Mayor Daniella Levine Cava

Activists with Jewish Voice for Peace South FL said Thursday they want Miami-Dade County to stop buying Israeli bonds to protest the country’s continuing military offensive operations in Gaza.

A proposal included in the county's $12.9 billion budget would strip the Division of Environmental Resources Management of its permitting authority even as it re-establishes DERM as an independent department.

On tolls, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s budget would cause resident annual plan tolls to triple from $24 to $72 under the 2026 budget coming up for a first vote Thursday. The regular toll would rise $1 to $3.25.

Surrounded by leaders of many of South Florida’s unions, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said organized labor was the backbone of the South Florida economy, and praised worker groups for being part of a coalition standing up to growing challenges to American democracy.

A new budget proposal from Mayor Daniella Levine Cava restores grant funding for local cultural organizations using newly identified temporary funds.

Members of two advocacy groups say arts and culture organizations and events pump $2.1 billion into the local economy each year and support 32,000 jobs.

Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez is convening what he calls “a rare meeting” outside the commission’s regular meeting schedule “to identify immediate budget cuts and reduce government waste.” He's inviting Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia to a planned August 20 meeting to find ways to cooperate and work in tandem with the state officials.

In an interview aired Friday on WLRN’s South Florida Roundup, Levine Cava outlined the key factors behind the shortfall, including the creation of five new state-mandated constitutional offices, inflation-related cost increases, and a sharp drop in state and federal funding.

Curley’s House Food Bank, located on the edge of Liberty City, is one example of a non-profit that may be affected by the budget cuts.

The mayor on Tuesday unveiled her proposed budget for the new fiscal year and is recommending eliminating about 350 jobs, including vacancies, to help close a $400 million deficit.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Friday that Miami International Airport and PortMiami broke records in revenue, collecting more than $242 billion and supporting nearly 1.2 million jobs.

“The unbelievable cruelty of the DeSantis and Trump Administrations towards hard working, honest, and law abiding Hispanic, Haitian, and other foreign born residents of this state needs to stop,” Justin Mendoza-Routt, President of the Miami-Dade Young Democrats, in a statement.