Miami voters approved the $450 million police and fire bond and a bond oversight committee. The Virginia Key marinas lease failed, with 65% voting no.
City of Miami voters approved a $450 million bond for police and fire buildings on Tuesday. They also backed a permanent committee to watch how bond money is spent. They turned down a 45-year lease of the two city marinas on Virginia Key.
The figures are from the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections results page, last updated at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday with all 139 city precincts reporting. The results are unofficial until the county Canvassing Board certifies them.
The results
| Question | Yes | No | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referendum 1: Safe and Ready Miami bond | 58,294 (60.94%) | 37,363 (39.06%) | Approved |
| Referendum 2: bond oversight committee | 65,510 (71.44%) | 26,187 (28.56%) | Approved |
| Referendum 3: Virginia Key marinas lease | 34,146 (34.78%) | 64,034 (65.22%) | Rejected |
On the bond question the choices were “For Bonds” and “Against Bonds.” They are shown above as yes and no.
The bond won in every part of the vote. It led among election day voters (18,728 to 11,475), early voters (23,976 to 16,508) and mail voters (15,590 to 9,380). The marina lease lost in all three.
What the bond pays for
The bond lets the city borrow up to $450 million for police and fire-rescue buildings. The ballot said the current debt millage rate of 0.5935 would not go up. It also promised an independent annual audit. We covered the full wording in our guide to the three questions.
The city’s Safe and Ready Miami project list sets out what it plans to build:
- a Public Safety Building bringing police headquarters, fire-rescue leadership, emergency operations and 911 coordination under one roof
- four new fire-rescue stations: West Allapattah, Liberty City Square, East Shenandoah and Watson Island
- replacements for Fire Station 1 downtown and Fire Station 10 in the Magic City area
- a full renovation of Fire Station 3 and Miami Fire-Rescue headquarters in Riverside
- repairs at eight other stations, the fire garage and the fire training center
The site describes these as proposed projects. It does not yet give a cost or a start date for each one.
The city made the case for the bond in its July announcement. It said the police headquarters opened in 1976 for about 560 officers and now holds about 1,390 sworn personnel and 400 other staff.
The oversight committee
The second question was a charter amendment. It creates a permanent advisory General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee. The committee can monitor and publicly report on every capital project paid for with city general obligation bonds, including its status, cost, timeline and remaining money. It is advisory and cannot approve or stop spending.
The Virginia Key marinas
The third question would have leased about 27.62 acres on Virginia Key to Virginia Key, LLC. The land covers the Rickenbacker and Marine Stadium marinas, about three miles southeast of downtown across the Rickenbacker Causeway. The deal offered at least $2.2 million a year in rent, 6% of gross revenues and about $80 million in private investment.
About two in three voters said no. The city has not yet said what it plans for the two marinas. We will report its next steps when it publishes them.
What it means for you
If you own property in the city, the bond approval does not by itself change your tax bill. The city promised to hold the debt millage rate at 0.5935. Your bill still depends on your assessed value and the other rates on it. Our property taxes page explains how those add up.
If you live near one of the proposed new stations, watch for site plans and City Commission votes on contracts in the coming months. The oversight committee’s reports will be the place to see whether projects stay on time and on budget.
If you keep a boat at Rickenbacker or Marine Stadium marina, the 45-year lease on the ballot will not go ahead.
The county Canvassing Board must still certify the results. Our voting page covers how elections work in Miami-Dade.
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