Latest news with #HeraldEditorialBoard
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
The worst budget crisis since 2008 and Miami-Dade couldn't see this coming?
Miami-Dade County is facing the worst budget shortfall since the 2008 Great Recession — nearly $400 million out of the county's $3.6 billion general fund budget that pays for core services such as public safety and parks. And who's to blame? The county is dealing with what Mayor Daniella Levine Cava described as a 'perfect storm.' There's the cost of converting three county departments — elections, sheriff and tax collector — into independent agencies run by newly-elected constitutional officers. (The county couldn't have stopped this change, forced by a 2018 statewide referendum.) There's less money expected from the state and the Trump administration, no more COVID federal dollars and inflation has made the cost of running government more expensive. With the mayor now talking about budget cuts and austerity measures such as department mergers and hiring freezes, we wonder: Where was this fiscal conservatism when Miami-Dade was flush with cash, including $1 billion in federal pandemic funding and rising property tax revenues? The responsibility to plan for the end of the financial bonanza was on the mayor and the 13 county commissioners who approved two property tax cuts that cost $42 million in revenue from this year's budget, the Herald reported. 'We've already begun to economize,' Levine Cava told the Herald Editorial Board. 'We are focused on greater efficiency, finding savings for residents, improving operations, cutting red tape... Already this year, we've asked every department to identify savings in their budgets, both for this year and in next year's projected budget.' Why, then, why is Miami-Dade treating the $46 million it has committed in direct funding and services to the host committee of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as though it's untouchable? If programs that directly impact services for our citizens could be on the chopping block, so should money for the soccer tournament, even if Miami-Dade officials made a financial commitment as one of the Cup's 16 host cities. Moving forward, the burden of frugality will fall not only on the mayor and commission but also on the new constitutional officers. Levine Cava said that the budget proposals submitted by some for approval by the county 'are significantly outpacing the growth rate that we project and that we think is reasonable.' Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, for example, is asking the county $110 million more than last year's Miami-Dade Police Department budget, according to budget documents from her office. That increase is partly driven by merit salary increases Levine Cava's administration negotiated in 2023, overtime increases 'due to less deputies' and money to hire 54 additional civilian positions — the first significant increase in that workforce 'in decades,' according to a Sheriff's Office document. Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez hasn't yet submitted his budget, but his office is in the process of taking over the county's beleaguered driver-license offices from the state, and he's promised to hire more staff and reduce wait times. Fernandez also plans to exercise his office's authority to keep 2% of property-tax money from the county — totaling $107 million — to fund the new services. He said he will refund a significant portion of that money at the end of 2026 but he hasn't said how much. To be sure, spending money to reduce the outrageous wait times at DMV offices or hire more people to improve public safety may offer clear public benefits. Likewise, some of the programs Levine Cava created to help people during the pandemic and struggling in Miami-Dade's housing crisis were necessary. The same can be said about public transit expenses, responsible for a big chunk of Miami-Dade's budget woes. The rapid-transit bus system in South Miami-Dade, a much-needed project expected to open this summer, has an annual operating cost of about $12 million, the Herald reported. After years of being buoyed by pandemic funding and the hot real estate market, Miami-Dade may be finally learning the lesson that we can't pay for it all — tax cuts, social programs, the World Cup — all at the same time. Click here to send the letter.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Left behind: These pets ended up in shelters, thanks to South Florida's housing crisis
Austin's family lived in an apartment and were facing eviction, so last June they surrendered their energetic shepherd and Siberian husky mix to an animal shelter in Fort Lauderdale. Frankie, a 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat, and his brother Mellow were left outside the same shelter, Abandoned Pet Rescue, in April with a handwritten note: 'We've had such a wonderful time with our owners but unfortunately with the changes in the economy, they have to relocate back home to Jamaica.' These 'changes in the economy' — the higher cost of housing and living coupled with the expenses of feeding and paying for veterinarian care for a pet — are driving people to surrender their animals to local shelters in high numbers, shelter managers told the Herald Editorial Board. The stories can be heartbreaking, like the email sent to Abandoned Pet Rescue from the owner of a 50-pound 'super-friendly' dog named Marley saying, 'We would never give her up, a member of our family, if we had a choice.' But more than heartbreaking, these stories also reflect the damage South Florida's housing and affordability crisis has done to families, including our beloved domestic animals who can become collateral damage when humans have to make tough choices about their financial situation. It's all part of the Shrinking Middle — the name of the Herald Editorial Board series highlighting the challenges of affording a middle-class life in South Florida. And who picks up the slack? Taxpayers who fund government-run animal services and nonprofits like Abandoned Pet Rescue and others. Individuals can help, too, if they're able to foster or adopt. Housing crisis Increasingly, shelter operators say, the decision to give up a pet is being driven by having to downsize, move out of state or move in with family where they cannot bring their cats or dogs. One-time pet fees charged by apartments can run upwards of $500 and monthly pet fees charged by some make already expensive rents even harder to manage, Kara Starzyk, shelter manager at Abandoned Pet Rescue, told the Herald Editorial Board. 