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Miami-Dade commissioners voted to approve language clarifying the county's plan to re-establish the Department of Environmental Resource Management (commonly referred to as Durham) as an independent department while telling the mayor to issue an administrative order spelling out how Durham's scientific and policy staff will work with the county's unified permitting office.

Nut graf
The action followed weeks of public concern and dozens of speakers at the budget hearing who warned that an ill-defined reorganization could strip Durham of its permitting authority over wetlands, coastal construction and stormwater problems. The board's amendment aims to keep Durham's environmental standards intact and to define the operational coordination between the policy and permitting functions.

What the board did
- Approved an amendment clarifying that Durham will be re-established as an independent department, that the county's environmental standards in chapter 24 remain in effect, and that the Environment & Quality Control Board process continues to apply to chapter 24 matters.
- Directed the mayor to issue an administrative order defining how Durham's scientific experts will advise and coordinate with the county permitting office (RER) so that technical review is available while permitting remains efficient.

Why this matters
Public speakers including representatives of Miami Waterkeeper and other environmental groups said the change, originally presented shortly before the hearing, would ''disempower'' Durham and hand core permitting decisions to building officials unfamiliar with environmental science. Speakers warned that moving permitting away from Durham could weaken protections for Biscayne Bay, mangroves and pine rocklands.

Voices from the hearing
- ''Do not do this tonight. We can have this conversation. We can fix Durham, but not like this,'' Rachel Silverstein, executive director, Miami Waterkeeper, told the board when the language was first released two days before the hearing.
- ''Durham will be the policy maker and scientific home for environmental rules. RER will implement permitting consistent with those standards,'' County staff told the board while explaining how the two offices will coordinate.

Board direction and next steps
Commissioners instructed staff to develop the administrative order in public and to return with the specific coordination procedures and a timeline for implementation. The motion passed on a recorded roll call; commissioners also took separate votes on the budget.

Ending
With the vote, the county preserves Durham's role in making environmental policy while directing staff to produce a transparent operational plan so permitting and environmental review function in tandem.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Miami-Dade County - Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners SECOND BUDGET HEARING","oneSentenceSummary","Miami-Dade commissioners approved clarifying language on Thursday to re-establish Durham as an independent department and ordered the mayor to define how Durham's scientists will coordinate with the county permitting office.","taxTitle","Miami-Dade County, Florida","taxId",2864,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6462822,"Miami-Dade adopts FY2025–26 budget; sets countywide millage at 4.574 mills",646,2322000,2968000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5795593-09bbd0026607fb5758a6a116a78d4d28&start=2322&end=2968","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5795593-09bbd0026607fb5758a6a116a78d4d28/thumbnail_2322000.jpg","/articles/6462822/Miami-Dade-County/Florida/Miami-Dade-adopts-FY202526-budget-sets-countywide-millage-at-4574-mills","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462822-f50f979a43c9d1a9a326f30f600be445/orig.mp4?Expires=1771054401&Signature=FIke2mvzTrymeW0po1Kqk4MXxq02iN44Dg9TuppY26B27UF9-BRs5LxYnsZLJOnrFHU87NrDyDC3pxw7jWaEGvAmXxy02h72NzGTJLgh1qHfhPV57zgQcMEAcEl6OeFwH5wINwxAB-fB1fZswhiCGY8rYjwol9NPi21OgJT56sL9oouDSU~gxQlP0q-0pQHIlXcoBuy~8RVFV2ff1ka3dDHtM1jTRYwiLMfo5NcJylOKcZdd~sE4ZZ6YC91XsLGivh7dmDQ1SvsXEO5lCbCyEOycE7ysesiD8rAfEhKcYxlqGV73LG2f7N5FWd-~HX8UMTlXZTsWXeYUnJPgLtMM6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Miami-Dade County commissioners on Thursday adopted the county'wide fiscal year 2025-26 budget and set the countywide operating millage at 4.574 mills, the board said after a long public hearing and a series of late changes and motions.

The board approved the countywide debt service millage at 0.4171 mills and adopted the general fund and a suite of proprietary and special assessment budgets that together fund county services for the year beginning Oct. 1, 2025. The votes followed an evening of public comment and a series of amendments the board incorporated into the final package.

Why it matters: The millage rate and the budget together determine property tax bills and how the county apportions funding for public safety, social services, parks, libraries, transit and other programs. Commissioners said they worked to protect core services while using a mix of one-time and ongoing revenue adjustments to close the administration''s projected shortfall.

What the board approved and how it voted
- Countywide operating millage: 4.574 mills (adopted 9-3). The budget director told the board this rate is 7.57% above the state rollback rate. The millage will fund general fund operations including a planned cost-of-living adjustment, retirement increases and maintenance-of-effort funding for Jackson Health.
- Countywide debt service millage: 0.4171 mills (adopted 10-2). The rate includes allocations for building better communities bonds and the public health trust debt service.
- Countywide general fund budget (FY2025-26): Adopted after the board accepted multiple late changes and amendments. The final package included restorations of funding for community-based organizations, cultural grants and several targeted reallocations. (Final ordinance vote recorded on the floor.)

