Miami Beach agrees to pay $10 million for homelessness services
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Miami Beach City Hall. Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Miami Beach leaders grudgingly agreed Thursday to pay Miami-Dade County $10 million to fund homelessness services, bowing to pressure from county leaders angry about a rescinded voter referendum that would have provided similar funding.
Why it matters: The county last week demanded that the city help pay for its homelessness initiatives after the City Commission called off a referendum imposing a 1% homelessness tax at businesses that serve alcohol.
- The tax — which received a majority of cast ballots despite the vote being called off —would have benefited the county's Homeless Trust and helped fund domestic violence shelters.
Driving the news: City commissioners, who opposed the tax for placing a burden on small businesses and residents, unanimously passed a resolution to give the county $10 million in property taxes from a South Beach taxing district.
- The Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency, which pays for improvements around Lincoln Road, is funded by city and county tax dollars, the Miami Herald reports.
- The funding proposal still needs final approval from the Board of County Commissioners, who meet next week.
What they're saying: City commissioners said they hoped the plan would ease tensions between Miami Beach and Miami-Dade following a legal battle over the referendum and accusations of political retaliation over the relocation of about 50 people experiencing homelessness.
- City leaders said they resented assertions from the county that they don't pay their fair share to combat homelessness, pointing to a $5.2 million budget for city homelessness services.
- "We want to get along, we want to contribute to the homeless situation," City Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez said at Thursday's meeting.