While Miami-Dade contemplates hiking water rates to plug budget holes, North Miami Beach is moving in the opposite direction by approving what its leaders describe as the largest water relief package in the city’s history for more than 100,000 county residents.
City Commissioners this week unanimously approved the NMB Water Relief Act, a program that will cut bills for seniors, disabled residents, military families and other qualifying customers of its Norwood Water Treatment Plant.
It’s a great deal for those customers — if it goes into effect. At County Hall, legislation is advancing that could preempt the plan.
The fee cuts come as Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and County Commissioners look to increase water rates by up to 6%, meaning the average household would pay more than $43 extra per year.
Mayor Michael Joseph, who sponsored the measure with Commissioners Phyllis Smith and Fortuna Smukler, said North Miami acted because the city believes “in lifting people, not holding them down.”
“While Miami-Dade is raising water rates, as your Mayor, North Miami Beach is leading with relief for homeowners,” he said in a statement. “We know every dollar counts, and despite the County’s pushback, we’re standing firm.”
The plan provides a 10% discount, up to $100 a year, for residents who qualify for certain state homestead exemptions, including those over 65, people with permanent disabilities, deployed service members and surviving spouses of first responders and veterans killed in the line of duty. Another program offers a prorated discount of up to $50 a year for customers who enroll in automatic bill payment.
The city also launched the NMB Water “Facts First” campaign, an outreach initiative meant to promote conservation and transparency while underscoring the city’s commitment to affordable, safe and reliable water service.
But the new relief program faces opposition. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, a former Mayor of neighboring Miami Gardens, is sponsoring an ordinance that could restrict the city from implementing water relief measures.
Gilbert has long clashed with the city over its water policies, and he’s far from the only elected official with interest in the issue.
The Norwood plant, which North Miami Beach owns, is located in Miami Gardens and serves many of its residents. Miami Gardens has argued that the city was charging its residents unfairly, imposing a 25% surcharge on out-of-city customers.
To prevent similar conflicts, Democratic state lawmakers from Miami Gardens successfully sponsored legislation during the 2025 Session to prevent similar conflicts by standardizing how municipalities charge neighboring communities for water.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Shevrin Jones and Rep. Felicia Robinson, would have forced North Miami Beach to charge Miami Gardens the same rates it charges its own residents, since the Norwood plant sits within Miami Gardens’ city limits.
Joseph opposed the measure, arguing it would have cost North Miami Beach about $5 million a year and set a dangerous precedent for state overreach. Gilbert, by contrast, said the surcharge was “one community taking advantage of another.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis ultimatelyvetoed the bill in July, saying it unfairly singled out two municipalities and should be resolved locally or with broader statewide legislation.
Gilbert’s legislation, which cleared a public hearing this week, aims to create a local fix, albeit one of which Joseph and other city officials disapprove.
If passed, the ordinance would require North Miami Beach to file written copies of the terms and conditions it imposes on outside customers with the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, and to show whether any surcharges collected are used for water system operations and improvements.
Utilities that don’t cooperate could face a $500 fine per violation. If violations persist, the county could eventually take control over regulating or operating the utility under its home rule authority.
The Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) is lining up behind two Republicans running in a pair of Special Elections set for early next year.
In House District 51, the business lobby is throwing its support behind Hilary Holley, who went unopposed for GOP nomination and will go head-to-head with Democratic nominee Edwin Pérez on March 24. In House District 87, the group is backing Jon Maples, who will be on a Jan. 13 Special Primary ballot, with a March 24 Special General Election scheduled.
AIF President and CEO Brewster Bevis said Holley’s “dedication to fiscal responsibility, small-business growth, smart development, and protecting Florida’s agriculture and quality of life makes her an ideal candidate for the Florida House. Her Florida-first, conservative approach will help ensure Florida remains competitive and prosperous. We are proud to support her campaign.”
Holley is the favorite for HD 51, the northern Polk County district ceded by Rep. Josie Tomkow when she entered the race for the Senate seat previously held by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.
According to the most recent L2 voter data, the northern Polk County seat has an advantage for Republicans, with nearly 34% of the electorate registered to the GOP, compared to just 31% who are Democrats. Tomkow won her most recent re-election last year with 57% of the vote over Democrat Octavio Hernandez. The same cycle saw President Donald Trump carry the district with 56% of the vote.
Bevis said Maples earned AIF’s nod because he “understands the real pressures facing Florida’s families — from affordability challenges to infrastructure strain — and is committed to finding practical solutions. His background in small business, his dedication to community, and his focus on strengthening Florida’s families make him the voice we need for the business community in the Florida House. AIF is proud to endorse his campaign.”
Maples is running to replace former Rep. Mike Caruso, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed in August to serve as Palm Beach County Clerk, setting up the Special Election. Maples entered the race in April, before Caruso left the Legislature, expecting to run in the 2026 cycle.
Maples, who is also being backed by the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee, will face Gretchen Feng in the Primary. The winner of the Jan. 13 contest will be the overwhelming favorite in March — Republicans account for more than 39% of the electorate, compared to less than 29% who are Democrats, according to the most recent L2 voter data.
‘This is one of the easiest choices conservatives will ever have for Chief Financial Officer.’
Gov. Ron DeSantis is making it official and endorsing Blaise Ingoglia in next year’s race for Chief Financial Officer.
