MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A judge has ruled on the sudden decision to remove a homeless tax ballot question for Miami Beach residents.
Friday morning, Judge Antonio Arzola said he’d take the afternoon to form his thoughts, and around 3 p.m., the four page ruling came down.
The judge sided with the City of Miami Beach, denying a motion for an emergency injunction, an effort by several Miami Beach residents to reverse a vote by the city commission.
The lawsuit was filed in response to Wednesday’s vote to rescind a question on the November ballot on whether to authorize a 1% food and beverage tax for homelessness.
Twenty thousand votes in the city had already been counted. Jerry Greenberg’s firm filed the suit, hoping to reverse the city’s actions.
If passed, the sales tax would generate millions annually for the homeless trust and domestic violence centers. It’s a tax 32 of the 35 cities in Miami-Dade County already participate in.
The judge cited two main reasons for denying the plaintiffs motion, finding they lack the standing to even challenge the commissions actions and that the city has the power to do what it did, which was pass the repealing resolution by a 4-3 vote.
Read the ruling below: