MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A Miami-Dade County commission budget meeting that started on Thursday afternoon and ended on Friday morning displayed a conflict that may end up in the hands of state officials.
During the budget process, there was a gap between what Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz requested, what Mayor Daniella Levine Cava proposed, and what commissioners passed before sunrise.
“What was approved last night was general fund of $66 million additional, which is almost $1 billion in total, but on top of that, her total budget is $1.2 billion,” Levine Cava said Friday.
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Cordero-Stutz told commissioners that she would consider appealing to the Florida Cabinet’s .
Levine Cava said Cordero-Stutz asked for an additional $45 million. The sheriff told commissioners that she had an inherited 7.5% cost increase and needed an additional 4.97% to go above and beyond.
“You have all seen our stations, they are in terrible shape,” Cordero-Stutz told commissioners.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis chairs the Florida Cabinet’s Administration Commission, which is tasked by state law to “resolve state agency personnel matters.”
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office also has other revenue streams and separate contracts with the airport, seaport, and the parks department, according to Levine Cava.
“If the cabinet directs that we need to increase the sheriff’s budget, then, of course, the commission will meet again, and we will prepare recommendations on what services must be cut,” Levine Cava said.
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