City of Miami August 20 Election Anti-Corruption Measures: What You Need to Know

Joe Carollo NewsRaquel Regalado News
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The normally sleepy August 20 Florida primary election is almost here. And Early Voting is underway. The Supervisor of Elections reports voter turnout is only 11.2% (updated 8/16).

Even with this very low turnout, the August 20 election may prove to be a pivotal one for City of Miami residents. For City of Miami voters who want to make a dent in fighting the city's problem with public corruption, this election offers several important ballot questions.

Anti-Corruption Measures on the August 20 City of Miami Ballot

WPLG Local 10 News does a great job breaking down the ballot measures:

Referendum 1 & 2: Replacing "Independent Auditor General" with "Office of Independent Inspector General"

Referendum 1 asks voters if they want to eliminate the “Independent Auditor General” in favor of an “Office of the Independent Inspector General,” which voters decide in Referendum 2.

The most significant difference between an independent “auditor general” and the newly proposed “inspector general” is that the inspector general would be empowered to issue subpoenas.

Ballot language:

Referendum 1 reads: “Charter Amendment to Eliminate Independent Auditor General and references thereto: Shall Sections 4, 20, 36, and 48 of Miami’s Charter be amended to eliminate the Office of the Independent Auditor General and references thereto, such duties and responsibilities being assumed by the Office of the Independent Inspector General?”

Yes or No

Referendum 2 reads: “Charter Amendment to Create the Office of the Independent Inspector General: Shall the City Charter be amended to create an Independent Office of the Inspector General who shall, at a minimum, be empowered to perform investigations, audits, reviews, and oversight of all City officials, employees, and departments, City funded contracts, programs, and projects for abuse, waste and mismanagement, issue subpoenas, and provide services to other City agencies and authorities, with such office’s terms, powers, duties and responsibilities to be further established by ordinance?” 

Yes or No

Referendum 3: "Keeping installed outdoor gym equipment at Maurice A. Ferré Park"

The third question for registered voters in Miami pertains to whether they want to keep outdoor gym equipment at Maurice A. Ferré Park. Some downtown residents have said they don’t like it and the city commission already voted to remove it.

City of Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo (who we have profiled here) wants it to stay. Elaine de Valle at Political Cortadito explains why this is even on the ballot in the first place:

"Sneaky Commissioner Joe Carollo got that question on the ballot in a meeting where the district commissioner, Damian Pardo, wasn’t even there. This was after the city’s planning and zoning board and the commission voted to remove the gym equipment at the park, which was installed without a permit and against the city’s master park plan."
- Political Cortadito

Ballot language

Referendum 3 reads: “Shall the City of Miami keep already installed outdoor gym equipment like in many of our parks at the City park located at 1075 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Fl 33132, also known as Maurice A. Ferré Park, to enhance recreational facilities and promote community health and fitness for all our residents?” 

Yes or No

Early Voting Is Underway, Election Day is August 20th

Early voting hours (vote at any Early Voting site)

  • August 12 - 16, Monday - Friday 11 AM - 7 PM

  • August 17 - 18, Saturday - Sunday 8 AM - 4 PM

See the full Early Voting Schedule and Locations Here.

Election day hours: (vote at your assigned precinct)

  • Tuesday August 20, 7 AM - 7 PM

Sources:

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