Hailed as a fix for Miami鈥檚 flooding woes, the $400-million Forever Bond program pitched to voters in November 2017 was supposed to usher in an era of climate-change resiliency.
Yet almost a decade later, the two leading candidates for Miami mayor this year pointed to the program as a prime example of City Hall dysfunction.
Where鈥檚 the money, they asked.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know where that money has been spent, how it鈥檚 been spent, they haven鈥檛 even started the projects they claimed they should be doing,鈥� Eileen Higgins, Miami鈥檚 new mayor, said at one point during the campaign.
鈥淎ll of that needs a deep dive,鈥� she said.
That鈥檚 a concern shared by former Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, the godfather of the bond referendum, which easily passed just a week before he left office.
鈥淲hen it was approved, I鈥檓 100 percent sure we had the capacity to sell bonds without raising taxes,鈥� Regalado told the Spotlight. 鈥淵et I haven鈥檛 seen anything done. From a resident鈥檚 point of view, it鈥檚 an irresponsible act. Delay, delay, delay.鈥�
So, is the Forever Bond program another example of government gone wrong?
Members of the 鈥� the panel appointed to track Forever Bond spending 鈥� say no. While there have been delays, many projects have been completed, and others are moving forward, they say.
鈥淭he bond was being scapegoated as a failure (during the election), but we鈥檙e seeing progress being made,鈥� said Ruth Ewing, a Coconut Grove resident and a member of the Oversight Board.
A peek at a 鈥� shared by Ewing 鈥� bears that out. The spreadsheet shows 32 completed projects worth more than $56 million. Altogether, city officials say $103 million in bond money has been spent, a figure that includes projects in progress.
To be sure, there have been delays. But many of those delays can be attributed to the pandemic, to staff turnover, or to changes made to the original bond plan by the city鈥檚 five commissioners, current and former Oversight Board members say.
Many of the projects that are underway or complete involve affordable housing.
Of the $400 million in bond spending approved by voters, $100 million was earmarked for affordable housing. Nearly $41 million of that money (40%) has been spent, according to a summary shared with Oversight Board members in September.
Examples include the Platform 3750 apartment building in Coconut Grove, where the city contributed $3.5 million in bond money, and the proposed Grand Bahamas project at 3659 Grand Ave., which the city is supporting with a pledge of $4.2 million in funding.
The city is upgrading a number of its parks as well, thanks to the Forever Bond program. A total of $78 million in bond funding was earmarked for park projects. To date, the city has spent $25 million (32%) of that funding.
In Coconut Grove, the new seawall and bayfront walk at Alice Wainwright Park were funded in part with $2.5 million in bond money. The city has also committed $11 million to complete a new community center at Esther Mae Armbrister Park.
Despite that progress, Sonia Succar Rodriguez, the former chair of the Oversight Board, said far too many resiliency projects that would have eased flooding, like new seawalls in the Brickell neighborhood, have been put on hold due to changes in technology or the loss of state and federal grants.
The lion鈥檚 share of Forever Bond money 鈥� $192 million in total 鈥� was set aside to combat sea-level rise and address the city鈥檚 chronic flooding problems. To date, only 16% of that money ($30 million) has been spent, according to city officials.
Examples of proposed flood protection in Coconut Grove include two projects east of South Miami Avenue and south of Mercy Hospital 鈥� a $12.4 million project on South Bayshore Lane and East and West Fairview Streets (funded in part with $9.4 million in Forever Bond money), and a $1.1 million project on East and West Glencoe Streets.
Residents who are interested in tracking those and other Forever Bond projects can access information on and through the work of the .
The board met three times in 2023, twice in 2024, and three times this year, most recently in September, city records show.
鈥淭he information is there. It was and is available,鈥� said Succar Rodriguez, who chaired the Oversight Board until 2022.
Higgins and Miami City Commissioner Ralph Rosado, a former member of the Oversight Board, did not respond when contacted for this story, but Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo said he believes the process by which the city has identified and approved Forever Bond projects has been open and accessible.
鈥淚 think the bond has been very transparent,鈥� Pardo told the Spotlight. 鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 essential.鈥�
Pardo doesn鈥檛 think $400 million is nearly enough, however. As a result, he said he plans to push for another referendum early next year to raise an additional $500 million in bond funding for infrastructure projects in the city.
The success of that effort may depend in part on how voters view the success of the Forever Bond program.
This story was originally published in the , a SA国际传谋 News partner.
