Days after lawmakers greenlit Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe’s request for a sweeping audit of Miami Beach’s governance, local officials are preparing to denounce what they describe as “false, misleading, and unsubstantiated public claims” he’s made about the city and its leaders.

In a new resolution filed for the panel’s Dec. 17 meeting, Mayor Steven Meiner and Commissioners Tanya Bhatt, Laura Dominguez and Alex Fernadnez assert that the city operates with “transparency, ethical governance, responsible public communication, and evidence-based oversight.”

But for years, the resolution says, Basabe has repeatedly undermined public trust by publicly accusing the city of corruption, mismanagement, favoritism, improper contracting and unethical behavior — none of which, the item says, has been backed by evidence.

The resolution highlights Basabe’s initial request in October for an audit of Miami Beach, which, among other things, raised concerns of “financial mismanagement, procurement irregularities,” “inflated contracts, diversion of funds, and questionable budget allocations.”

Basabe has yet to provide substantiation for any of those claims, according to the resolution, which also cites Basabe’s amplification of social media claims alleging that Commissioners are controlled by insiders or engaged in improper dealings, calling those assertions “completely without evidence.”

Similarly, the item says Basabe’s criticism of Miami Beach’s homelessness ordinance has been “factually and legally baseless,” contradicting census data from the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust showing homelessness at “historic lows.” His claims regarding misuse of voter-approved general obligation bond funds are also “categorically false,” according to the resolution.

The Miami Beach Commission is a seven-member body, meaning that if Meiner, Bhatt, Dominguez and Fernandez all vote for the measure they sponsored, it will pass. Commissioner Joseph Magazine, who was traveling when contacted Thursday, said he’d heard the gist of the resolution but won’t decide whether he’ll be supportive until he reads it.

Commissioner David Suarez, who this year lodged accusations against Dominguez similar to those Basabe intimated, responded to a query from Florida Politics about the issue, but did not say whether he’d support or oppose the resolution.

Commissioner-elect Monica Matteo-Salinas, a former Fernandez staffer who is to be sworn in Dec. 15, did not immediately respond.

Meiner, Magazine and Suarez have no party affiliation. Bhatt, Dominguez, Fernandez and Matteo-Salinas are Democrats.

Senators and Representatives in the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee voted unanimously on Monday to direct Florida Auditor General Sherill Norman to examine Miami Beach’s operations.

Norman will now set the scope of the review, and auditors will coordinate with the city in the coming weeks to begin document requests and on-site work. A final report is expected roughly one year after the audit formally begins.

In a lengthy statement, Basabe accused the resolution’s sponsors of “trying to turn a basic oversight measure into a political fight,” noting that the measure was placed on the Commission’s consent agenda, “where it can be passed in a batch without discussion unless a Commissioner pulls it.”

“This alone tells you how uncomfortable they are with transparency. Challenging an independent audit is never in the best interest of residents, and trying to bury a political attack inside a procedural shortcut should concern anyone who cares about honest government,” he said.

“It is defensive and calculated to serve as a shield to their calculated ecosystem of donors, lobbyists and contract-holders who rely on secrecy and confusion to operate. Residents deserve clarity, clean bookkeeping and honest government. They also deserve leaders willing to collaborate in good faith.”

This isn’t the first time Basabe has sought potentially punitive action against local officials in cities he represents. In August, he successfully pushed for Bay Harbor to fire its Town Attorney, Democratic Miami-Dade School Board member Joe Geller. The action, effectuated by a 6-1 Town Council vote, prompted one of Geller’s law firm partners to opine that the number of municipalities Basabe has scrutinized “probably correlates to the number of political enemies he has.”

Fernandez said in a brief phone interview that he welcomes the audit, noting that the city operates at a surplus, has reduced its millage rate in recent years, and enjoys strong bond ratings. Miami Beach also has an independent Inspector General who regularly checks the city’s books for waste and abuse, Fernandez said before accusing Basabe of both.

“We have a public official that is lying to his colleagues about one of his cities, and now we have public resources being dedicated to looking into falsehoods,” he said. “Everything that he has alleged is false and misleading, and now it’s leading to an audit that wastes taxpayers’ money.”

Fernandez added that Basabe may have also engaged in a “criminal misuse of public office” by including his official Florida House letterhead in communications accusing him and Dominguez of wrongdoing and calling for candidates to challenge them.

In one letter addressed to “the Residents of Miami Beach,” he asked, “WILL ANYONE RUN AGAINST FERNANDEZ OR DOMINGUEZ? Step up to and help to save our city!” In another that did not include their names, the lawmaker wrote, “If you vote for any of these incumbents, you’re endorsing deceit and rewarding incompetence.”

Florida Statute 104.31 provides that a public official may not use their authority or influence “for the purpose of interfering with an election or nomination of office or coercing or influencing another person’s vote or affecting the result thereof.”

Miami Beach resident Jo Manning cited that statute and others in September ethics complaints she filed against Suarez, who used the city’s seal and letterhead in communications aimed at defeating Dominguez in the city’s November election.

