Miami-Dade's 2022 November Ballot Referendums
Bottom Line: As part of this series, I’ll be breaking down the referendums on November’s ballots in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and issuing recommendations on them. Today Miami-Dade is in focus.
Miami-Dade has three referendums on ballots this November. The first reads:
BALLOT TITLE: Charter Amendment Creating Local Oath of Office for County Commissioners and the County Mayor
BALLOT SUMMARY: Shall the County Charter be amended to require that County Commissioners and the County Mayor, upon taking office, swear or affirm that they will support, protect and defend the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter and the government of Miami-Dade County?
Yes:
No:
Overview: This referendum was placed on ballots by the Miami Board of County Commissioners. If passed, the referendum would mandate all commissioners and the mayor swear to the oath stated in the ballot summary. An oath is already sworn to by county commissioners and the mayor to support, protect and defend the US and Florida constitutions. If passed this referendum would add the county’s charter to the oath.
Bottom Line: On the surface this may seem like it’s little more than a “feel-good” kind of measure. After all, isn’t it natural for the country commission and mayor to be beholden to the county’s charter? But there’s more than meets the eye here. Over the years various “home-rule” battles have cropped up with the state. This oath effectively compels county officials to side with the county over the state where there are divisions between the two governments. The oath could potentially be used by county officials in a legal setting. I believe county officials should have flexibility to serve their constituents as they best see fit as opposed to whatever the collective county opinion is. The pandemic was a perfect example. Many South Florida officials and governments stood in opposition to the state’s mandates regarding classroom education, vaccine mandates and keeping businesses open. These officials are already directly accountable to voters – they should be able to serve as they see fit. For these reasons I recommend a No vote.
The second referendum reads...
BALLOT TITLE: Charter Amendment Requiring Voter Approval for Changes to Governing Structure of County Transportation Assets
BALLOT SUMMARY: Shall the Charter be amended to provide that acts of the Board of County Commissioners to transfer ownership or governing authority of the Miami International Airport, PortMiami or Miami-Dade Expressway Authority must be approved by a majority vote of the qualified electors in Miami-Dade County at the next available General Election?
Yes:
No:
Overview: This referendum was placed on ballots by the Miami Board of County Commissioners. If passed, the referendum would mandate the transferring of authority of MIA, PortMiami or MDX be done via a vote by the county’s voters.
Bottom Line: This referendum is a result of a multi-year battle with the state over the MDX – which has attempted to end the county’s authority to operate it. There also have been scandals related to the questionable operating of MIA and PortMiami in recent years. As you might imagine, with huge revenues derived from the operating of these entities at the local level, there’s a desire by officials to attempt to retain as much control over them as possible. They view this referendum as a means of doing that as it’s unlikely county voters who would approve this referendum would subsequently vote to disband control of these entities. While I have concerns regarding the county’s handling of these entities, having local control allows for accountability at the local level by voters. For that reason, I recommend a Yes vote on this referendum.
The third referendum reads...
BALLOT TITLE: Referendum to Approve Ad Valorem Levy for Teachers, Instructional Personnel, Student Safety and Security
BALLOT SUMMARY: Shall the School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, levy one (1) mill of ad valorem taxes for school operational purposes to continue improving compensation for teachers and instructional personnel and to improve student safety and security for public schools, including charter schools, with oversight by a Citizen Advisory Committee, beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2027?
Yes:
No:
Overview: This referendum was placed on ballots by the Miami Board of County Commissioners. If passed, it would impose a special school property tax which would cost property owners an extra $1 in property taxes per $1,000 in assessed value annually during the duration of the referendum.
Bottom Line: Effectively this referendum seeks to not only renew the District’s existing .75 mill special school tax, which is set to sunset on June 30th, next year – but to raise that tax by another quarter mill. There’s a lot I could say in opposition of this proposal, but I’ll be succinct. It’s offensive the country commission is seeking to not only renew a special property tax to continue their ever-growing appetite to spend record sums of money within the school-district, but they’re actually looking to raise taxes even higher than they already are. Miami-Dade's property taxes are already the highest in the state, and with record property tax assessments, the country is continuing to reap windfall amounts of tax dollars. The School District will already reap the benefit of records sums of money following in without this special tax. The District needs to learn how to do more with the record sums of money. Housing affordability is already at crisis levels in the county and this referendum would do nothing but exacerbate those issues. For these reasons I recommend a No vote on this referendum.