost of policing — driven by rising salaries, pensions and overtime — has climbed to levels few major U.S. cities can match, even as crime reaches record lows.
Inside City Hall: Higgins Spends Big on Revamped Office Staff
After moving out nearly all of former Mayor Francis Suarez’s office staff, Miami’s new mayor has assembled a more top-heavy team of higher-paid senior advisers with total salaries (excluding her own) exceeding $2 million.
Who’s Representing Coconut Grove in Tallahassee?
With a special legislative session set to begin this week in Tallahassee, Coconut Grove is down to one representative in the Florida House, and even she is a mystery.
Miami Delays Vote on $450-Million Bond Proposal
Editor’s Note: This story was published on April 23 by WLRN Public Media. The Spotlight is re-publishing this story under a partnership agreement with WLRN. This August, City of Miami voters might or might not have the chance to decide whether the city should take out $450 million in loans[Read More…]
A Commission Recap: Parks, Preservation, and The Hangar
The City Commission approved a $200,000 grant to support the restoration of the historic Ace Theater, allocated $13 million for park improvements and affordable housing in District 2, and granted The Hangar a waiver to host more events in 2026.
Inside City Hall: Miami’s Salary Secret
With salaries and benefits consuming 77% of Miami’s budget, payroll systems track every dollar paid — including overtime and bonuses — but city officials declined to provide a full accounting of what employees actually earn.
Pardo Responds to Question about Fate of City Hall
The fate of the Pan Am seaplane terminal at Dinner Key has been a topic of concern for Grove residents since late last month when the Miami Herald published a story saying the City of Miami planned to move City Hall to Freedom Park in 2028. (The Spotlight published a[Read More…]
Cost of Miami’s Election Fiasco Could Double
The cost of last year’s election fiasco for Miami taxpayers may double this week, if the Miami City Commission agrees to pay $150,000 in legal fees incurred by former mayoral candidate Emilio Gonzalez. Gonzalez went to court last year to prevent the city from moving the 2025 general election to[Read More…]
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Miami-Dade County has formed a working group to
School Board Approves Expansion at Coconut Grove Elementary School
School board members greenlighted the design and
Amid Record Spending, City Asks for $46 Million More
Just months after Mayor Eileen Higgins pledged to rein
Miami Eyes New Firefighter Pension Expansion Without Public Cost Estimate
As Miami’s pension obligations continue to swell, a
Inside City Hall: The Soaring Price Tag for Miami’s Police
As Miami debates a proposed $450 million public-safety
Miami Planning Board Rejects the County’s Playhouse Plan
The Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board deadlocked