Not a good look: Miami-Dade warns of budget cuts while asking for more World Cup dollars | Opinion
No doubt, hosting the world’s most important sporting event is an opportunity for Miami-Dade County, but, at some point, taxpayers must ask: In times of expected financial headwinds, how much should they spend to foot the bill for the seven 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer matches that are planned at Hard Rock Stadium?
It’s a relevant question for county taxpayers right now. The County Commission is one vote away from approving $10.5 million in new World Cup funding.
That’s on top of the $36 million the Commission approved last May — $10.5 million in cash and the rest in donated government services such as police and paramedics — despite criticism that there few details about how organizers would spend the money. Also adding to the taxpayer tab: a $15 million bonus in 2022 that the county awarded the Miami Dolphins, the owners of the Hard Rock, as part of a deal to offset stadium renovation costs, the Herald reported.
Although Miami-Dade is facing a financial shortfall that has prompted county administration to look for 10% in budget cuts, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is asking commissioners to approve the extra $10.5 million in World Cup funding, the Herald reported. In a 9-3 vote last week, the commission gave preliminary approval to the funding request sponsored by Commissioner Oliver Gilbert; a final vote hasn’t been scheduled.
Asking for more money now is a bad look.
In a memorandum to commissioners, Levine Cava did not explain exactly how the new money would be spent. In a statement to the Herald Editorial Board, her office said, “The World Cup Host Committee handles the expenses, and the County will encourage strong fiscal stewardship” and public safety efforts.
Levine Cava, in her memo, recognized the additional funding could mean a reduction to county services. Gilbert painted a different picture in a statement this month, writing that the money wouldn’t come from service reductions but from “efficiency efforts,” the Herald reported.
County officials shouldn’t be so enamored by the idea of hosting the World Cup that they lose sight of the budget constraints they are facing — and of Miami-Dade’s fraught history when it comes to taxpayer-funded sports ventures. Taxpayers still have PTSD over the price tag to build the Marlins stadium in Little Havana, which promised an economic development boom that hasn’t materialized, and the promised public park next to the Miami Heat arena in downtown that’s never been built.
To be sure, when Miami-Dade pursued the opportunity to host important World Cup games, there was an expectation that local governments would subsidize some of the cost.
“In 2018 the County submitted a bid to host the World Cup and since it was awarded, the County does have a responsibility to ensure we have a smooth, safe and successful World Cup,” a statement from the mayor’s office read. “The economic impact [of] hosting this over a month period will be tremendous for our small businesses and residents that access job opportunities.”
In a hearing before the County Commission last year, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, then head of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee, said the economic impact of the games would surpass $1.5 billion, the Herald reported. The committee expected to raise $100 million from private sources.
At that meeting, commissioners approved the $36 million funding package, which was smaller than the $46 million originally proposed. Backlash had come from powerful local leaders, including the mayor herself and now-Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami. Perez said at the time no money “should be used toward FIFA when we have so many needs in our county.”
The Herald Editorial Board asked Perez about his position on the latest $10.5 million proposal. He responded via text message on Tuesday: “My position hasn’t changed.”
Last year’s financial package was trimmed, leaving open the possibility that organizers could ask for the rest of the money as the games got closer. But today, Miami-Dade is preparing for fiscal austerity measures not seen since the aftermath of the housing crisis in 2008.
The years of county budgets flush with revenue from rising property values and federal COVID-19 pandemic dollars are over. Levine Cava’s administration projects a $48 million gap between expected tax revenues and countywide spending next year, the Herald reported.
If the prestige of hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a bonus to Miami-Dade County, so is fiscal responsibility.
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