Miami-Dade’s new commission chair: ‘Every cent must be scrutinized. It’s your money, not ours.’

As he formally took office as Miami-Dade County’s new commission chair on Wednesday night, Anthony Rodriguez warned he wants a fresh look at how the board oversees nearly $13 billion in government spending a year.

“I want to reinvent how we look at government spending,” Rodriguez, 37, said during his installation address at the Frost science museum. “We should insist that every dollar being spent is getting the results the taxpayers expect. … Every cent must be scrutinized. It’s your money, not ours.”

A Republican former member of the Florida House, Rodriguez assumes the chair post after being unanimously elected by an officially nonpartisan board where Democrats hold seven of the 13 seats. The first-term commissioner takes the powerful seat — which gives him control of the board’s agenda and meetings — at a promising political juncture for the married father of three.

He’s now the leading county Republican in a county that swung dramatically right in the November presidential election, with President-elect Donald Trump going from winning six commission districts in 2020 to 10 last month. Rodriguez’s close friend, state Rep. Danny Perez, a Miami-area Republican, is now speaker of the Florida House.

“Anthony Rodriguez will rise to the occasion,” Perez said before swearing-in “my brother,” Rodriguez. “There is nobody better suited to lead this community.”

With the county’s Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, starting her final four-year term, the swearing-in of Rodriguez also brings new attention to his political future. He and Perez are both mentioned as potential county mayoral candidates in 2028.

Rodriguez’s election as chair was considered all but done for most of 2024, a year where he raised more than $1 million for his political committee, A Bolder Florida.

He takes over leadership of the commission at a time of growing worry about the county’s finances after years of surging real estate values and an influx of federal COVID aid. Levine Cava presents her budget proposal in July, and Rodriguez will preside over the meetings where commissioners will set the tax rates and approve spending levels.

“We should insist that every dollar being spent is getting the results the taxpayers expect,” Rodriguez said.

This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 5:00 AM.