State senator presents $287,000 for local drainage project, warns of state audits of DEI spending

State Sen. Chevron Jones delivered a legislative update and presented what staff described as a check for $287,000 on Aug. 26 to North Miami officials for a Northeast 121st Street drainage improvement project. The senator said the appropriation was part of this year’s legislative efforts and thanked the commission for advocacy in Tallahassee.

In his update, Jones told the commission the Legislature passed multiple bills he sponsored; among those he highlighted were a measure (SB 268) that allows certain personal information of elected officials to be redacted from public records to protect safety and privacy, and SB 1174, a licensure change to allow foster parents to keep licensing across county moves. He also noted the 2025–26 state budget was roughly $115 billion and that distribution fights continue over infrastructure funding and vetoes by the governor.

Jones warned commissioners that the state is auditing municipalities — he said the Legislature is scrutinizing allocations tied to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and that an audit memo indicated the state will review cities that accepted certain funds over the last two fiscal years. He urged the commission to coordinate with legislative staff if the city receives audit inquiries.

Representative Arthide (Representative Aristide) joined the presentation and handed the check to city staff. The mayor and council thanked the senator and representative; commissioners asked about scheduling town halls and about outreach to residents.

Less critical details: the senator said some projects sought by the city were vetoed by the governor this year, but the $287,000 drainage appropriation reached the city. Town hall dates were discussed for September.