Miami‑Dade County commissioners added and approved an item directing county administration to provide forbearance on water bill shutoffs for people affected by a federal government shutdown, and they amended the item to explicitly include all federal employees.

During agenda setting, Vice Chairman McGhee moved to add item 14 A 1 to the poll list addressing shutoffs during a federal shutdown. The mayor said she had instructed staff to “please show forbearance for anybody who is subject to the shutdown in terms of the shutoff of their water bills.” The vice chairman later proposed expanding the item to cover all federal employees, including Transportation Security Administration members; commissioners accepted that amendment and the agenda was set with the change.

Senator Garcia asked for a budget analysis of the cost to the county caused by the shutdown; an amendment to request an evaluation of county costs was raised and discussed. County staff (WASDE referenced in remarks) noted limitations: the administration can only identify federal employees to the extent those employees provide employment information to county assistance programs.

The mayor’s staff confirmed they had begun applying forbearance measures for individuals impacted by a shutdown. Commissioners also asked the administration to try to identify federal employees who may be eligible for forbearance and to return with an estimate of fiscal impacts.

The board’s action during agenda setting both added the item to the board’s meeting agenda and incorporated the amendment expanding eligible individuals; transcript remarks show the board accepted the change and the mayor indicated staff would act accordingly.