Miami Ballot Measures 2026: What’s on the Ballot and When It Affects You

Miami voters will decide on three major ballot measures this Nov. 3 that could reshape neighborhood flood protection, bus and train service, and housing costs for seniors. The earliest impact: if the county sales tax for transit passes, collection would start Jan. 1, 2027, before passengers see a single new bus. The city’s $400 million climate bond, if approved, would fund 12 specific flood-pump and seawall projects listed in the ballot text, with construction expected to begin in late 2027. The third measure, a property tax exemption for low-income seniors, would take effect for the 2027 tax year, meaning a typical eligible homeowner could save roughly $800 annually, according to Miami-Dade County property appraiser estimates provided to the county commission in May.

Why now? The city of Miami and Miami-Dade County face a series of deadlines in coming months to lock in state matching funds. Florida’s legislative session starts in January 2027, and both Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office and the state Department of Environmental Protection have said they will prioritize local climate projects that have voter-approved local funding. That means Nov. 4, the day after the election, city planners will submit preliminary drawings to Tallahassee for three of the dozen planned seawall projects, a step that cannot happen without bond authority, Miami chief resilience officer Jane Gilbert told the city commission on June 24. “The timeline is tight,” said Gilbert during the meeting, recorded in the city’s public video archive. “If the bond fails, those state dollars go to other communities.”

How the Measures Hit Home

For residents in Shorecrest and Little River, the climate bond’s $400 million would pay for new drainage pumps and raised roads, projects the city’s stormwater master plan says are needed to handle the 15 inches of rainfall that flooded those neighborhoods during Hurricane Irma in 2017. Without the bond, city officials say they would have to fund repairs from the general fund, delaying work until at least 2029. The county’s half-cent sales tax increase, from 7% to 7.5%, would generate an estimated $120 million annually for transit, per a May 2026 county budget office report. But the tax would start biting shoppers’ wallets Jan. 1, while the first new bus route, a limited-stop line along U.S. 1, is not scheduled until late 2027, according to Miami-Dade Transit’s draft service plan. Critics, including the Miami-Dade Taxpayer Alliance, have argued in public hearings that the gap means shoppers pay before they ride. Supporters, including the transit advocacy group Transit Alliance, say federal grants for new electric buses hinge on a local match that only the sales tax can provide.

The senior exemption measure would freeze property taxes for homeowners aged 65 and older with household incomes below $50,000, per the county’s ordinance summary. The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s office estimates that about 18,000 households would qualify, roughly 5% of county homeowners. For a retiree living in a house valued at $300,000 in Little Havana, the exemption could cut the annual tax bill from about $3,200 to $2,400, using county calculations. But opponents, including the Miami-Dade School Board, have warned in a resolution passed April 21 that the exemption could shift $14 million in lost revenue onto other property owners and schools, a claim county budget analysts will have to address in the voter guide due out Sept. 15.

What Happens Next

Early voting starts Oct. 19 at 16 locations across Miami-Dade, including Miami City Hall and the Stephen P. Clark Government Center downtown. The county elections department says it will mail sample ballots by Sept. 30, with a 75-word explanation of each measure. Between now and then, city and county staff are hosting four public forums, the next is July 22 at the Little Havana Activities and Nutrition Center, where residents can ask technical questions about project timelines and tax impacts. After Nov. 3, if all three measures pass, the first visible change for residents will be the higher sales tax at checkout counter terminals starting New Year’s Day. The first shovel-ready climate project, a seawall replacement in the Morningside neighborhood, is expected to break ground in October 2027. If any measure fails, the affected agency will have to return to the drawing board: the city would need a new bond referendum in 2028, county transit planners would lose the state matching window, and the school board would face a smaller revenue gap but also no relief for seniors, leaving Miami voters to weigh timelines and tradeoffs throughout the next four months.