Miami Lakes voters went to the polls Tuesday to consider 15 questions about town government, including a proposed lifetime two-term limit for the mayor and councilmembers, while also voting on a proposal to shrink the town council from six members to four. The vote capped a process that began with a resident-led Charter Revision Commission earlier this year and ended with 15 separate questions on the ballot.
The special-election ballot covered all 15 charter amendments. Proposals also concerned the mayor's duties around committee assignments, intergovernmental relations, and the annual address to the town.
Not every proposal would have left the council unchanged. A measure to cut the council from six members to four and revise council voting thresholds was proposed. If adopted, it would have reduced the council's size.
Election Calendar and Vacancy Rules Get an Overhaul
Several proposals would reshape how and when Miami Lakes holds its elections. Voters considered proposed changes to election procedures, including a move to November general elections with December runoffs. The Town of Miami Lakes Notice of Special Election set out the special-election ballot.
Voters also approved shifting the start of elected officials' terms to January and instituting annual vice-mayor elections, a measure that passed with 74% support. A separate proposal to request a minimum of two days of early voting in town elections passed with 79%, the highest margin among the reported results.
Vacancy procedures drew multiple ballot questions. Voters approved updated procedures for filling town council and mayoral vacancies with 72% support, and a related measure on filling council vacancies passed separately with 73%, the station's report indicates.
Resign-to-Run and Administrative Changes
Voters also approved a rule stating that vacancies created when an official resigns to run for another office would be filled at the next regularly scheduled town election, with 78% support. The ballot also included proposals to change how the town manager can be removed and update the acting-manager process.
Another proposal would shift appointment of the town clerk from the town manager to the town council. The ballot also included a question about aligning recall petition signature requirements with state law and a question on technical amendments updating terminology and grammar throughout the charter.
How the Charter Questions Got to the Ballot
The ballot questions trace back to a Charter Revision Commission made up of Miami Lakes residents, a body that meets every ten years to review the town's governing document, according to the reporting. The commission met publicly from January through June before forwarding its recommendations to the Town Council, Political Cortadito reported. The Town Council then unanimously voted in July to send the questions to voters, that outlet noted.
Fourteen of the proposals came out of the commission's work, while Mayor Josh Dieguez's separate amendment concerned filling council and mayoral vacancies.
