Registered voters of the City of Miami will decide on November 3 whether to approve up to 450 million dollars in general obligation bonds to renovate and construct police and fire facilities, in the Referendum 1 of the special municipal election.
The proposal, called Safe and Ready Miami, was promoted by Mayor Eileen Higgins and co-sponsored by Commissioner Rolando Escalona.
The City Commission approved it in July solely to include it on the ballot; the authorization of the bonds depends entirely on the citizen vote on November 3.
What would the bonds finance?
According to the official project site, the 450 million would be divided into two parts: 300 million for a new public safety headquarters that would house the police department, fire department offices, and the 911 emergency center; and 150 million for fire facilities, including four new stations.
The central justification is the deterioration of the existing infrastructure. The police headquarters opened in 1976, was designed for about 560 officers, and currently houses approximately 1,390 sworn officers and 400 civilian employees, facing plumbing issues, flooding, and outdated electrical systems. Of the 17 fire stations, eight are over 50 years old and two exceed 60.
"The police station has remained the same while the city has grown. It has been in this state of disrepair for over a decade without anyone doing anything, and the situation in our fire stations is sometimes worse,” said Higgins in an interview with WLRN.
How would they be paid?
The bonds would be repaid through ad valorem taxes within the existing maximum debt rate for capital projects, set at 0.5935 mills, without the proposal allowing for an increase in that rate.
The project site estimates an average monthly cost of 9.20 dollars per household, calculated based on a property value of 423,020 dollars over the average life of the bond.
The source itself warns that the actual cost will depend on the issuance schedule, interest rates, and the final financial structure; it is not an approved or uniform charge. The funds could only be allocated to the projects authorized in the question, not to salaries or daily operations.
The debate prior to the vote
According to a report by WLRN published this Friday, the proposal faces criticism from those who believe the city is already burdened with significant debt. Former city manager Emilio González —Higgins' rival in 2025— was straightforward: “We are so in debt. We haven't paid the first bond. We want to issue another bond. We're going to end up in ruin."
The organization Truth in Accounting rated Miami as a "sinkhole city" in 2023, and its executive director, Sheila Weinberg, told WLRN that the financial situation has not improved substantially since then.
Higgins defends the approach: "The bond allows us to execute these projects more quickly, because we can issue debt when we need it and will only borrow as we spend the money on capital."
Who can vote and how
Only registered voters within the boundaries of Miami City can participate, not from Miami-Dade County in general. The registration deadline closed on October 5.
Early voting will take place from October 19 to November 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at any county center. Miami City Hall will not operate as an early voting site due to its limited capacity; instead, the Historic Garage (3250 South Miami Avenue) will be used.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is October 22 at 5 p.m.; the ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on November 3.
The same ballot includes a Referendum 2 that separately asks whether a Permanent Advisory Committee for Bond Oversight should be created; that committee does not yet exist.
This proposal of 450 million is distinct and independent from the mortgage bonds of up to 650 million from Miami-Dade County that facilitate home purchases, which pertain to a different jurisdiction and instrument.
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