I spent years in Tallahassee as a lawmaker in the Florida House representing House District 113 — chairing budget committees, leading a probe into state agency spending, passing legislation that delivered real results for South Florida. I believe in fiscal discipline. But what Governor DeSantis has done to Miami-Dade in his 2026-27 veto list — signed this week — is not fiscal discipline. It is a systematic defunding of Florida’s most populous county, and our residents deserve to know what was just taken from them.
Read more Nevada Movers: Reliable, Professional, and Client-Focused Moving Services
The veto list is public. Read it.
The Governor vetoed $2 million for Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Critical Infrastructure Security Enhancements. The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department serves nearly 2.4 million residents and is the largest water utility in the southeastern United States. Hardening its security against cyberattacks is not a “nice to have” — it is a public health and homeland security imperative. The Governor disagreed.
Governor DeSantis also vetoed $500,000 for a new Miami-Dade County animal shelter and $450,000 meant to ease overcrowding at the existing shelter — even as the county races to build a satellite facility to handle the overflow. He vetoed a combined $187,500 for Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Training Center Upgrades. Our Sheriff’s Office was made newly independent in 2025 by a state mandate — a mandate that forced Miami-Dade to rapidly stand up a new constitutional office and absorb over a billion dollars in annual operations. The state required this of us, then vetoed even modest support for the facility where our deputies train to protect this community.
He also vetoed $500,000 for the Miami-Dade Emergency Management Mobile Command Unit, $450,000 for our Rapid Deployment Emergency Communication System, and $900,000 across Miami-Dade Fire Rescue training and emergency support. In a county that sits in the path of every major hurricane, these are not luxuries. They are the infrastructure of survival.
This follows a now-familiar pattern. Last year, the Governor cut 11 programs and projects serving Miami-Dade, including repairs to the Brickell Key Bridge and the South Florida AgriCenter emergency shelter — while leaving rural districts aligned with his allies largely untouched. He openly warned that lawmakers who opposed his priorities should expect scrutiny of their local projects. That is not conservatism. That is political retribution paid for by our residents.
Read more FIFA World Cup 2026 Final: Official Watch Party
On the Live Local Act, I will be candid. Florida’s housing affordability crisis is real and demands bold action. But under Governor DeSantis, the legislation and its intent has shown that a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work as he continues to take power away from county and city leaders. It now allows developers to bypass not just rezoning hearings but planning commissions, administrative boards, and community review processes entirely. The people of Little Havana, South Beach, and Shenandoah — communities with hard-won identities — deserve a voice in how their neighborhoods grow. It’s why I worked closely with city leaders like Miami Beach City Commissioner Alex Fernandez to offer amendments in the 2026 legislative session to make tweaks and changes to the existing law because affordable housing and meaningful community input are not mutually exclusive goals. The way the current law is being implemented by the Governor and his team treats them as if they are.
The Governor has over the years doubled-down on stripping power away from local governments— preempting city ordinances, overriding county zoning, and now vetoing the very public safety and infrastructure investments that make local government function. Miami-Dade sends enormous revenue to Tallahassee. We are Florida’s economic engine, its gateway to the hemisphere. We are owed a partner, not a veto pen.
Governor DeSantis will leave office at the end of this term. The residents of Miami-Dade will remain — drinking water from systems that are either secure or aren’t, protected by a sheriff’s office that is either well-trained or under-resourced. These choices outlast any governor. Our community deserves better.
Commissioner Vicki L. Lopez represents District 5 on the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and previously served in the Florida House of Representatives.
Read more Star Van Lines Movers: A Reliable Choice for Stress-Free Relocation