'In these situations, they really love their pets,' she said. Financial hardship isn't the only reason pets end up at shelters. Irresponsible or abusive owners and the over-breeding of dogs for financial gain are also part of the problem. But the housing crisis has contributed to overcrowding at Miami-Dade's largest animal shelter, run by the county, according to Animal Services Director Annette Jose. In 2024, there were 300 dogs and cats surrendered to Animal Services because of housing-related issues, Jose told the Editorial Board, and so far this year, the number has reached 130 pets. These numbers are important because Miami-Dade's shelter on Northwest 79th Street in Doral is already over capacity, forcing the county to use an overflow facility in Medley. In 2019, the county normally housed 200 to 300 dogs. Last Thursday, there were 572 dogs, Jose said. Pandemic effect The COVID-19 pandemic was a disruptor and a turning point. Early in the pandemic, Miami-Dade and other governments paused or reduced spaying and neutering services, likely leading to new pet births, the Herald reported. Toward the end of the pandemic, housing and rent prices began to skyrocket. Beyond that, there's been a fundamental change in how people live in Miami-Dade, Jose said. 'We have gone from a mostly single-family house residential community to now we have so many condos, and that's a change that's happened maybe in the last decade,' she said. With condos come pet fees and restrictions on size or type of pet, such as pitbulls. Jose told the Editorial Board that Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has contacted the Miami Association of Realtors to work on removing barriers to pet ownership in housing. 'Obviously, we need homeowners associations and property management firms to buy into this and help us promote pet ownership, because it's going to improve the lives of their residents,' Jose said. We agree. Miami-Dade's overcrowded pet shelter isn't just a logistical issue — it's a moral one that requires collective action. Likewise, our housing crisis isn't just a real estate phenomenon. It impacts every facet of the lives of South Floridians, and the pets are feeling it, too. Pet adoption information: Miami-Dade Pet Adoption and Protection Center: 3599 NW 79th Ave., Doral; call 311 or 305-468-5900; adoptmiamipets@ pet search: Miami-Dade's Medley Shelter: 7401 NW 74 St., Medley; call 311 or 305-468-5900 Abandoned Pet Rescue: 1137 NE 9th Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-728-9010; info@ pet search and adoption applications:
Miami Herald
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
In the name of media accountability, Florida bill would make it easier to revisit history
A proposed Florida law that purports to hold media outlets accountable would actually make facts 'airbrushable' from history, as Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation, told the Herald Editorial Board. Think of the murder charges against Casey Anthony related to the death of her daughter and those against George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin's death. Both cases were widely covered in the media before the accused were found not guilty. If Senate Bill 752 is approved by the Florida Legislature, experts say, it would allow former defendants like Anthony and Zimmerman to require media outlets to take down news content about the charges against them because they weren't convicted — even if those stories accurately described the facts at the time of their arrest. That's one bizarre consequence of SB 752 — and it goes even further than that. The proposal would make it easier for subjects of news reporting to require that entire online articles be removed from a website within 10 days 'if any part of the online article is inaccurate' — no matter how small or inconsequential the error — Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, wrote in a statement. That means taking down 'entire articles, even if only one sentence is disputed,' James Lake, a defamation lawyer, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 12. A correction or apology alone would not be enough to avoid punitive damages in court, Miami-based First Amendment lawyer Thomas Julin told the Board. This would affect not only the 'liberal mainstream media' that Republicans dislike, but also the vast network of Florida's conservative news organizations, many of them small, that would be hard-pressed to afford the legal costs of defending themselves from defamation lawsuits. The religious communications group National Religious Broadcasters has warned the legislation would be weaponized against against Christian broadcasters. In the end, if entire articles are taken down or the press ends up self-censoring to avoid legal issues, the public loses its ability to be informed. The bill, filed by Sen. Corey Smith, R-Tallahassee, undermines what's known as 'fair reporting privilege.' Under the law, reporters have legal protections if they report on judicial and public records in a fair and accurate way. That includes statements made during court proceedings, public meetings or a police report when someone is arrested. The bill states that if a newspaper, TV station or other outlet 'publishes a defamatory statement on the Internet with no knowledge of falsity of the statement,' they are required to take down that statement if they 'receive notice that such statement has been found in a judicial proceeding to be false' — a judicial proceeding could be interpreted to include an acquittal from criminal charges — 'or receives notice of facts that would cause a reasonable person to conclude that such statement was false.' If the news outlet fails to do so, they lose their fair reporting privilege. SB 752, and its House companion, have been sold as a remedy for people whose reputations were ruined because of news stories about crimes they were accused of, even when those charges were later dropped or the defendants were found not guilty. Certainly, being accused of a crime shouldn't ruin anyone's life, especially if they aren't convicted. But the problem is how broad the legislation is, and how it revisits what the truth means. When law enforcement charged Anthony in 2008 with murdering her daughter, for example, those were the facts reported in the media at the time. Her subsequent acquittal doesn't change those initial events. '[The bill] would require you to go back and edit history,' Julin said. Another problem is how the legislation addresses statements that 'a reasonable person' would find false. That standard is 'often a matter of perspective or opinion,' the National Religious Broadcasters wrote in a letter to Senate leadership, Fox News reported. These outlets would be at risk of facing lawsuits because they 'often take positions that are at odds with views of certain elites within society,' NRB general counsel Michael Farris wrote. If lawmakers truly want to help people whose reputations have been harmed, then a bill that narrowly addresses that would make more sense. This legislation seems more geared toward a broad and dangerous goal of chilling speech. Click here to send the letter.
