FYI Miami: September 3, 2026

TRANSIT FUNDING DOWN: Funding to fuel mass transit growth via a sales surtax that is now nearly a quarter century old has declined sharply, the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust was told last week. The trust, which oversees surtax spending to ensure proper use, learned that April collections were nearly 14% below April 2025, following an 8.54% decrease in the first three months of this year and a 7.36% decline in the final three months of 2025. Lower receipts translates to less transit growth potential. “It’s going to be a challenging year with some double-digit decreases in our sales tax,” said trust Executive Director Javier Betancourt. “We just live in very uncertain times, and it’s better to be” very conservative in funds use. The key factor in the tax decrease, he told the trust, is last year’s elimination by the state of a sales tax on office rents. “We knew it was going to result in a hit,” he said. April receipts of $26.4 million were down $4.2 million from the prior April.

DADELAND SOUTH OK: The Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust last week approved spending an added $1.9 million to oversee design changes to link the South Dade Bus Rapid Service to the Dadeland South Metrorail Station to make a transfer between the new rapid transit bus service from Florida City to the Metrorail system easier. The added spending is in addition to the originally planned $6.9 million to oversee the work on a project that initially was to cost $66.8 million. The additional oversight cost is to monitor changes to the original program that included adding bus chargers at the station that were not foreseen.

COOL IT: Miami-Dade’s Department of Transportation and Public Works will spend $480,000 of transportation surtax funds to replace 17 air conditioning units at the Coral Way Bus Facility, 2775 SW 74th Ave. The department says all 17 have exceeded their useful service life and are frequently breaking down and failing. The Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust last week approved the department’s use of the sales surtax money for a replacement contract with Here and Now Contractors Co.

INDIAN CREEK UPGRADE: Florida Engineering & Development Corps. has completed for the Florida Department of Transportation an 11-month bridge and roadway improvement in Miami Beach along Collins Avenue to from 44th to 47th streets, on Indian Creek Drive from 41st to 44th streets, and on 41st Street over the Indian Creek Waterway Bridge. The work added a second right turn lane from southbound Indian Creek Drive to westbound 41st Street, along with multiple other improvements.

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