Miami-Dade has witnessed a groundswell of attention as tech investors, entrepreneurs and remote workers seek areas that are more business-friendly and offer the weather and quality of life difficult to attain outside South Florida. The burgeoning tech scene that has been building over the past decade appears to have arrived in full force. Nevertheless, concerns around housing, employment, our environment and public education cannot be ignored. Democrats are needed to lead Miami-Dade this decade, and in Florida as a whole, while embracing innovation and ensuring that those who have called South Florida home can thrive in our tropical paradise.
Housing, Rent and Employment
With the influx of business, home values should continue to rise. But in parallel, many residents have not been able to pay rent and will struggle further with possible eviction if rents keep rising. Policymakers need to legislate assistance while keeping rents stabilized. Affordable housing plans need to be incorporated into new projects and neighborhoods. Fortunately, new businesses should bring about employment opportunities that also lift up existing neighborhoods. But we need to ensure that commercial real estate rents also stay at reasonable rates, so that smaller businesses who are still recovering from the pandemic can afford to stay put. Over the next five years, as minimum wage increases begin to kick in and the new economy takes hold along with new affordable housing opportunities, restrictions on rent increases can likely be relaxed. But further job training and infrastructure investment will be required to maintain growth equitably.
Sea-Level Rise and Environmentally Friendly Policies
For years, Democrats have been sounding the alarm on sea-level rise. The Obama administration and the economic recovery act set the groundwork for investment in clean energy. Under a Biden administration we have rejoined the Paris climate agreement and can work with other nations in lowering carbon emissions. With our new county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at the helm, we have a champion for investing in adaptation and mitigation. Zoning requirements on new projects, investments to move off septic tanks and protecting Biscayne Bay need to be front and center to avoid local crises.
Public Education
In 2018, Miami-Dade residents voted to increase salaries for teachers in our public education system. This was an important step toward retaining and attracting teachers to our public schools. Notwithstanding, the quality of public education varies greatly between zip codes. The proliferation of choice via magnet and charter schools has been great for many, but can also deprive a local school of its best-performing students, having a ripple effect on those that remain. To ensure that public education keeps pace with growth in Miami-Dade, continued investment needs to be made at the state level for Title I programs that seek to close the gap for the lower-performing schools. Perhaps the growing tech-savvy population can also play a role to ensure greater equity in education throughout our county.
Working Toward A Better Future
So why do I write all this? I am so relieved that we now have an intelligent, level-headed, diplomatic, unity-minded president. We have a tremendously inspiring county mayor who is passionate about Miami-Dade. However, I am unnerved by right-wing propaganda that has become more prevalent. I am concerned about underhanded Republican tactics to win races, such as fielding a ghost candidate who siphoned 6,000 votes that likely would have gone toward Democratic state Senate incumbent José Javier Rodríguez.
The attacks on Democrats remind me of McCarthyism, when attempts were made to brand people as communist in order to generate fear. The Democratic Party, made in the mold of FDR, Kennedy, LBJ, Clinton and Obama, has heralded tremendous innovation and economic growth in parallel to advances in social justice. Investment in infrastructure and programs that benefit all Americans have been necessary to expand opportunity, but clearly we need to continue working as the wealth divide in our nation continues to grow. Those who are struggling economically often find it impossible for the next generation to achieve the American Dream.
As many people know, Miami-Dade has been a traditionally blue county. In 2016, 63% of voters sided with Hillary Clinton. In 2020, 54% of voters went with our new president. Clearly, the disinformation campaigns about Democrats have had an impact. Targeting the Latino community, Republicans have propagated imagery that triggered the fear of communism or sentiments of anti-Americanism.
To help access reality, I have curated a Twitter list of Democrats representing Miami-Dade at all levels of government, in addition to the appointees of Biden’s administration. (You can follow at miamidadedems.org/twitter.) I invite you to see for yourself the type of policies and values they represent, and go beyond the disinformation campaigns you might be getting via social media or Newsmax.
We need to encourage newcomers to be involved in their community. Perhaps offering an orientation to the abundance of organizations that are doing community work, and how to get involved in local government, would be effective. My hope is that through volunteering, we can create greater connections to our county and to the amazing and diverse population that is already here.
2022 is not as far off as it seems. Florida will have the chance to elect a new governor and senator, to replace Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio, respectively. They have failed Florida, and it is our job to pay attention and find the best Democrats who can bridge innovation and opportunity.
Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel via AP
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a news conference Nov. 30, 2020.
If you are a Democrat and would like to get more involved or support the local Democratic Party, please feel free to add me on Twitter @charleswalter. Miami-Dade is counting on you to get involved.
If you are not a Democrat, please work to hold the Republican Party accountable to prevent the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech. There are well-intentioned Republicans out there, and we can find common ground. I certainly hope that when it comes to finding ways of making our communities run more smoothly through innovation, partisan politics won't become a hinderance.
Please follow the Miami-Dade Democratic Party on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Charles Walter is a Brickell resident and the district 25 elected committeeman and communication chair for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.