Miami-Dade Appropriations Committee Reviews CBO Funding and Advances Resolutions – October 16, 2025

The Miami-Dade County Appropriations Committee convened on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 11:00 AM in Commission Chambers under Chairwoman Raquel A. Regalado. The meeting featured a special presentation on the history and funding process for Community Based Organizations (CBOs), discussions on CRA budgets and expansions, and the forwarding of multiple items to the full Board of County Commissioners (BCC).

Consent Calendar

• The committee unanimously approved the setting of the agenda after pulling several items. Passed without additional dais discussion were resolutions regarding veteran employment qualifications (Item 2A), an agreement amendment with Mapton Holdings (Item 2B), surplus property sales (Items 3B and 3C), a construction equipment rental pool expansion (Item 3E), and an Oracle customer information system upgrade for the Water and Sewer Department (Item 3F). Minutes from the July 9, 2025 meeting were also approved (Item 6A).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dr. Lorna Schufer, representing the Little River Historical Culture and Economic Development Corp and a local dojo, requested financial support for a group seeking to travel to Japan for a competition. Committee members advised the group to formalize their request through a commissioner’s office.

Discussion Items

Item 2C – Naranja Lakes CRA FY 2025-2026 Budget

• Prime Sponsor Commissioner Kionne L. McGhee presented the $41,861,108 budget for the Naranja Lakes Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which required a two-thirds vote to suspend Rule 5.06(A) for immediate consideration.
• Vice Chairwoman Danielle Cohen Higgins questioned the time sensitivity of the budget and the suspension of the procedural rule, noting the previous year’s budget was approved less than six months ago. She stated she preferred to resolve legislative holds informally before they appeared on the dais.
• Commissioner McGhee argued the suspension was needed to avoid stalling $40 million in redevelopment and infrastructure investments, and to prevent repetition of delays that occurred the previous year due to a legislative hold.
• Outcome: Forwarded to the BCC with a favorable recommendation (5-0).

Item 3A – NW 7th Avenue CRA Expansion / Slum and Blight Designation

• Prime Sponsor Commissioner Marleine Bastien presented the resolution to expand the CRA boundaries to address slum and blight in District 2.
• Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez cited a $700,000 fiscal impact on the UMSA budget, stating he could not support the item in its current form.
• Chairwoman Raquel A. Regalado raised concerns about including FDOT and Golden Glades properties, arguing it could complicate transit negotiations.
• Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis echoed fiscal concerns. Vice Chairwoman Cohen Higgins stated an ideological opposition to CRAs managed by unelected boards.
• Commissioner Bastien accepted a friendly amendment to exclude the contested government properties.
• Outcome: Deferred to the next committee meeting (5-0) to allow staff to prepare updated boundaries.

Item 3D Substitute – MDC Thrive Future Ready Scholarship Program

• Commissioners expressed significant frustration with the timing and process, as the $3,000,000 grant program for Miami Dade College began in 2023 but the formal grant agreement was only now being ratified.
• Staff explained the delay occurred because the original item did not explicitly require the agreement to be brought back to the board for approval. MDC fronted the scholarship funds, and this resolution ratifies the contract to allow county reimbursement.
• Outcome: Forwarded to the BCC with a favorable recommendation (5-0).

FIFA World Cup Financial Reporting

• Vice Chairwoman Cohen Higgins raised a question regarding the $21 million in FIFA World Cup event funding. She noted the executed grant agreement requires the recipient (GMSC) to provide detailed quarterly performance reports to the board starting October 31, 2025, and requested the administration place these reports on future committee agendas for transparency. The administration agreed to comply.

Add-On Items (3G through 3L)

• The committee processed six add-on resolutions as a block with brief staff presentations after concerns were raised by Commissioner Steinberg about the lateness of their submission.
• 3G (Homeless Trust Funding): Ratified a three-year funding cycle ($21,149,082 annually) for homeless housing and services selected through an RFA process.
• 3H (AT&T Telecom Contract): Authorized a non-competitive $35,500,000 contract for legacy telecommunication services critical to county operations, with a plan to transition off legacy systems.
• 3I (Hazardous Material Removal Pool): Extended a prequalification pool for the Aviation Department for five years.
• 3J (Transit Bus Parts Pool): Established a new $216,000,000, eight-year competitive pool for bus parts and services.
• 3K (Conveyance Equipment Maintenance): Awarded $55,865,718 in contracts for elevator and escalator maintenance across multiple county departments.
• 3L (Dadeland South Intermodal Station): Approved a $6.9 million supplemental agreement for design-build modifications, including bus charging stations, funded by the People’s Transportation Plan (PTP).
• Outcome: All six items were forwarded to the BCC with favorable recommendations (5-0). A request was made for Items 2C, 3C, 3G, and 3H to be placed on the October 18, 2025 BCC agenda.

Special Presentation: Community Based Organizations (CBOs) Process, Funding, and Historical Data

• OMB staff David Cloudfelder and Dan Wall presented an extensive overview of CBO funding. The competitive “legacy” CBO pot managed by OMB totals approximately $15–16 million, while the total universe of county-funded CBO allocations reaches roughly $80.8 million across 2,172 allocations and various departments.
• Staff detailed the recent canceled RFP process, which drew 401 applications requesting $124.6 million against $15.4 million available. A historical timeline was provided, covering the creation and dissolution of the Alliance for Human Services, multiple failed competitive processes, and repeated board rejection of recommended award lists.
• Board members discussed reforming the process. Chairwoman Regalado advocated for breaking CBO funding into distinct programmatic buckets and cautioned against the historical pattern of rejecting competitive outcomes. Commissioner Gonzalez expressed support for a trust fund model and leveraging CBO expertise. Commissioner Milian Orbis announced a planned November committee report on the process and geographic reach of services. Vice Chairwoman Cohen Higgins stressed the need for accountability and questioned how the broader $80.8 million in allocations relate to existing performance report cards.
• Next Steps: A legislative item and report on the CBO process is expected in November.

Key Outcomes

• Forwarded to BCC (5-0): Items 2A, 2B, 2C, 3B, 3C, 3D Substitute, 3E, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3I, 3J, 3K, 3L.
• Deferred (5-0): Item 3A (NW 7th Ave CRA expansion, returned for boundary amendment).
• Withdrawn/Deferred: Item 2D (Hammock Marine Lease).
• BCC Request: Items 2C, 3C, 3G, and 3H were requested to be placed on the October 18, 2025 BCC meeting agenda.
• Future Legislation & Reports: The administration will provide quarterly reports on FIFA World Cup funding expenditures to the board starting November 4, 2025. Discussions on CBO funding reform will continue, with a formal report on the process and metrics expected in November 2025.