Fernandez won re-election last month with a record-breaking 84% of the vote, while Dominguez took 61% of the vote to defeat a Republican challenger that Suarez backed.

The U.S. Senate has shot down a proposal to extend health care subsidies for three years. Both U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody voted against the proposal.

The rejection from Florida’s Senate delegation came even though Florida has 4.7 million consumers, more than any other state, relying on tax credits obtained in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace.

As of now, those consumers are set to see premiums increase without subsidies that were expanded in 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic. A shorter extension of the subsidies is still possible, but no plan has been agreed upon despite price hikes nearing.

The Florida Senators drew pushback from Florida Democrats immediately.

“It is exactly two weeks before Christmas and 4.7 million Floridians are terrified they are going to lose access to their healthcare,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

“Instead of fighting for their health and safety our Senators, Rick Scott and Ashley Moody have decided to leave them out in the cold by voting against ensuring their health and safety. Floridians are scrambling to keep food on the table and the lights on during this affordability crisis. The least our elected officials can do is ensure that their healthcare costs don’t balloon by thousands of dollars, pushing more Florida families to the brink.”

But it’s little surprise that either Scott or Moody voted against the bill.

Scott, a Naples Republican, made clear throughout a Rescuing the American Dream summit he led in Washington last week that he considers the ACA subsidies bad policy. He instead has pushed his alternative More Affordable Care Act, which seeks out free market solutions to reduce the costs paid by consumers.

Ahead of the vote, he said Congress should not continue down the road of further subsidizing insurance.

“American families see clearly that Obamacare has failed to deliver on its promises — instead, it created a broken system that screwed over the American people with higher costs and fewer options,” Scott said.

“Families are left paying higher premiums and higher deductibles for health care plans that don’t even fit their needs. We can fix that: we just have to let Americans be the consumer so they can get care that truly fits their needs and drive competition to lower costs.”

Shortly after the vote against extending subsidies, Scott’s Office issued a roundup of conservative groups endorsing his bill, though the Republican majority in the Senate has failed to coalesce around Scott’s plan, or any other specific health care proposal.

Moody hasn’t been vocal on health care, but was among the 48 Republicans who voted against taking up a Democratic bill to extend subsidies. While 51 Senators supported taking up the bill, Senate rules require 60 votes to advance legislation.

Notably, Moody, who was appointed to the Senate in January, stands for election in 2026. A Republican polling firm in October released survey results earlier this year showing the Plant City Republican may be more vulnerable to a challenge if she does not support extending tax credits, a program supported by 73% of Florida voters.

Democrats suggested they intend to highlight the vote against subsidies in the Midterms. Due to the vote, all Floridians receiving subsidies will likely see them expire at the close of 2025.

“If these subsidies expire, costs will skyrocket forcing families to make impossible choices — including forgoing healthcare. That means higher costs, strained services, and longer wait times for everyone,” Fried said.

“Floridians deserve better. Healthcare should not be a partisan issue and it’s a shame that millions of Americans have to endure this during the holidays.”

The debate around the subsidies for insurance were at the heart of a government shutdown this year.

A bill pitched by Sarasota Rep. Fiona McFarland that increases the payout cap on lawsuits against state and local governments has advanced through the committee stage, but it’s still in search of a Senate sponsor despite favorable outlook in the House.

The House Judiciary Committee advanced McFarland’s legislation (HB 145) that would significantly raise Florida’s sovereign immunity caps placed on lawsuits against state and local governments, reviving an effort to update how much people can recover when they sue. 

The measure would increase the current limits of $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident to $500,000 and $1 million beginning in 2026. The caps would rise again in 2031 to $600,000 per person and $1.2 million per incident.

The bill would also allow cities, counties and other public agencies to settle claims above those limits without needing a separate act of the Legislature. It shortens the time to file notices of claim against government entities, reduces the statute of limitations for negligence cases to two years, and bars insurers from requiring a claims bill before paying benefits.

Supporters say the updates modernize payout limits that have not changed over a decade, and streamline a process that forces victims to seek additional compensation through a claims bill.

“I’ll remind you that approximately one-fourth of claims bills that are filed every year pass, and again these caps were last updated in 2010.” McFarland said during Thursday’s committee meeting. 

However local governments and school districts have previously warned that higher caps could increase insurance costs and pressure local budgets, especially since it comes at a time when state legislators aim to cut property taxes.

The committee reported favorably on the measure with a 12 to 2 vote. HB 145 next heads to the House floor for debate, but a Senate companion has not yet been filed ahead of the Jan. 9 deadline.

The 2025 Session version of SB 145 passed in the House on a 103-11 vote in April, but it stalled out in the Senate where its upper-chamber companion, sponsored by St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie, died without a hearing. DiCeglie previously told Florida Politics he isn’t refiling the bill for the 2026 Session and doesn’t know if another Senator will.

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Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics contributed to this report.