Downtown Miami residents seek state probe into local agency's use of taxpayer funds
By Joshua Ceballos, Anthony Cruz
September 17, 2025 at 5:51 PM EDT
The Downtown Neighbors Alliance, which represents residents of some high-rise apartments in downtown Miami and Brickell, is asking a top state official to investigate the Miami Downtown Development Authority for alleged “wasteful spending.”
The Alliance, in a statement on Wednesday, said it wants Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia to examine the DDA “for years of wasteful spending and misuse of tax dollars derived from a discriminatory ‘hostage tax’ levied exclusively on downtown residents.”
“For 58 years, Downtowners have been forced to pay this additional tax without ever being given the opportunity to vote on its existence,” said Alliance President James Torres. “No other Miamians live under such a system.”
“This has become a vehicle for irresponsible spending, padded budgets, and a lack of accountability that erodes public trust,” he said.
The DDA is an independent agency that uses tax dollars from downtown to provide services like street clean-ups and entice companies to move their offices to Miami.
READ MORE: Miami City Commissioners to discuss DDA tax concerns
Torres, who campaigned unsuccessfully in 2023 for the Miami City Commission district that includes downtown, has led a public charge against the DDA for many months. The effort has included public comment campaigns at city hall, prompting city and DDA leaders to host special meetings to engage the public about the DDA's services.
Residents and business owners within the DDA's district areas in downtown and Brickell pay an additional millage rate on their tax bills that amounts to a fraction of their regular city tax. Those dollars then go toward services the DDA provides downtown including street cleaning, public restroom maintenance, events and enticing companies to do business in downtown Miami through a series of grants and partnerships. Other areas of the city do not pay a DDA surtax because they do not receive DDA services.
Miami City Commissioner Ralph Rosado, who serves as the DDA's chairman, told WLRN in an interview that it's necessary for people in downtown to pay an additional tax for the DDA because they require a level of service that people in other parts of the city do not need.
" It is completely logical that neighborhoods that have that level of density would require services that are far above and beyond what you would find in any other neighborhood," Rosado said.
In the Alliance’s letter to Ingoglia, they list a “troubling pattern of excess and misrepresentation in the [agency’s] budget practices” that include ‘excessive’ salaries, a “bloated” marketing team and “lavish office spending.”
Christina Crespi, chief executive officer of the DDA, told WLRN that the agency's previous office building had its rent go up significantly, so they had to find new office space at a new price. She said her agency was able to negotiate several years free rent and other incentives to save money on their new office.
“Despite repeated calls for fiscal restraint and relief from this unjust tax by both the DNA and the Brickell Homeowners Association — the leading resident organizations in the area — the DDA has ignored residents,” the Alliance alleges. “Instead, it mocked community voices as ‘half a dozen disgruntled residents,’ dismissing the concerns of tens of thousands of Miamians.
Following a special meeting on the DDA on September 4, Rosado said he was reviewing the agency's bylaws and budget to respond to resident feedback.
The Alliance is asking Ingoglia to review the agency’s budget practices to make sure it meets “the standards of fiscal integrity and accountability that Florida taxpayers deserve.”
The Alliance, in a statement on Wednesday, said it wants Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia to examine the DDA “for years of wasteful spending and misuse of tax dollars derived from a discriminatory ‘hostage tax’ levied exclusively on downtown residents.”
“For 58 years, Downtowners have been forced to pay this additional tax without ever being given the opportunity to vote on its existence,” said Alliance President James Torres. “No other Miamians live under such a system.”
“This has become a vehicle for irresponsible spending, padded budgets, and a lack of accountability that erodes public trust,” he said.
The DDA is an independent agency that uses tax dollars from downtown to provide services like street clean-ups and entice companies to move their offices to Miami.
READ MORE: Miami City Commissioners to discuss DDA tax concerns
Torres, who campaigned unsuccessfully in 2023 for the Miami City Commission district that includes downtown, has led a public charge against the DDA for many months. The effort has included public comment campaigns at city hall, prompting city and DDA leaders to host special meetings to engage the public about the DDA's services.
Residents and business owners within the DDA's district areas in downtown and Brickell pay an additional millage rate on their tax bills that amounts to a fraction of their regular city tax. Those dollars then go toward services the DDA provides downtown including street cleaning, public restroom maintenance, events and enticing companies to do business in downtown Miami through a series of grants and partnerships. Other areas of the city do not pay a DDA surtax because they do not receive DDA services.
Miami City Commissioner Ralph Rosado, who serves as the DDA's chairman, told WLRN in an interview that it's necessary for people in downtown to pay an additional tax for the DDA because they require a level of service that people in other parts of the city do not need.
" It is completely logical that neighborhoods that have that level of density would require services that are far above and beyond what you would find in any other neighborhood," Rosado said.
In the Alliance’s letter to Ingoglia, they list a “troubling pattern of excess and misrepresentation in the [agency’s] budget practices” that include ‘excessive’ salaries, a “bloated” marketing team and “lavish office spending.”
Christina Crespi, chief executive officer of the DDA, told WLRN that the agency's previous office building had its rent go up significantly, so they had to find new office space at a new price. She said her agency was able to negotiate several years free rent and other incentives to save money on their new office.
“Despite repeated calls for fiscal restraint and relief from this unjust tax by both the DNA and the Brickell Homeowners Association — the leading resident organizations in the area — the DDA has ignored residents,” the Alliance alleges. “Instead, it mocked community voices as ‘half a dozen disgruntled residents,’ dismissing the concerns of tens of thousands of Miamians.
Following a special meeting on the DDA on September 4, Rosado said he was reviewing the agency's bylaws and budget to respond to resident feedback.
The Alliance is asking Ingoglia to review the agency’s budget practices to make sure it meets “the standards of fiscal integrity and accountability that Florida taxpayers deserve.”