Friday, September 18, 2026 · Independent Miami Beach journalism
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Miami Beach commissioners are weighing a proposal that would allow the city's four Charter Officers to place ordinances on commission agendas without requiring an elected sponsor.
Miami Beach commissioners will consider letting the Rhythm Foundation use a vacant city-owned storefront at 7605 Collins Avenue for six months at $1, after a redevelopment project forces the nonprofit out of its current office.
County commissioners on June 16 cleared the final procedural step toward condemning the roughly 10-acre PortMiami fuel depot — the move the Journal warned was looming — after Mayor Daniella Levine Cava walked away from a $400 million purchase. With only Raquel Regalado opposed, the vote sets up a constitutional fight already playing out in two courtrooms.
Miami Beach's first detailed FY2027 numbers landed at Wednesday's Finance committee. The administration proposes holding the tax rate flat, but a structural shortfall of $7.9M to $17.7M remains, the five-year capital plan tops $1.3 billion, and only about half of next year's $256M in capital requests can be funded — all before a November ballot measure that threatens future revenue.
A reference of the week's public city meetings
Three Miami Beach committees meet this week. The first detailed FY2027 budget-and-millage numbers land Wednesday, the city floats a homegrown alternative to the state's Live Local Act on Monday, and a cluster of ethics and transparency measures advances — all at the committee stage, none a final vote.
Miami Beach commissioners split Friday over whether to fund nearly $1 billion in water, sewer, and stormwater work through utility rate increases or a voter-approved General Obligation bond — then voted 3-0 to send the full Commission a menu of options rather than pick one.
A reference of the week's public city meetings
City Manager Eric Carpenter's second-quarter fiscal analysis shows Miami Beach on solid financial footing through March 2026, even as officials caution the city faces a projected $17.7 million General Fund deficit in FY 2027.
A LaGorce Drive homeowner has filed suit in Miami-Dade circuit court to block a 2026 state law that allegedly orders Miami Beach to approve a commercial water park at the Fontainebleau Hotel, bypassing the city's Historic Preservation Board.
Fisher Island's homeowners association and private club have sued developer HRP Fisher Island LLC, alleging it abandoned a deal to demolish a dangerous 100-year-old marine fuel terminal and is instead selling the site to Miami-Dade County for roughly $400 million.
A reference of the week's public city meetings