Major board changes included:
- Transit fares: Commissioners voted to eliminate the proposed fare increases for Metrobus, Metrorail and STS paratransit by reallocating funds and using available carryover. The chair's motion to allocate TID (transportation infrastructure district) funds plus identified carryover was adopted.
- Community-based organizations and cultural grants: Following extensive public comment, the board restored competitive cultural grants and added targeted allocations for nonprofit providers through amendments.

Points raised in the hearing: Dozens of residents and nonprofit leaders urged full restoration of cultural and CBO funding, argued against transit fare increases and warned the board not to weaken the county's environmental permitting capacity. Constitutional officers reported returning surplus funds to the county to help the budget.

What happens next: The budget becomes effective Oct. 1, 2025. The board and administration must track revenues and report back as receipts materialize; commissioners also directed several follow-up reports and contract actions (see related articles on transit contracting and departmental reorganization).

Quotations
- ''It is my job, by charter, to lead our county organization and to propose a balanced budget,'' Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in remarks read into the record, adding the administration closed a large portion of the gap through departmental reductions and returned constitutional office funds.
- ''We heard you loud and clear,'' Chair Anthony Rodriguez said as the board moved late amendments to restore nonprofit and arts funding.

Ending note: Commissioners repeatedly said the budget''s passage starts a year of continued fiscal work. Several members warned the county must find structural revenues or savings to avoid a repeat of a tight process next year.","After public hearings and multiple late amendments, the Board of County Commissioners adopted the fiscal year 2025–26 county budget and set millage rates. The board also approved a series of targeted amendments, including measures to avoid proposed transit fare increases.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6462813,"After mass public comment, commissioners restore cultural grants and community-based funding",2280,2523000,4803000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5795593-09bbd0026607fb5758a6a116a78d4d28&start=2523&end=4803","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5795593-09bbd0026607fb5758a6a116a78d4d28/thumbnail_2523000.jpg","/articles/6462813/Miami-Dade-County/Florida/After-mass-public-comment-commissioners-restore-cultural-grants-and-community-based-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462813-5277acb3acdf4d23cdae4e29fd3427e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771054401&Signature=fSFHMnij34x4-C-lvl5sBqH3NDcxU5qd1QbZbWJdus4C07jGNH~2fKeWdtKFAP8-49OL5FQhqgw6MJqF4pPzHYMsc-R6T6ZzcHE4EjbAq1m7PY3fzfoCVNzHTUIrrOgrfVvGrk8mRPtnYhE16X-5E2wQk88ZrxewnIezYCwV7EECF5anaFhPIV1XWkTp9cBEy8WLCH-JOEjH6d6upt7evunuJbkpVIumwTPjDI3iqkqDZmO6XDJCYJozGJuWlQbrW4QR2zn1LU4VHjgamshb2AZwVJDTHeOzHAHZbNJvlZKEZnP78fuvo1yDVKtwQeQl-tpP2jY-rXPiay2jAWbldA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lede
Miami-Dade commissioners reversed earlier cuts to arts and community-based organizations at the second budget hearing, approving amendments that restore competitive cultural grants and add targeted funding for social-service nonprofits.

Nut graf
After a long public-comment period during which more than 100 representatives from arts organizations, service providers and community groups urged restoration, the commission amended the mayor's proposed budget to reinstate support for cultural grants, keep the Department of Cultural Affairs independent, and add one-time and programmatic funding to several nonprofits.

What the board heard
Dozens of speakers — artists, nonprofit executives, youth program alumni and neighborhood leaders — described the consequences of previous funding cuts. Speakers said arts education, food-distribution networks, reentry and trauma services, and programs for people with disabilities would be harmed if funding were not restored.

What the board did
- Restored full funding for competitive cultural grants and re-established the Department of Cultural Affairs as an independent department; the board noted the role of arts funding in local jobs and education.
- Approved a set of targeted amendments allocating funds to CBOs and nonprofit programs (examples in the motions included additional funding to community food providers, youth-serving nonprofits, and trauma and mental-health services). The board also approved motions directing the administration to negotiate contract amendments or short-term awards to maintain services while longer-term procurement is completed.

Voices from the hearing
- ''As a Breakthrough Miami alum I got a second chance'' said a student speaker, one of many who urged continued funding for youth and education nonprofits.
- Artists and organizers, including representatives from Miami Music Project, Diaspora Vibe and Miami MOCAD, told commissioners that the county's cultural ecosystem fuels tourism, jobs and creative careers.

Why this matters
Cultural grants and CBO contracts support after-school programs, trauma and reentry services, elder nutrition and other life-line services. Commissioners said the restorations were necessary to maintain the nonprofit safety net during a difficult budget year.

Ending
Board members said the restorations reflect both public will and the county's interest in sustaining arts, culture and core social services; several members noted the need to find durable funding strategies in coming years.","Hundreds of residents and arts, culture and social-service leaders pressed the board to restore grant funding. Commissioners voted several amendments that restored the Department of Cultural Affairs competitive grants and added targeted allocations for CBOs and mental health programs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County moves ahead with Durham reorganization; public and environmental groups press for permitting protections

Miami-Dade adopts FY2025–26 budget; sets countywide millage at 4.574 mills

After mass public comment, commissioners restore cultural grants and community-based funding