Miami-Dade mayor proposes cuts to offset $400 million deficit
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Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is proposing cuts and consolidations to close a budget gap. Photo: Sophia Bolivar/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
To offset a more than $400 million budget deficit for 2026, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is proposing to reduce budgets of county departments, consolidate others, reduce grants and cut jobs.
- The deficit is driven by factors including the expansion of county government, the loss of state and federal revenue and the rising costs of goods and services, she said Tuesday during a news conference.
Why it matters: The cuts mean less upkeep and maintenance at public parks and for community programs, fewer adult day-care centers for patients, fewer dollars for small businesses and less support for immigrants.
Flashback: A 2018 state amendment required the county to establish five constitutional offices independent from the county, including the sheriff, the supervisor of elections and the tax collector.
- The expansion has "come at a great cost to taxpayers," she said, with nearly half of the county's budget gap coming from it.
- The newly-established offices, she argued, have increased costs of services the county was already providing.
The big picture: For departments that rely on the general fund, the proposal includes cuts between 10% and 35%. Departments with overlap will be consolidated.
- The information technology and communications department will be combined, as will cultural affairs with libraries, and community action and human services with juvenile services.
- The budget also eliminates about 350 positions, Levine Cava said, though not all were currently filled.
What they're saying: "It's a fair, balanced and resident-focused budget," Levine Cava said.
Zoom in: The Office of New Americans, a county initiative that offers a range of services meant to help immigrants become citizens, and the Office of Neighborhood Safety, which addresses gun violence and works to revitalize public spaces, were cut from the budget, records show.
- About $1.17 million for small business "Mom and Pop" grants were cut, as were various services for seniors, including closing two "underperforming adult day centers."
- Funding for tree planting was also slashed.
Yes, but: The mayor proposed increasing fees for parks, golf courses and marinas to avoid "further cuts" to the county's parks department, and key priorities, including the Office of Housing Advocacy, will remain.
- Essential services, like core county transit services, will remain. No cuts to Metromover, metrorail and metro bus were proposed.
- The mayor proposed a "flat millage," meaning the tax rate remains unchanged.
What's next: County commissioners will vote on the final budget in September.