Spotlight 221-260630

Good morning. What we’re covering in today’s Spotlight:

The Cost of Miami’s Public Safety Pensions
Coyotes in Coconut Grove: Who’s on the Menu?
What Tax Reform Might Mean for Libraries
A Veto of Florida’s New E-Bike Safety Rules

Inside City Hall: The Rise of Six-Figure Public Safety Pensions

As Miami officials ask voters to approve $450 million in borrowing for new police and fire facilities, a Spotlight analysis of retirement records reveals another major long-term public safety cost: The city’s police and fire retirement system paid out nearly $192 million last year in pension and cost-of-living benefits.

By David Villano

More than 360 retired City of Miami police officers and firefighters currently receive annual pension benefits exceeding $100,000, including 195 collecting more than $120,000 a year and 73 receiving at least $150,000 annually, according to a Spotlight analysis of retirement records obtained through a public records request.

The largest current pension totals $222,659 a year.

The records identify 1,836 retired members of the City of Miami Firefighters’ and Police Officers’ Retirement Trust who currently receive monthly pension payments, offering a detailed public snapshot of the city’s public safety retirement system.

Meet Your New Neighbor: The Coyote

Wildlife experts say coyotes are here to stay, like the other exotic animals that have quickly adapted to life in South Florida.

By Christopher Pearson

Rebecca Whited had just dropped off her son at Ransom Everglades in late January for a 5:30 a.m. pool workout and was heading south on Main Highway when she saw what she thought were two dogs trotting toward her in the middle of the street.

“As I approached Douglas Road, I saw two identical-looking dogs and wondered why someone would let their pets out at this hour. As I got closer, I realized they were coyotes,” she said. “They ran into DeGarmo Estates. It was one of the most insane things, like something out of a movie.”

Meet your Coconut Grove neighbor – the American coyote – which joins the peacock, iguana and Burmese python as part of the menagerie of exotic species that live among us. Coyotes live in every state except Hawaii and in every county in Florida.

Does Florida’s Property Tax Reform Threaten Local Libraries?

An advocate for the Miami-Dade County public library system, which include the Coconut Grove and Virrick Park branch libraries, says the proposed tax measure represents an “existential threat” to local libraries and the services they provide.

By Joshua Ceballos

This summer, the Florida Legislature quickly passed a major overhaul of the state’s property tax system.

The Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes Act would raise the current $50,000 exemption for homesteaded properties statewide to $150,000 in 2027, and to $250,000 in 2028.

Because the shift requires an amendment to the state’s constitution, 60% of voters will have to approve the change in November for the measure to take effect.

Governor Vetoes New E-Bike Safety Rules

Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed the new e-bike safety rules approved unanimously in March by the Florida Legislature, saying the measure amounted to an “overreach.” If the new rules had taken effect, anyone riding an e-bike on a public sidewalk or shared pathway would have been required to slow to 10 mph or less when within 50 feet of a pedestrian. “What it will lead to is more surveillance of people by law enforcement, and we don’t need that,” the governor said. Coconut Grove attorney Ira Leesfield, an advocate for stricter e-bike rules, pushed back, saying e-bikes pose a danger to pedestrians. “The governor is wrong,” Leesfield told a local television station in Orlando. “This isn’t surveillance. This is safety.” The legislation also would have created a state task force to study the issue of e-bike safety.