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Written by Miami Today on January 28, 2026
A budget-related call by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for a moratorium on new or expanded community redevelopment agencies in Miami-Dade got a reaction of thanks but no thanks from county commissioners last week.
While there was no vote on the mayor’s report, which the commission itself had requested last September, commissioners made clear one by one that they support requests for two new redevelopment agencies and the expansions of four more in the face of a price tag that the mayor hung on them of $758 million added to future budgets.
The report had been requested by Commissioner René García. It sought a list of achievements agency by agency, county financial contributions to the agencies over the past five years, projects for the next five years, and reimbursements by several agencies that are required to reimburse the county. Sen. García had not sought a recommendation on new agencies or expansions.
The mayor’s 13-page report, however, listed in boldface her recommendation for a moratorium on community redevelopment agencies (CRAs).
“Pending actions to create, expand, or extend CRAs will have an estimated minimum impact of approximately $758 million on the county’s future budgets,” she wrote. “Given the ongoing uncertainty of the ongoing fiscal environment, I am recommending that the county adopt a moratorium on the creation of any new or expanded CRAs.”
She added that “approval of any of these requests is not advisable given the current and future needs of the county – it is critical that we maintain the financial stability needed to invest in and properly manage countywide assets and infrastructure, while maintaining the essential services on which our community depends.”
Of the CRAs on the table, the City of Miami is seeking one in Allapattah that the mayor’s team estimates will cost the county budget $250.5 million to $475.9 million over 30 years. A CRA proposed for the City of South Miami would cost the county budget $56.7 million to $107.5 million, the mayor’s report said.
A move to expand the boundaries of the Naranja Lakes CRA and extending its life would cost the county $268.4 million for the extension from 2033 to 2044, the mayor’s report said. An expansion of boundaries of the Northwest Seventh Avenue Corridor CRA would cost the county $2.38 million, the report said.
A move to expand the boundaries of the West Perrine CRA would cost $6.7 million and an expansion of boundaries of the 79th Street Corridor CRA would cost $75.6 million, the mayor wrote.
“We’re heading into a budget year with real uncertainty,” the mayor told commissioners last week. “Given that, and as mayor, it’s my responsibility to signal when we should be cautious with our operational needs. I am a strong CRA proponent since their creation and … this report proposes a temporary pause on their expansions until we can assess the impact of decisions in the Florida Legislature.”
While she did not specify those decisions, no fewer than eight separate pieces of legislation would whittle away the county’s property tax revenues – some of them markedly – with no offering of another revenue stream to fuel spending on county services. That concept, which has strong support from Gov. Ron DeSantis, is shaking counties and municipalities across the state.
Sen. Garcia immediately called for limitation of CRA spending to only such county priorities as affordable housing, transportation, and water and sewer.
Other commissioners, however, pointed to the economic development that the 15 current redevelopment agencies can provide and talked about broader use of their funding. Commissioner Oliver Gilbert III hailed the single purpose of the Miami Gardens CRA of an arts center. Commissioner Raquel Regalado said the aim of the proposed South Miami CRA is to build infrastructure, not housing.
Multiple commissioners said the mayor’s report is a good start so thank her for it – and essentially put it on the shelf as they request more information on various aspects of CRAs.
As the report notes, the state created a vehicle for the agencies to battle slum and blight in areas across the state. Once a CRA plan is approved, a trust fund is established and the total taxable value of real estate in the area is set at a fixed base year. From 50% to 95% of added tax values from revenue increases above the fixed base in the district go not to the county but to the CRA to spend for specific purposes.
“CRA taxable values have significantly increased above the county’s average growth due to the extensive real estate investment and redevelopment activities occurring in those areas,” the mayor’s report said. “Over the last five years, the county has contributed a total of $445.376 million to existing CRAs.”