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A Miami-Dade County commission budget meeting that ran from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning displayed a conflict that may end up in the hands of state officials. During the budget process, there was a gap between what Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz requested, what Mayor Daniella Levine Cava proposed, and what commissioners passed before sunrise. “What was approved last night was general fund of $66 million additional, which is almost $1 billion in total, but on top of that, her total budget is $1.2 billion,” Levine Cava said Friday.Related story: Miami-Dade commissioners raise concerns about county’s ‘Welcome to Vice City’ deal with Rockstar GamesCordero-Stutz told commissioners that she would consider appealing to the Florida Cabinet’s Administration Commission if the agency’s needs aren’t met. “My starting salaries are a problem. They are not where they need to be,” Cordero-Stutz told commissioners about deputies’ pay. Levine Cava said Cordero-Stutz asked for an additional $45 million. Cordero-Stutz said the MDSO was going to gradually move towards having an independent IT department. The sheriff told commissioners that she had an inherited 7.5% cost increase and needed an additional 4.97% to go above and beyond. “You have all seen our stations,” Cordero-Stutz told commissioners. “They are in terrible shape.” Related story: Miami-Dade commissioners decline to give domestic violence victim advocates more support than last yearGov. Ron DeSantis chairs the Florida Cabinet’s Administration Commission, which is tasked by state law to “resolve state agency personnel matters.” The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office also has other revenue streams and separate contracts with the airport, seaport, and the parks department, according to Levine Cava. “If the cabinet directs that we need to increase the sheriff’s budget, then, of course, the commission will meet again, and we will prepare recommendations on what services must be cut,” Levine Cava said. Related story: Miami-Dade sheriff asks commissioners for bigger budget: ‘Anything less is defunding the police’
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