Did the Herald endorse a $450M bond? A political ad might want you to think so

A political ad urging Miami voters to approve a $450 million public safety bond referendum references reporting by the Miami Herald in a way that could suggest the media company supports the measure, despite its editorial board recommending a “No” vote.

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The ad, circulated by Safe and Ready Miami, a political committee supported by Mayor Eileen Higgins, states in a text message to voters that “The Miami Herald reinforces that Miami’s police and fire stations are unsafe, outdated, and hazardous.”

While the Herald’s editorial board acknowledged ongoing problems with the city’s public safety facilities, it opposed the referendum in its Wednesday recommendation, arguing that the city had not fully explored other options before asking taxpayers to take on additional debt.

Claire VanSusteren, spokesperson for the Safe and Ready Miami campaign, said in a statement to the Herald on Friday that the ad does “not claim an endorsement, but accurately reflect the editorial board’s agreement with the central premise of the Safe and Ready campaign: Miami’s aging police and fire facilities are in serious need of repair and modernization.”

The referendum would authorize Miami to issue $450 million in general obligation bonds to repair or replace deteriorating police and fire-rescue facilities, including construction of a new public safety building near Miami Freedom Park. The bonds would be repaid through ad valorem property taxes.

Although the proposal would not increase the city’s capital projects debt millage rate, which is set at 0.5935, it would still raise property taxes to cover the bond payments.

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Higgins has been pushing for the referendum to pass, having previously told the editorial board that some facilities have leaky roofs, mold, rust, sinkholes and other health and safety hazards. Campaign finance records show her political committee, Ethical Leadership for Miami, has given $255,000 to Safe and Ready Miami, the entire amount the group has reported raising to date for its campaign.

“The facts are not in dispute. Our first responders are working in deteriorating facilities, and residents in some neighborhoods are waiting longer than the national six minute life-saving standard for emergency assistance,” VanSusteren said in the statement. “These are serious public safety issues that demand action. Referendum 1 would make long-overdue investments in our police and fire facilities, build new fire stations where they’re needed most, and help first responders reach residents faster — without increasing the City’s current debt millage rate.”

The proposed $450 million bond would cost homeowners an estimated average of $9.20 more per month in property taxes, though the actual amount could vary. About $305 million would fund a new public safety building, while $145 million would repair existing fire stations and build four new ones to improve emergency response times, the Herald editorial board reported.

The editorial board wrote in its Wednesday recommendation that “Higgins is trying to address an important problem, but there are too many questions on whether her solution is fully baked”.

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Miami voters are set to vote on the referendum in the Nov. 3 election.