2026 State Legislative Priorities

Transportation

Restore State Transit Investment & Protect Commuter Rail

• Support restoring state transit funding removed in 2025 to maintain the Northeast Corridor Commuter Rail and stabilize Tri-Rail operations. Reestablishing this commitment protects federal competitiveness, prevents a Tri-Rail shutdown, and supports long-term mobility planning essential for workforce access and economic growth.
  
  

Workforce Housing

Modernize “Highest and Best Use” Valuation Standards

• Support legislation limiting speculative “highest and best use” assessments when zoning or approvals are not in place. This ensures fair valuations, prevents over-taxation, and promotes consistent, market-aligned assessments.

Live Local Act Improvements – Underwriting & Affordability Production

• Support targeted edits to the Live Local Act to resolve lender concerns and enable underwriting of construction loans by addressing the risk of mid-construction opt-outs. Continue working with legislators on refinements that strengthen affordability requirements and increase the production of attainable units.
  

Workforce Development & Education

Pediatric Cancer Research & Specialized Workforce Expansion

• Support continued investment in Florida’s $150M pediatric cancer initiative while ensuring funding remains limited to the three pediatric research institutions currently receiving state support. This investment expands clinical trials, builds research capacity, and develops a specialized workforce, reinforcing Florida’s leadership in pediatric care and ensuring families and employers have access to world-class treatment close to home.

Fiscal Cliff Abatement – Childcare Affordability

• Advocate for sustained School Readiness funding and updated eligibility thresholds to help working families afford childcare, boost workforce participation, and reduce employer costs tied to absenteeism and turnover.

Resiliency

Everglades Restoration & Biscayne Bay Water Quality

• Support increased investment in Everglades restoration and Biscayne Bay water-quality projects—including septic-to-sewer conversions, stormwater upgrades, and nutrient reduction—to strengthen coastal resilience, protect drinking-water supplies, and safeguard Miami’s tourism, maritime, and real estate sectors that drive the regional economy.

Nature-Based Coastal Resilience Solutions

• Support DEP-led guidelines and a statewide feasibility study on nature-based solutions such as mangroves, living shorelines, and wetlands. These strategies reduce flood risk, lower long-term infrastructure costs, stabilize insurance markets, and protect economic activity in vulnerable coastal corridors critical to Miami-Dade’s business community.