It's a new day in the City of Miami, and with that come many changes in city operations.
At the first commission meeting of 2026, the City Commission voted to select a new head administrator in the face of some apprehension.
Miami-Dade County's former director of public safety James Reyes is Miami's new city manager. He will earn a salary of $475,000, plus additional benefits. Reyes, who lives in Broward County, told WLRN he has no intention of moving to Miami at this time.
Outgoing City Manager Art Noriega, who was appointed in 2020, congratulated Reyes on his appointment and reflected on the advantage Reyes has coming into the city after an era of infighting and political drama that plagued the city for the past decade.
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"He's more than likely gonna have the benefit of a pretty good working group as an elected body. I came in in the middle of guerrilla warfare almost from the beginning," Noriega said from the dais. "It'll be a pleasure to see that progress for me on the outside. I'm very excited for him and what he brings to the table."
Falling in line with new Mayor Eileen Higgins' stated goal of improving city services, Reyes says he will create a working culture in the city that treats residents like "customers" or "clients" and creates a more friendly relationship between city employees and residents.
Commissioner Ralph Rosado, who previously served as city manager of North Bay Village, was the sole "no" vote on Reyes' appointment. Rosado expressed concerns about Reyes' lack of experience in managing city operations outside of public safety, such as real estate and parks management. He also questioned why the city did not conduct a national search for the person who will lead the largest city in Miami-Dade County.
"I don't doubt you could potentially become a good manager," Rosado told Reyes from the dais. "[But] I cannot vote for a permanent manager position."
Reyes contends his experience leading law enforcement at Miami-Dade and Broward County as part of the Broward Sheriff's Office is all he'll need to manage the city effectively.
" The bottom line is this: leadership is leadership. I have established a track record of leadership that has led to positive outcomes in organizations in a vast array of disciplines, not just law enforcement," Reyes said.
Election dates
After tense discussion, the commission passed a resolution that would set in motion the process to shift city elections from odd years to even years starting in 2032. The measure was a redesign of a commission initiative that passed last year to move election dates that was struck down by legal challenge.
The logic, according to sponsor Damian Pardo, is to align local voting with federal and state elections to increase voter turnout. The last attempt to do this was largely canned because it gave sitting commissioners and former Mayor Francis Suarez an extra year in office. By pushing it to 2032, this measure will not affect the current slate of elected officials.
While some of Pardo's colleagues feared local races would get lost on the ballot with presidential elections, the resolution passed, meaning the city attorney's office must now draft language for a voter referendum that must be approved before it ends up on the August ballot. Voters will ultimately decide if future election dates are changed.
Mayor Higgins, meanwhile, is looking to shorten her term by a year to make good on a campaign promise. Higgins will introduce a separate item to move the next mayoral election from 2029 to 2028 — thus moving voting to even years without benefit to herself, as her term will be shortened to three years.
A citizen initiative to move city elections exists in the form of a group called Stronger Miami. The group issued a written statement following today's vote, supporting the result but still encouraging their own petition.
"Holding a vote to move Miami's Commission elections to even-numbered years is a step in the right direction. However, the City Commission's proposal delays this meaningful reform until 2032 and extends the terms of the commissioners elected prior to implementation by a year. Miamians shouldn't have to wait that long for change," Stronger Miami stated.
Watson Island
One major deal that wasn't changed in the new year was the city's sale of 3 acres of land on Watson Island in Biscayne Bay.
In December, the commission voted to sell the land to developer BH3 Merrimac for $29 million. Many residents spoke out in opposition at the time, arguing the city could have gotten more money for taxpayers, citing an appraisal of the property that valued it at more than $200 million. The city administration argued that value was for unrestricted land rights, and the city could not get that much because of lease restrictions.
Commissioner Ralph Rosado was the sole "no" vote on the deal, and had an item on the agenda to revisit that sale and potentially renegotiate the terms.
Rosado ended up withdrawing his Watson Island item from the agenda at today's meeting with no discussion. The sale stands as-is.
Virginia Key Beach
In one fell swoop, city commissioners approved a bevy of resolutions that will affect a number of Miami cultural landmarks without discussion.
The city is now instructed to design and build a Black history museum at Virginia Key Beach Park — an initiative that Black Miami residents have been asking for for decades. Former leadership of the Virginia Key Beach Trust, which was formed to manage the park and eventually run the museum, are skeptical about the city's intentions.
"We have roughly about $15.5 million earmarked for the construction of the museum. You don't just go into something and do it haphazardly. And so for me it's: where are the discussions? Where is the substantive content of what this resolution is?" said N. Patrick Range Jr., former executive director of the Virginia Key Beach Trust.
Jacqui Colyer, a member of the Virginia Key Beach Advisory Board, asked the commission to consult them for plans on the museum, as they are unaware of what city leadership wants to do with the museum.
