swerteplay Herald endorsement: Our pick for Miami-Dade County mayor | Opinion
In advance of the upcoming primary elections on Aug. 20swerteplay, 2024, the Editorial Board interviewed and researched candidates to better understand their views on various issues and how their policies will affect their constituents. The goal is to give voters a better idea of who’s the best candidate for each race.
Expand AllSix candidates are challenging Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who is seeking a second term in a nonpartisan Aug. 20 primary election.
Levine Cava was among four mayoral candidates who attended an interview with the Herald Editorial Board. The others were Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid; Shlomo Danzinger, the former mayor of Surfside who lost reelection this year; and trapeze school owner Miguel Quintero.
Not in attendance were Carlos Garin, Eddy Rojas and demagogue Alex Otaola, who has a Spanish-language program on YouTube that rails against communists and bizarrely characterizes Levine Cava as one.
All three challengers attacked the tenure of Levine Cava, a former county commissioner and nonprofit founder elected in 2020.
Danzinger said the county lacks coordination with municipalities and that, as Surfside’s mayor, he cut expenses while lobbying Tallahassee for more state dollars.
Quintero, who’s running a symbolic campaign, complained about what he described as lack of transparency within county government.
Cid is Levine Cava’s strongest challenger and has clearly done his homework. He said there is a “war on the middle class” and wants to cut the county’s property tax by 10%.
Cid, a former legislative aide and restaurant owner, touted his experience writing laws in Tallahassee and his 12-year tenure in Miami Lakes, where he said he helped guide a small city plagued by the indictment — and later acquittal — of its former mayor on corruption charges to “a city that’s flourishing” with infrastructure investments.
Levine Cava’s vision for the county and her achievements can prepare Miami-Dade for a more sustainable future both in environmental terms as well as in trying to combat the region’s affordability crisis. At the same time, she’s had noticeable missteps — take that 2022 trip to Qatar paid for by the country’s oppressive regime, which at the time also employed her closest political adviser.
Levine Cava touts her efforts to cut tax rates, replace more septic tanks — which pollute Biscayne Bay — the HOMES Plan that provided subsidies for workforce housing and qualifying renters and homeowners, her staunch support for law enforcement and the county’s decreased crime rate. She also highlighted $100 million the county recently got from the federal government to restore the Venetian Causeway.
She displayed leadership and empathy after the Surfside building collapse in 2021. Her administration in 2021 wisely added the position of “chief heat officer” to prepare Miami-Dade for extreme heat, a position that Cid said he would eliminate. Last year, and after a decade of federal monitoring because of poor inmate treatment, the county jail met demands set by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Among the low points of her administration was her team’s 2023 failure to renew a local gas tax, costing the county $17 million, which she then tried to sell to the public as a tax holiday before suspending her budget director. She also suspended her transit director after a Herald reporter inquired how much a temporary pause in fares would cost taxpayers (she said at the time the plan had not been cleared by leadership). Deferred maintenance at Miami International Airport and unhappy travelers continue to nag her legacy.
Levine Cava’s ambitious agenda has also helped grow county bureaucracy. Her proposed 2024-25 budget would have 2,600 more county staff positions compared to 2020-21, county documents show, mainly in fire rescue, public works, social services and the department that oversees building inspections. She said many of the new positions directly impact citizen services.
“Our current mayor has hired a huge staff around her to insulate herself from every single crisis on the county level,” Cid rebutted.
Levine Cava approved two consecutive cuts to the county’s property tax rate, and next year she wants to keep it flat. Her opponents criticized her because, thanks to skyrocketing property values, tax bills have still increased. For homeowners with homestead exemptions, however, that increase is capped thanks to state law.
Cid’s 10% tax cut proposal, which the County Commission would have to approve, deserves scrutiny. To achieve a $200 million budget cut, he said he would, among other things, eliminate thousands of unfilled jobs, “any position that exists as a filter between the Mayor and department directors” and order directors to come up with a “master plan” to achieve staffing levels from 2021-22. There are questions about his plan’s long-term impacts on services and whether it would be sustainable when the economy slows down and Miami-Dade needs revenue for basic operations.
Cid said he would have signed off on a controversial proposal to convert 380 acres of farmland into an industrial and logistical center near Homestead that required the county to expand the Urban Development Boundary, which serves as a buffer between urban sprawl and environmental and rural lands. Developers said the project would create thousands of jobs, but critics questioned those figures.
Levine Cava rightfully vetoed the UDB expansion — but was overridden by the commission — because of its impacts on Biscayne Bay restoration. In March, a Tallahassee judge ruled that the county broke the rules when it approved the project.
“I think [the project] was basically a land grab, and it was also in a critical area for water conduit from the Everglades to the Bay, and, from an environmental perspective, it was a disaster,” she said.
Cid is impressive and has a future as a public servant, but as mayor of a town of just over 30,000 residents, running a county of 2.6 million would be a big leap. In Miami Lakes, the mayor does not manage the city’s operations, whereas the Miami-Dade mayor is the county’s top administrator.
In the end, Miami-Dade needs a leader who will balance our economic, social and environmental needs.
The Herald Editorial Board endorses DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA for Miami-Dade County mayor.
Editor’s note: This editorial was updated to further explain Manny Cid’s tax-cut proposal.
BEHIND OUR REPORTING Who decides the political recommendations?In advance of local and state elections, Miami Herald Editorial Board members interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The Editorial Board is composed of experienced opinion journalists and is independent of the Herald’s newsroom. Members of the Miami Herald Editorial Board are: Amy Driscoll, editorial page editor; and editorial writers Luisa Yanez and Isadora Rangel. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
What does the recommendation process look like?The Miami Herald Editorial Board interviews political candidates to better understand their views on public policy and how their policies will affect their constituents. Board members do additional reporting and research to learn as much as possible about the candidates before making a recommendation. The Editorial Board then convenes to discuss the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the recommendations, but not every decision is unanimous. Candidates who decline to be interviewed will not receive a recommendation.
Is the Editorial Board partisan?No. In making recommendations, members of the Editorial Board consider which candidates are better prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with our editorial stances or belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, readiness for office, depth of knowledge of key issues and understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points.
This story was originally published August 8, 2024, 12:41 PM.
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Copyright Commenting Policy Privacy PolicyCookie Preferences Your Privacy Choices Terms of Service Miami Herald Editorial Board’s 2024 Election EndorsementsIn advance of the upcoming primary elections on Aug. 20swerteplay, 2024, the Editorial Board interviewed and researched candidates to better understand their views on various issues and how their policies will affect their constituents. The goal is to give voters a better idea of who’s the best candidate for each race.
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