Miami-Dade approves record $1.23 billion Sheriff’s Office Budget, exceeding Sheriff’s Certified Request by $186 million

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Board of County Commissioners Chairman Anthony Rodriguez today transmitted formal written notice of the County’s FY 2026-27 budget for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO), which provides a record $1.234 billion in total funding, the largest budget in the agency’s history and $186.3 million more than the Sheriff’s $1.048 billion certified budget request.

The budget provides funding for all 200 additional positions requested by the Sheriff, including 80 sworn and 120 civilian positions. It also provides funding of approximately $95 million for overtime and associated benefits, the highest overtime appropriation in MDSO history, and covers the proposed cost of living adjustment for MDSO employees and a 3.5 percent pay supplement for Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) certified personnel.

“We made public safety a priority throughout the budget process, and the final budget reflects that,” said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We approved the largest Sheriff’s Office budget in Miami-Dade history, with the funding to fill existing vacancies and all additional positions requested by the Sheriff. At the same time, we have provided funding to meet the needs of our entire community, including our integrated public safety system of Fire Rescue, Corrections, Emergency Management and our judicial system, as well as the other essential services our residents depend on.”

MDSO reported approximately 300 vacant positions as of June 2026. Based on historical hiring, separation and recruitment trends, the funding approved for FY 2026-27 is sufficient to fill those existing vacancies while also recruiting and filling the 200 additional positions requested by the Sheriff.

The County’s support for MDSO also included approximately $21.3 million in General Fund supported debt services outside the funding appropriated directly to the Sheriff’s Office. Those funds support investments in vehicles, helicopters, radio systems, law enforcement records and fingerprint identification systems, equipment and facility improvements.

The increased funding for MDSO comes as a decline in revenue growth and rising costs required difficult choices across County government. Departments were directed to find savings, streamline operations and limit spending growth. More than 400 General Fund positions were eliminated elsewhere in County government, and the adopted budget did not include a cost-of-living adjustment for employees under the Mayor’s purview, in part to ensure resources were available to meet MDSO’s funding needs.

General Fund support for MDSO has grown 37 percent since FY 2022-23, from approximately $720 million to $990 million in the FY 2026-27 adopted budget.