The Miami-Dade County Commission will take up a proposal next week to change how the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust operates. The agency was created in response to economic inequality among Black residents.
Commissioner Oliver Gilbert sponsored the draft ordinance. According to Florida Politics, it has already passed a first vote unanimously. The change would refocus the Trust’s work on low-income residents and people in difficult economic circumstances. It would also eliminate the existing requirement that a majority of board members come from the Black community.
The agency’s current mission is to ensure that Black residents have an equal share in the county’s economic growth. The Trust pursues that goal through advocacy and by monitoring economic conditions and development initiatives. According to the outlet, the agency already runs programs for residents of various racial groups.
The institution’s roots go back to the 1980 riots in Miami. They erupted after police officers were acquitted in the death of a Black man. About three years later, the city of Miami and the county launched the Metro-Miami Action Plan, and in 1992 the county gave it the form of a trust. The agency has had its current name and structure since a reorganization in 2009.
The draft does not refer directly to the new state law. It cites “changes in applicable regulations” as the reason for the changes. The vote will take place about six weeks before SB 1134 takes effect. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill in April. According to local media reports, the provisions will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The law prohibits cities and counties from funding, promoting or taking official actions as part of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This also applies to preferences or special benefits based on race, sex and other listed characteristics. County commissioners will decide the final shape of the Trust’s rules.
Source: Florida Politics
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Source: Słoneczne Radio
