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Miami-Dade transportation director cites $100M shortfall, $1B backlog as commission weighs budget options
Summary
Department of Transportation and Public Works director Stacey Miller told the commission that DTPW faces roughly a $100 million shortfall for FY27 and an infrastructure backlog of more than $1 billion; commissioners debated fare policy, TID drawdowns and revenue options.
Stacey Miller, director of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, told the Miami‑Dade County Commission the department manages a budget "over $2,200,000,000" with a workforce of 4,241 and reported last year’s boardings "eclipsed 81,000,000." She said the department faces "approximately a $100,000,000 shortfall moving into fiscal year 27" and an infrastructure backlog of more than $1,000,000,000.
The briefing outlined operational pressures — aging stations, workforce vacancies and outdated technology — and listed recent accomplishments including the SMART South Corridor milestone and an asset‑inventory effort the department said will improve capital planning. Miller said a new South Dade transit operations center will be completed in the fall and highlighted a mobility sourcing program to speed procurements.
Commissioners pressed the administration for clearer framing of the budget gap. The chair said the system is intentionally subsidized and urged staff to avoid the term "shortfall" in ways that could mislead the public about how transit is funded. "Our return is 11 to 12¢ on the dollar," the chair said, summarizing farebox recovery and the size of subsidy per trip.
Vice Chairwoman Regalado and other commissioners flagged shrinking state funding, the drawdown of Transit Improvement District (TID) funds and deferred maintenance on 30‑plus‑year infrastructure. Regalado urged creative revenue options — charging for the MetroMover, piloting digital fare collection, pursuing targeted trolley projects funded by enterprise partners — and warned against relying repeatedly on TID transfers.
The commission discussed policy tradeoffs that could include a dedicated millage, bond financing, fare adjustments or service reductions. Commissioners asked administration staff to develop a concrete plan for revenue and capital fixes ahead of the July budget cycle and to provide the specific memo required to support any waiver or deferral requests.