Miami Herald
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Herald endorsement: Coral Gables mayor
The contentious race for Coral Gables mayor reflects a battle between competing factions on the city commission. The lack of civility on the dais has become a major issue in the April 8 election, along with the usual concerns about over development in the City Beautiful. Incumbent Vince Lago faces Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who, along with two of his colleagues, is part of a voting bloc that's often at odds with Lago. The other candidate is Michael Anthony Abbott, an accountant who sued the city over his arrest in 2020. The Herald Editorial Board met with the three candidates but does not endorse anyone in this nonpartisan race. Coral Gables deserves a mayor who will stay above the fray in a tough political climate — something Lago has often failed to do — and who has good judgment when making big decisions, which Menendez on occasion has also failed to accomplish. Abbott does not have enough experience and knowledge about the issues. Lago, 47, is the vice president of BDI Construction & Design and a former commissioner running for his third term as mayor. As accomplishments, he touted: his open office hours; legislation to funnel permitting fee proceeds into parks; his negotiations with developers to bring new parks to downtown and his vote as a commissioner against a 2021 controversial compromise meant to spur redevelopment on a struggling Miracle Mile by lifting parking requirements for new buildings while enacting a strict four-story cap on height. Lago calls himself 'passionate' about the Gables, but his demeanor has earned him enemies — last year, he survived a recall vote. His inability to turn down the heat in difficult interactions is an issue. For example, last year, the city commission voted 3-2 — with Menendez initiating the vote — to censure Lago over disparaging comments he made to Spanish-language media about commissioners who voted for raises, including saying that they 'live off their wives,' the Herald reported. In February, Lago heckled the police chief at a news conference about human trafficking arrests in the city, complaining he wasn't invited to the event. Lago's past business relationship with embattled developer Rishi Kapoor has also followed him. Kapoor made headlines for paying Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a childhood friend of Lago's, to be a consultant for his firm, which had business before that city. The Herald reported last year that Kapoor was under FBI investigation. He also reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over a lawsuit claiming he defrauded investors of millions of dollars. Lago, who hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing, and his business partners were once Kapoor's landlords at a property at 1424 Ponce de Leon Blvd (the lease has since been terminated), which Kapoor wanted to use as a showroom for a condo project he was developing across the street, at 1505 Ponce, and that needed Coral Gables approval. Lago's real estate license was registered at a brokerage firm that made a $640,000 commission from the sale of the 1505 Ponce property. Lago has said he was not involved in the sale. He joined the firm, Rosa Commercial Real Estate, two days after the city commission gave preliminary approval for Kapoor's project in 2022, with Lago recusing himself from the vote, the Herald reported. He said his business dealings with Kapoor happened before the developer's issues came to light. 'I'm allowed to own property in the city of Coral Gables. I've done nothing wrong,' Lago said. Lago is entitled to pursue his private endeavors, but Kapoor's financial relationship with elected officials in city where he was doing business raises a red flag. Menendez, 62, is a lawyer elected to the commission in 2021. He said he's running to stop the 'toxicity' in city government, and that his top accomplishments are sponsoring legislation to fund historic landmarks as well as Phillips Parks and the creation of the Cavaliers Future Leaders Program, which allows students to learn how local government works. He has important endorsements from the unions representing Gables firefighters and police, which have been critical of Lago. Some of Menendez's votes on the dais, however, weigh against him. First is his 2023 vote to give commissioners a 78% annual salary increase, from $36,488 to $65,000, plus a car allowance. Menendez said the commission hadn't seen raises since the 1980s, but he approved shoehorning the measure into the city budget instead of discussing it separately. Lago voted against the raises and said he would not accept them. He said he's donated the money to charity but did not provide documentation or details of any donations despite multiple requests from the Herald. Last year, Menendez voted to fire then-City Manager Peter Iglesias and backed a rushed decision to hire a replacement. Amos Rojas, Jr., who has since resigned, was hired without a national search or a properly noticed meeting to discuss his qualifications, and, bizarrely, moments after he walked into city chambers to introduce himself to some commissioners for the first time. Lago voted against firing Iglesias and hiring Rojas, saying he wanted a formal search. The salary and city manager votes call into question Menendez's judgment. In the race for Coral Gables mayor, the Herald has NO ENDORSEMENT.
