Make Miami-Dade’s Budget Hearings Work for Everyone
Every year, hundreds of Miami-Dade residents show up to County budget hearings to speak up for the issues that matter to them, but the process itself keeps too many people out. Unpredictable wait times, hours of standing, no advance notice of when you’ll be called, and no real option to participate if you can’t physically get to Government Center.
Miami Waterkeeper, alongside Debris Free Oceans, Clean Miami Beach, Catalyst Miami, Miami Homes for All, Engage Miami, Miami Freedom Project, the Tropical Audubon Society, and other local organizations, sent a letter to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners asking for eight practical, low-cost changes ahead of this year’s budget hearings on September 3rd and September 17th, including:
- Advance online registration to speak, with same-day sign-up still available
- A defined, time-certain public comment window
- A virtual option for residents who can’t attend in person
- Accepting written comments by email or mail for the public record
- A visible, real-time speaker queue instead of hours of standing in line
- Basic comfort amenities, seating, water, plastic-free cups
- Simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and Haitian Creole for the full proceedings
- A firm, advertised start time for hearings
None of this requires significant new spending; it just requires the County to make participation predictable and accessible.