{"id":465,"date":"2026-05-13T22:31:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=465"},"modified":"2026-05-13T22:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:31:41","slug":"miami-dade-commissioners-inch-closer-to-funding-new-mental-health-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=465","title":{"rendered":"Miami-Dade commissioners inch closer to funding new mental health center"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A long-stalled mental health center moved closer Wednesday to being added to Miami-Dade County\u2019s already strained budget forecasts, with commissioners saying the Miami facility is too important to die over cost concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=463\">Miami influencer Alex Otaola faces defamation lawsuit involving minor accuser<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fiscal question is not whether the county can afford this,\u201d Commissioner Kionne McGhee said during the four-hour committee meeting dedicated solely to the fate of the proposed center \u2014 a project that\u2019s been in the works for 20 years. \u201cI think the question is whether the county can afford to keep it closed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Championed by retired Judge Steve Leifman, the seven-story center has already cost Miami-Dade $50 million to retrofit the old state building at 2200 NW Seventh Ave. between Wynwood and Allapattah. It would serve as a short-term residential treatment center with 75 beds for people with mental illness who would otherwise go to a county jail to await trial. Judges would have the option to divert the defendants to mental-health treatment if they did not face charges related to violent crimes.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>While Leifman has argued the setup would let Miami-Dade save millions on jail costs, the administration of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava rejects that premise and predicts the facility would cost the county at least $12 million a year to run. \u201cThe clear answer is no \u2014 this will not save us millions of dollars,\u201d said Arnold Palmer, the Levine Cava deputy who oversees the Corrections Department.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>That projection comes at a rough time for new spending in Miami-Dade, where budget forecasts already show deficits hitting $323 million by 2030. Leifman needs approval by the 13-member County Commission to open the center, which would be run by a pair of nonprofit organizations that specialize in mental-health treatment.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Commissioners did not drill down into the central question of how to pay for the center in three or four years once the county runs out of the one-time dollars that have already been secured \u2014 including $8 million in leftover federal COVID aid and $16 million from a part of Miami-Dade\u2019s share of a national settlement of an  against drug companies. But given that opening the center would not cause hard choices on spending this year, multiple commissioners said they\u2019re willing to allow the facility to open and sort out the finances later.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recognize that this may cost us money,\u201d Commissioner Vicki Lopez. \u201cThe thought that this should be self-sustainable is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=462\">Hialeah mayor offers free rent for a year to spur business growth in east area<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>While every commissioner at the meeting endorsed the center\u2019s mission, there was no consensus on how to actually absorb its budget once the short-term funds are gone \u2014 a moment likely to arrive after a term-limited Levine Cava leaves office in 2028.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In a hint of the friction surrounding the debate, Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins said commissioners should be ready to sacrifice pet causes to make the numbers work. She alluded to one of hers \u2014 the Hometown Heroes parade she sponsors each year \u2014 and also the CountryFest rodeo hosted by one of her allies on the board, Chair Anthony Rodriguez. And she also alluded to the pet cause of a board rival, Commissioner Raquel Regalado. She\u2019s sponsor of the legislation needed to open the mental health center and the board\u2019s top backer of the Underline, a new linear park running between Miami\u2019s Brickell Avenue and the Dadeland South Metrorail station.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have people talking about rodeos and parades. I\u2019ll do it. Let\u2019s put it to the Leifman building,\u201d Cohen Higgins said. \u201cLet\u2019s put walkways for the wealthy toward the Leifman building. Let\u2019s do the hard work now. Because it\u2019s inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>After the meeting, Leifman and his supporters said it\u2019s clear they have enough commission votes now to open the center. That leaves the issue with Rodriguez, who has so far declined to put Regalado\u2019s legislation on the County Commission agenda for a vote by the full board. During Wednesday\u2019s committee meeting, he said it was important for commissioners to figure out how to pay for the center\u2019s opening.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe just need to get comfortable with the fact that this will cost the county money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=460\">Built for MAGA appeal, Alligator Alcatraz leaves DeSantis with big political bill<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Miami-Dade commissioners moved to open the long-delayed Leifman mental health center near Wynwood, despite budget concerns, debate over ongoing operating costs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami-dade-county"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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