Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez Submits 2025–2026 Budget with Focus on Efficiency, Transparency, and Community Investment

The Miami-Dade County Office of the Tax Collector has officially submitted its proposed 2025–2026 budget to the Florida Department of Revenue, reaffirming its commitment to building a transparent, efficient, and community-focused government.

As Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, Dariel Fernandez emphasized the significance of this milestone in ensuring responsible financial stewardship. The proposed budget reflects a clear priority: reduce bureaucracy, modernize public services, and invest directly in the people of Miami-Dade. For years, residents were expected to seek out government services. Today, the office is working to bring those services directly into neighborhoods across the county.

Under Florida law, constitutional officers such as the Tax Collector, Sheriff, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Supervisor of Elections, and Property Appraiser are required to submit an annual proposed budget to the Board of County Commissioners or a designated budget commission. This submission must detail projected operating and equipment expenses in accordance with the standardized accounting format established by the Department of Financial Services. The Tax Collector’s Office formally submitted its proposal on August 1, 2025.

In discussing the budget, Fernandez explained the foundation of the office’s self-sustaining financial model. “The State of Florida did not just assign us new responsibilities. It clearly defined how we are to fund them,” said Fernandez. “We operate using the fees we generate through services and the limited commissions we are authorized to retain from tax collections, as outlined in state law. We are a self-sustaining model that not only covers our costs but also distributes billions to local governments. Importantly, we do not have a surplus. Each year, we start at zero.”

Since the passage of the 2018 constitutional amendment restoring independent constitutional offices in Miami-Dade, the Tax Collector has had the legal authority to retain up to 100 percent of the two percent commission earned through property tax collections. Nevertheless, Fernandez also voluntarily waived the two percent commission on collections for municipalities and the Unincorporated Municipal Service Area (UMSA), resulting in nearly 40 million dollars being returned directly to local governments. In addition, the Tax Collector’s Office has strategically invested collected funds, generating more than 15 million dollars in interest earnings that have already been distributed back to taxing authorities through quarterly payments.

“Every dollar we manage belongs to the public, and we treat it that way,” said Fernandez. “We are not here to build bureaucracy. We are here to build trust and return value to Miami-Dade residents.”

With the budget now submitted, the next steps in the process include formal review and approval by the Florida Department of Revenue. Separately, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners will consider and adopt the broader county budget for the upcoming fiscal year.