Miami voters will decide in the November election whether the city should borrow $450 million to replace aging police and fire facilities. Mayor Eileen Higgins supports Referendum 1, while commissioners Damian Pardo and Christine King oppose it.
Higgins said the police headquarters is overcrowded and suffers from plumbing problems, flooding, broken restrooms and outdated electrical systems. Many fire stations are too old and lack room for emergency vehicles. If voters approve the bond, the city could renovate existing buildings, build new ones and create a single public safety headquarters.
The mayor said response times are slipping, particularly in underserved neighborhoods, and she cited a 9 to 12 minute wait for crews to reach a medical emergency. Pardo and King agree the departments need upgrades but say the bond is not the right way to pay for them. Pardo said residents already struggle with gas, groceries and rent.
Supporters say the bond will not change the city’s debt millage rate. Pardo estimated that a $500,000 home would pay $194 more a year in taxes, or about $6,000 over the 30-year life of the bond. Higgins said the average homeowner would pay about $2.38 a month in the first year. King called the measure a tax, since the debt must be repaid through property taxes.
Higgins warned that construction costs are rising four to five percent a year, adding roughly $20 million for each year the project is delayed. Pardo and King want the city to explore public-private partnerships instead. Higgins said the city should control its own future rather than depend on developers.
