Just 6 days before election, Miami Beach commission votes to take homeless tax question off ballot

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Early voters who were lined up at the Miami Beach City Hall polling place on Wednesday had no idea that three floors up, commissioners had just voted to cancel a question put on their ballots by a previous commission.

The question was whether to add a 1% tax at city restaurants for countywide homeless services.

“The only time I found out about this is when I got my sample ballot in the mail,” said Commissioner David Suarez.

“We do not control those funds, period,” said Mayor Steven Meiner. “This is an absolute tax on his businesses.”

Said Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez: “We have always opposed this tax.”

The bigger dilemma here, even for those who opposed the actual tax, is whether to cancel voter input they’d already been asked to give.

“I believe it’s undemocratic, in the middle of an election, after voters have spoken, to say their voice their vote is not going to count,” said Commissioner Alex Fernandez.

“That is the thing that weighed on me most heavily,” said Commissioner Joe Magazine. “However, this was an item put on by the previous commission and this was just simply the new commission legislatively taking that off.”

Added Commissioner Tanya Bhatt: “A God awful precedent for small-’d’ democracy for us to tell voters, ‘Just kidding, you’re not smart enough to make a decision.’”

The commission voted 4-3 to invalidate the question.

All votes, whether for or against, will not count.


About the Author
Glenna Milberg headshot

Glenna Milberg joined Local 10 News in September 1999 to report on South Florida's top stories and community issues. She also serves as co-host on Local 10's public affairs broadcast, "This Week in South Florida."

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