MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – In a special meeting Thursday, Miami Beach commissioners approved a proposal to provide $5 million toward homeless services funding in Miami-Dade County for the next two years.
The meeting was convened after weeks of heated debate and legal back-and-forth.
Miami-Dade County had originally asked for $10 million from the city, and a proposal to introduce a 1% food and beverage tax in Miami Beach to cover costs had been scrapped at the last minute by city leaders, leaving the funding source in question.
During the session, Miami Beach Commissioner Joe Magazine presented a plan that would meet half of the county’s demand by pulling $4 million from his city’s redevelopment agency and implementing a 4% bed tax on a new, yet-to-be-built convention center.
This approach would avoid taxing residents and instead rely on tourists for the funding.
“And if we go with what Commissioner Magazine is proposing, actual tourists are going to be taxed for, for, for this portion of homeless services,” said Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez. “If we’re gonna be intellectually honest with each other, that’s the right approach.”
Commissioners voiced frustration over accusations that the city was unwilling to support homelessness efforts.
“So for the allegations to be made as they have been that we don’t care, that we don’t pay our fair share, that all we want to do is throw people into jail is inaccurate at best,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Tanya Bhatt.
The commission voted unanimously to approve Magazine’s proposal, but Miami-Dade County must still finalize the agreement. While Miami Beach has pledged $5 million annually, the county’s next steps remain unclear.
The decision leaves Miami Beach waiting on a response from county officials, who have yet to confirm if they’ll accept the city’s compromise offer.