Miami’s aging police and fire buildings are in such rough shape that Mayor Eileen Higgins is asking voters to sign off on a $450 million repair plan, saying long-running deferred maintenance has finally caught up with the city’s public safety infrastructure.
The proposal, dubbed Safe and Ready Miami, would bankroll renovations, modernizations and brand-new construction across police and fire facilities. City officials point to leaky roofs, plumbing problems and equipment that no longer fits into older bays as evidence that the fix-it-later approach has run out of road. If the City Commission agrees, the bond question could land on the August ballot.
Higgins rolled out the plan on Wednesday after touring stations and the downtown police headquarters, which she says made the need impossible to ignore. According to the Miami Herald, the mayor’s office shared photos showing missing ceiling tiles, water intrusion and other visible damage at several sites, and Higgins told the paper employees are working in unacceptable conditions. The pitch is framed as an investment in readiness and safety for both first responders and the people they serve.
Where the money would go
The legislation behind Safe and Ready Miami spells out how the bond money could be used to “renovate, modernize and construct” public safety facilities across the city. As laid out in the City of Miami records, the downtown Miami Police Department headquarters dates back to 1976 and was built to accommodate about 560 officers. It now houses roughly 1,400 sworn personnel and 400 professional staff, far beyond what it was designed to handle. City documents also point to outdated electrical systems and a string of emergency repairs that officials say have pushed the building past its useful life.
Fire stations, training center flagged
The bond package also takes aim at the city’s 17 fire stations. The proposal notes that eight stations are more than 50 years old, and two are more than 60 years old. Modern fire engines and ambulances are bigger than the bays many of those stations were built with, which means some equipment simply does not fit inside.
The legislation and photos from the mayor’s office highlight a firefighter training center that is roughly 100 years old and plagued by recurring plumbing failures, bad enough that portable bathrooms have had to stay on site. As reported by the Miami Herald, officials warn that oversized equipment being stored outside or at more distant stations can chip away at readiness and lengthen response times.
How voters would pay
The ballot question would ask residents to approve $450 million in general obligation bonds backed by ad valorem property taxes. The plan, detailed in the City of Miami file, calls for an independent annual audit and specifies that there would be “no increase to the current capital projects debt millage rate (0.5935).” City leaders frame it as a citywide investment to create “mission-ready” facilities for police officers, firefighters and paramedics.
Officials also say the bond proceeds could be stretched by selling the existing downtown police property, with the idea that any revenue from that sale could help cover vehicles and equipment.
The City Commission is scheduled to vote next week on whether to send the bond question to August voters. If commissioners give the green light, the city would move into scoping and planning, while consultants sort out sites, timelines and budgets. Supporters argue the package would protect residents and sharpen emergency response, while critics are expected to demand tight cost controls, clear schedules and neighborhood impact reviews. The mayor’s office has been leaning on the transparency pitch, pointing to the independent audit requirement baked into the ballot language.
If voters approve the bond in August, it would follow the roughly $400 million Miami Forever Bond passed years earlier and kick off a years-long rebuilding effort across the city’s police and fire network. For now, the looming commission vote will determine whether Miami asks taxpayers to underwrite what city leaders call a long-overdue overhaul of mission-critical public safety facilities.