DeSantis appointed Ingoglia, a Republican from Spring Hill who served in the state Senate, earlier this year to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis.
And clearly the Governor likes how Ingoglia has handled the job so far.
“I’m pleased to endorse Blaise Ingoglia for the Chief Financial Officer of Florida. We’ve never had anybody in state government who’s been such a bulldog in favor of the taxpayers, who has held liberal mayors (to) account for extravagant spending. He has earned your support with his performance,” said DeSantis, alluding to Ingoglia’s series of audits of local governments that have ferreted out what he deems to be wasteful spending and excessive taxation.
“All these guys talk, very few of them deliver. Blaise has said what he’s going to do. He’s met those promises, and he’s over-delivering. Blaise Ingoglia, this is one of the easiest choices conservatives will ever have for Chief Financial Officer.”
Ingoglia said he was honored to get DeSantis’ backing.
“Governor DeSantis has transformed Florida into the nation’s leader for economic freedom, and I’m grateful for his trust and support. As CFO, I will keep Florida’s economy strong, stop wasteful spending in its tracks, hold insurance companies accountable, and defend every hard-earned taxpayer dollar. Florida’s future is worth fighting for,” he said.
Ingoglia will face a Primary next August against Rep. Kevin Steele and several less heralded candidates before the General Election in November. At this point, no Democrat has filed to run.
City Hall aide Monica Matteo-Salinas just won a four-year term on the Miami Beach Commission, outpacing a better-funded but controversy-laden opponent in a runoff for the panel’s Group 1 seat.
With all precincts reporting, a full tally of early votes and a partial count of mail-in ballots, Matteo-Salinas had 71% of the vote to defeat Republican lawyer Monique Pardo Pope.
She’ll succeed fellow Democrat Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who must leave the city’s seven-member governing body after an unsuccessful mayoral run.
Matteo-Salinas said in a statement that she is “deeply grateful” Miami Beach voters trusted her to represent their interests on the City Commission.
I ran for this seat because I love our city — because my children, and every child in our community, deserve to grow up in a Miami Beach we can be proud of, and because our residents deserve a city government that truly works for them. I am inspired every day by the people who make Miami Beach so special: families, seniors, small business owners, first responders, and neighbors from every background who care deeply about our community,” she said.
“I promise to always listen, solve problems, and deliver on the issues that matter most. This victory belongs to everyone who believes in a Miami Beach that protects its neighborhoods, invests in its future, and reflects the values of the community we love. I am ready to get to work.”
Tuesday’s runoff sharpened into a choice between two contrasting résumés, platforms and campaign narratives, along with late-cycle revelations about Pardo Pope, one of which drew national headlines.
Matteo-Salinas, 46, consolidated establishment support for her campaign, which centered on promises to work on expanding trolley service, increase the city’s affordable housing index and establish a new “water czar” position in the city, paid by resort taxes.
She’s received endorsements from several local political notables, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Beach Commissioners Alex Fernandez, Laura Dominguez and Tanya Bhatt, and former Miami Beach Dan Gelber.
Groups backing her bid include the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police, LGBTQ groups SAVE Action PAC and Equality Florida Action PAC, and the public safety-focused neighborhood group SOBESafe.
The Miami-Dade Democratic Party also celebrated Matteo-Salinas’ double-digit victory Tuesday, calling it “a monumental victory with profound implications for every community across Miami-Dade.”
(L-R) Monica Matteo-Salinas and Monique Pardo Pope. Images via the candidates.
Pardo Pope, 45, centered her messaging on public safety, investing in mental health, backing school choice initiatives, supporting homelessness services, encouraging “smart, thoughtful development” that preserves Miami Beach’s character while addressing flooding and roadway congestion, and alleviating cost-of-living issues for longtime residents and first-time homebuyers through “fair taxation.”
She touted her guardian ad litem work as evidence of her temperament and commitment to service, but that part of her record came under scrutiny in recent weeks. A review of Pardo Pope’s case records with the Miami-Dade Clerk’s Office showed her listed as a guardian ad litem in just three cases — one of which she was discharged from after trying to get the mother in the case jailed.
She was also the subject of negative attention for omitting that her father was the convicted, Nazi-adoring serial killer Manuel Pardo, to whom she wrote several loving social media posts.
Pardo Pope has said she forgave her dad to move forward with her life, asking voters to judge her on her own life and work.
She is also the target of a Florida Bar inquiry for falsely claiming that documentarian Billy Corben, who was the first to reveal her father’s identity, lost a defamation lawsuit.
Her backers included the Miami-Dade Republican Party, Miami-Dade Commissioner René García, Rep. Alex Rizo, former Miami Beach City Attorney Jose Smith, Miami Realtors PAC, Venezuelan American Republican Club and Teach Florida PAC, a Jewish education group.
Two of her former Group 1 opponents, Daniel Ciraldo and Omar Gimenez, also endorsed her.
Matteo-Salinas raised about $133,000 and spent $82,000 by Dec. 4. Pardo Pope raised about $190,000 — of which 29% was self-given — and spent close to $170,000.
Matteo-Salinas finished first in Miami Beach’s General Election last month with 23.2% of the vote. Pardo Pope advanced with 20.1% after narrowly avoiding a recount.
They outpaced four other candidates, but neither captured a large enough share of the vote — more than 50% — to win outright.
Politics8 years ago