Levine Cava projects $29 million hit to Miami transit from tax break

More than $29 million in lost revenue is the estimated cost to Miami-Dade County in 2027 if Florida voters approve Amendment 3. County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava stated that the proposed tax measure would force the Department of Transportation and Public Works to cut bus routes and reduce service hours. The state measure would lower the taxable value of primary homes by $150,000 in 2027 and by $250,000 in 2028.

Levine Cava described the county's current funding model as unsustainable. She noted that the state recently removed transit funding from the county budget. In the latest budget cycle, the county saved only 13 bus routes from elimination. To balance the books, the department also raised Metrorail fares by 50 cents.

"With Amendment 3, for sure we will see in routes, cuts in hours for service," Levine Cava said. The county estimates the financial impact will grow to more than $24 million in 2028. The transportation department also maintains local roads, where an $18 million backlog of pothole repairs already exists.

Tiago Abad-Sanchez, a senior at Florida International University, rides the bus at least six times a week to attend class. He voted against the amendment because he views transit as a public good. "If we invest in it right and if we continue to make investments and improvements to infrastructure. Then it really does serve society as a whole," Abad-Sanchez said.

Cathy Dos Santos of Transit Alliance Miami warned that service cuts would affect commuters who rely on multiple forms of transportation. "It's about removing a whole form of moving or arguably 3 different forms of moving from the table," Dos Santos said. She emphasized that the cuts would not just affect one mode of travel but the entire network.

Supporters of Amendment 3 argue that tax relief will boost the local economy. Aaron Brill, a condo owner in Brickell, supports the measure. He expects the savings to be spent locally and to generate additional sales tax revenue. "That puts more money in people's pockets. Especially people who have been living here a long time," Brill said.