Miami voters will decide whether to authorize up to $450 million for police and fire-rescue facilities
Miami voters will decide Aug. 18 whether the city may authorize up to $450 million in general-obligation bonds for police and fire-rescue facilities under the proposed Safe and Ready Miami bond measure.
The Miami City Commission approved placing the proposal on the city’s special-election ballot July 9. That action sent the question to voters; it did not approve the bonds for issuance. The measure still requires voter approval.
The Aug. 18, 2026, city special election will take place alongside the countywide primary election.
What the proposed bond would fund
If voters approve it, the proposal would authorize up to $450 million in general-obligation bonds for repairs, modernization and rebuilding of aging city police headquarters and fire-rescue facilities.
The City of Miami says the proposal would not increase the current debt millage rate. That is the city’s stated tax-rate position for the proposed bond; the commission’s ballot action itself does not mean the funding has been issued.
One facility cited in the city’s description is Miami’s current police headquarters. The building opened in 1976 and was originally designed for approximately 560 officers, according to the city.
The available election material does not establish a final project-by-project allocation of any bond proceeds. It also does not set a specific construction schedule or guarantee particular facility outcomes.
What voters are being asked to decide
The ballot measure concerns authorization for a maximum bond amount, not a completed construction plan. A yes vote would allow the proposed authorization of up to $450 million; without voter approval, the city cannot proceed with that proposed bond authorization.
The proposal affects city public-safety facilities, including police headquarters and fire-rescue facilities, while the decision on whether to permit the financing rests with Miami voters in the special election.
Key election dates
Early voting is scheduled from Aug. 3 through Aug. 16, 2026. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Aug. 6, 2026.
The City of Miami’s election page includes the official sample ballot and election resolutions for the Aug. 18 special election. As of Aug. 2, the outcome of the measure was not available because the election had not yet occurred.
Sources
- Miami City Commission Approves Safe and Ready Miami Bond, City of Miami
- 2026 City of Miami Special Election – August 18, 2026, City of Miami
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