Appropriations Committee reviews enterprise fund budgets: seaport, aviation, housing, RER/DERM, libraries, water and sewer

Miami‑Dade County’s Appropriations Committee spent substantial meeting time reviewing enterprise (proprietary) department budgets—departments that do not draw on the county general fund but operate on fees, leases and federal grants. Directors from Seaport, Aviation, Housing and Community Development, Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER)/DERM, Libraries and Water & Sewer presented revenue, staffing and capital plans and answered commissioners’ questions.

The presentations emphasized that enterprise departments remain accountable to the board even though they operate outside the general fund, and commissioners pressed directors on vacancies, overtime, capital projects and certain advertising/marketing line items.

Seaport

Heidi Webb, director of the Seaport Department, described the seaport as a self‑funded proprietary operation and gave the department’s projections and key metrics. “We are the number 1 cruise port in the world. We had 8,200,000 cruise passengers that came through our Port Of Miami last year,” Webb said. She reported the department projects guaranteed revenues of about $346,000,000 from long‑term contracts and leases and described a combined projected revenue next year (including reserves and contractual guarantees) of about $768,000,000. Webb said the seaport plans roughly $368,000,000 in capital spending next fiscal year, including revenue‑generating cruise and cargo projects and an eight‑year North Bulkhead rehabilitation.

Webb said the seaport employs 518 full‑time positions, with 427 filled and 91 vacancies; “74 of these 91 vacancies … have not been filled in the last 6 months,” she said, and noted the department’s hiring was affected in part by a mayoral hold earlier this year. Webb highlighted the seaport’s reserve position and…