State lawmaker wants a DOGE-like audit for Miami Beach. What to know
Florida State Rep. Fabian Basabe is requesting a DOGE-like effort to audit the City of Miami Beach, citing “financial mismanagement” and “a lack of transparency.”
Basabe, a Republican whose district includes Miami Beach, voiced his concerns in a letter to other state officials that was included in the agenda for the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, which will meet Monday afternoon in Tallahassee.
A spokesperson for the City of Miami Beach did not respond to the Herald’s request for comment as of Sunday afternoon.
The South Florida representative’s request was made alongside that of state lawmakers seeking audits for Delray Beach and Daytona Beach.
“City leadership has intentionally complicated its relationship with the state, making it harder to secure cooperation and oversight,” Basabe said in the letter. “In doing so, they have been unaccountable not only to the state but to residents, businesses, and taxpayers.”
Miami Beach residents deserve “transparency and strong stewardship of public dollars,” Basabe told the Herald. The representative added that an audit is long overdue — and he hopes the city approaches the audit constructively.
“When there are repeated concerns involving public spending, procurement and oversight, the responsible action is to verify the facts through an independent audit,” Basabe told the Herald. “Audits are not political and they are not punitive. They are tools to restore clarity, confidence and accountability.”
In the letter, Basabe said the city has pushed higher property tax bills on residents despite a 45 percent budget increase since 2021 and more than a billion dollars in new construction. The representative also said city projects have taken decades to complete — and lobbyists have “influenc[ed] fiscal decisions.”
Among his concerns, Basabe also cited a local homeless ordinance that, he says, has resulted in “the same 200 individuals being arrested more than 2,000 times.”
READ MORE: DeSantis praised a Miami Beach homeless law. Is it as ‘compassionate’ as the mayor says?
The Miami Beach ordinance subjects people — mostly those who are homeless — to arrest for sleeping outside.
Basabe said that the cycle is “raising concerns that homelessness in Miami Beach is being managed as a business rather than addressed as a public need.”
