Tell Your Commissioners: Please Don’t Fudge It; Approve Mayor Levine Cava’s Proposed Budget!

Miami-Dade County’s Budget Hearing

The County budget is a reflection of our values and our priorities. It lays out the level of services that our County can provide to our community. This Thursday is your chance to tell the County Commission what you care about most.

This year, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has proposed a precedent-setting $10.3 billion dollar budget. The Mayor proposes carrying forward infrastructure, economic, and social programs, as well as mapping out long-term economic development. This funding will invest in projects that help clean up Biscayne Bay and to prepare Miami-Dade County for a resilient future.

This spending plan also proposes a one per cent cut in property tax (or millage) rates, representing the first rate cut in a decade. This rate cut will provide relief for many families while also ensuring sufficient resources are available for critical infrastructure investments that will make our community more resilient against sea level rise.

Biscayne Bay needs YOU to show up! Tell the County Commission that you support the Mayor’s proposed budget because it supports Biscayne Bay, and the Bay is a priority for our community.

Make your voice heard by giving a public comment at this year’s first County budget hearing:

Thursday, September 8, 2022

5:01 p.m.
(Show up early to register to speak)

 111 NW 1^st Street, Miami, FL

Look for us starting at 3 p.m. to get your Miami Waterkeeper sticker to show that you support clean water!

How to make public comment:

1. Start by stating your name and address
2. Tell the commissioners that we need this spending plan to protect Biscayne Bay
3. Keep additional comments* brief (You have 2 minutes total!)
4. Wrap up by telling the commissioners to approve the proposed budget to protect the Bay.

Check out this document for more info.

*When you make your public remarks, mention that you support:

1. Increased funding for the Connect 2 Protect program, which works to transition septic tanks to municipal sewage infrastructure.
2. Funding for implementing the County’s Sea Level Rise Strategy by re-evaluating risks to critical County assets and advancing Adaptation Action Area planning.
3. Funding for ramping up investments to protect our beloved Biscayne Bay, waterways, and groundwater.
4. Funding to transition the algae removal in County-managed canals from herbicide spraying to a mechanical process.
5. Funding for alternative sargassum removal and disposal options from our beaches.
6. Funding for the Environmentally Endangered Lands program.
7. Funding for DERM to proactively investigate pollution.
8. Funding for a Stormwater Asset Management System.
9. Funding for developing the next phases of the Reasonable Assurance Plan to clean up nutrient pollution in the Bay.

Feel free to add your own comments, too!