Miami-Dade County’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year is under fire once again — this time from firefighters.
Miami-Dade is in the midst of a budget crisis. The county is up against a $400 million shortfall brought on by the end of pandemic-era COVID-19 funds from the federal government and the recent creation of new constitutional offices like the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Department that need their own budgets.
To combat these financial headwinds, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava proposed a slimmed-down budget that could mean layoffs and cuts across multiple departments. Grants for arts and culture programs are also in the crosshairs for cuts.
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Metro-Dade Firefighters Union Local 1403 is raising alarms about a different kind of accounting move from Cava’s administration, however.
Under Cava’s proposal, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) would have to take on the full multi-million dollar burden of paying for air rescue helicopters that fly around the county.
In response, the union has notified Miami-Dade County officials of its intent to sue should the budget pass as-is. The union has retained the services of the law firm Holland & Knight. A copy of the union’s letter to Mayor Cava is attached at the end of this article.
“This budget is putting public safety at risk because they are obligating us to carry a portion of their shortfall and disallowing us from increasing service,” local firefighters union President William McAllister told WLRN.
Levine Cava’s office did not respond to a request for comment from WLRN. She recently told WLRN that her 2025 budget is a “fair and balanced” plan that protects essential services.
Air Rescue
MDFR operates four air rescue helicopters out of the Tamiami and Opa-Locka airports that provide life flight and fire suppression services around South Florida. McAllister said operating and maintaining these helicopters costs between $28 and $30 million a year. Under previous budgets, the county would reimburse MDFR for that money out of its general fund. In Cava’s proposed budget, MDFR would be solely responsible for that cost.
“The FY 2025-26 Proposed Budget allocates Fire District funding for all Air Rescue services as well as related debt payments,” the budget proposal states.
The “Fire District” that the proposal mentions refers to the special taxing district that includes 29 municipalities that pay for MDFR’s fire services. There are five municipalities in Miami-Dade that have their own fire departments and don’t pay into that tax: Hialeah, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, the City of Miami and Key Biscayne.
While Miami-Dade’s green firetrucks don’t normally service those municipalities, air rescue services the entire county. McAllister argues it’s not fair that the 29 municipalities in the Fire District have to pay the whole burden for countywide air rescue.
He also said MDFR is in desperate need of more fire trucks to service cities in the district. As the county’s population has grown and spread out further west and south, fire rescue hasn’t been able to keep up with purchasing new trucks to keep their response time low.
“ We're at a crossroads right now in Miami-Dade County as it relates to the robustness of our service. Because the county has grown and become densified, and because of traffic, our service is under strain,” he said.
The proposed budget is still under consideration and will need full county commission approval before it’s finalized. Miami-Dade commissioners will vote on a final budget in September. The new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
