Audio By Carbonatix
In the wake of ongoing protests against racial injustice and police violence around the U.S., people are taking a closer look at their local governments to try to enact change.
While it’s important to show up at the ballot box every two to four years to vote, every city and county has a commission or council that makes decisions that directly affect people’s day-to-day lives. Commissions vote on city budgets, which set funding for police departments and social services. They write ordinances that create the laws for their municipalities, and they vote on building projects and other developments.
Is a new apartment complex popping up on your block? Chances are your city commission voted on it. Does your police department fund a SWAT team in a town with less than 40,000 people? The council decides how much money they get.
This month, it’s clear that more people are getting engaged in local government, especially here in Miami, where over 100 citizens signed up to comment at a recent county commission meeting.
In an effort to make it easier for people to voice their concerns to their governments, New Times has compiled a quick alphabetical guide to where you can find more information about commissions and councils for all 34 municipalities and for Miami-Dade County.
While every city website is different (and with varying degrees of accessibility), each one should let you see what your elected officials are talking about and voting on.
Some quick tips before diving in:
1. An agenda is what the commission or council plans to talk about. Minutes are what they actually said or how they voted.
2. Most municipalities have set days when the commission is supposed to meet, but they might call emergency or special meetings on random days. Sometimes decisions in those meetings are very important.
3. Coronavirus has thrown many city governments out of whack, so some meetings this year have been canceled. Others have moved onto platforms like Zoom so folks can attend digitally. Under normal circumstances, anyone can go to city hall during a meeting and watch, even if you don’t live in that city. You can also sign up for public comment to speak your mind on a particular agenda item.
4. Some cities video record their meetings and post them to their websites. Some only record audio, and others don’t record at all. If you’re unsure and want to get a copy of a recording that’s not on the website, call your city clerk.
Miami-Dade County
Meetings: First and third Tuesday of every month.
Aventura
Meetings: First Tuesday of every month.
Bal Harbour
Meetings: Third Tuesday of every month.
Bay Harbor Islands
Meetings: Second Monday of every month.
Agendas, minutes and videos
Councilmember contact info
Biscayne Park
Meetings: First Tuesday of every month.
Minutes and videos
Commissioner contact info
Coral Gables
Meetings: Second and fourth Tuesday of every month.
Agendas, minutes, and videos
Commissioner contact info
Cutler Bay
Meetings: Third Wednesday of every month.
Agendas, minutes, and audio recordings
Doral
Meetings: Second Wednesday of every month.
El Portal
Meetings: Fourth Tuesday of every month.
Agendas and minutes
Note: Some links don’t work and will send you back to the landing page.
Videos
Councilmember contact info
Florida City
Meetings: Second and fourth Tuesday of every month.
Agendas
Note: The website is currently under construction, and agendas are not posted on the site. For copies, email the city clerk.
Golden Beach
Meetings: Third Tuesday of every month.
Hialeah
Meetings: Second and fourth Tuesday of every month.
Agendas and minutes
Councilmember contact info
Videos and livestreams
Hialeah Gardens
Meetings: First and third Tuesday of every month.
Homestead
Meetings: Third Wednesday of every month.
Indian Creek Village
Meetings: Unclear.
Agendas
Note: Agendas are not archived on the website. Email the clerk for copies.
Key Biscayne
Meetings: At council discretion.
Medley
Meetings: First Monday of every month.
Upcoming agendas
Old agendas
Councilmember contact info
City of Miami
Meetings: Second and fourth Thursday of every month.
Agendas and minutes
Videos and livestreams
Commissioner contact info
Miami Beach
Meetings: No regular schedule during COVID-19.
Agendas and minutes
Meeting calendar
Videos and livestreams
Miami Gardens
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesday of every month.
Miami Lakes
Meetings: Third Tuesday of every month.
Miami Shores
Meetings: First and third Tuesday of every month.
Agendas and videos
Councilmember contact info
Minutes
Miami Springs
Meetings: Second and fourth Monday of every month.
Agendas, schedule, and livestreams
North Bay Village
Meetings: Second Tuesday of every month.
North Miami
Meetings: Second and fourth Tuesday of every month.
North Miami Beach
Meetings: Third Tuesday of every month.
Commissioner contact info
Meeting livestreams
Opa-locka
Meetings: Second and fourth Wednesday of every month.
Agendas
Commissioner contact info
Livestreams
Palmetto Bay
Meetings: First Monday of every month.
Pinecrest
Meetings: Second Tuesday of every month.
South Miami
Meetings: First and third Tuesday of every month.
Agendas, minutes, and videos
Commissioner contact info
Sunny Isles Beach
Meetings: Third Thursday of every month.
Agendas and videos
Commissioner contact info
Surfside
Meetings: Fourth Tuesday of every month.
Agendas and audio recordings
Councilmember contact info
Sweetwater
Meetings: First Monday of every month.
Virginia Gardens
Meetings: Third Thursday of every month.
West Miami
Meetings: First and third Wednesday of every month.
Agendas, minutes, and videos
Commissioner contact info
Note: West Miami’s website has an auto-read function that will read aloud any menu item you scroll over as an accessibility feature for the blind, and that’s pretty neat.
