![\"Miami](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777023670_556_MIA_08MIAMIPOLICEANDFIRETOUR.JPG\" "\\"Miami")
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Miami Fire Chief Robert Hevia, center, tours the rusted, outdated boiler room at Fire Station 1, built in 1964, with City Manager James Reyes, left, and Mayor Eileen Higgins, right, during a press tour in Miami on Monday, April 20, 2026. Higgins is proposing a general obligation bond to fund critical repairs and upgrades to aging public safety buildings.<\/p>\n
Carl Juste<\/p>\n
cjuste@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Miami officials are not ready to send a $450 million public safety infrastructure bond<\/a> to the August primary ballot, halting an ambitious proposal from Mayor Eileen Higgins that has the backing of the city\u2019s police and fire chiefs.<\/p>\n On Thursday, the City Commission punted the vote to next meeting, slated for May 14. The half-billion-dollar bond, championed by Higgins, seeks to repair the city\u2019s aging public safety infrastructure, plagued by issues like mold and leaky roofs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bond requires voter approval. While the mayor secured support from Police Chief Manuel Morales and Miami Fire-Rescue Chief Robert Hevia, the City Commission is ultimately the gatekeeper in determining what lands on the ballot. As mayor, Higgins doesn\u2019t have a vote on the five-member City Commission, though she can veto legislation and meet privately with commissioners to whip up votes.<\/p>\n With District 3 Commissioner Rolando Escalona signing on as a co-sponsor, Higgins needed support from two more commissioners to advance her proposal to the ballot. But on Thursday afternoon, the mayor announced that she would be deferring the item to the next meeting on May 14.<\/p>\n Speaking to the Miami Herald after the meeting, Higgins said it \u201cbecame apparent throughout the day\u201d that several commissioners had questions specifically relating to the $400 million Miami Forever Bond<\/a> voters approved in 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd so it just makes sense to make sure that they get all of those questions answered,\u201d Higgins said. \u201cAs far as I can tell, all of them are very enthusiastic about supporting the police and fire bond, but it just makes sense that they get to clarify all the facts around the Miami Forever Bond.\u201d<\/p>\n The city attorney previously said May 22 is the deadline for sending referendums to the August primary ballot, meaning the commission would need to sign off on the bond at the next commission meeting, or call for a special meeting, to make that happen.<\/p>\n \u2018Improvised, rushed, irresponsible\u2019<\/p>\n During a tour<\/a> of the police department headquarters and various fire stations this week, Morales and Hevia showed the deteriorating conditions that include mold, leaks, patched-up floors and out-of-order plumbing.<\/p>\n While many residents who spoke at Thursday\u2019s meeting agreed that the conditions are subpar and need attention, several criticized a bond as the funding mechanism.<\/p>\n