Miami Beach vows $500 checks as rebates to homesteaded taxpayers

Written by Kelly Sanchez on December 22, 2025

Miami Beach will send one-time $500 payments to homesteaded property owners using about $7 million in surplus budget funds.

The city commission approved the program on Dec. 17.

Over 14,000 households in Miami Beach have homestead exemptions, which means they serve as primary residences. Details on how and when the checks will be distributed are still pending.

“Our residents, they’re being hit with, whether it’s rising insurance premiums or skyrocketing condominium assessments or the overall cost of living, many in our community are struggling to keep up,” said Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who proposed the program.

An earlier proposal would have set aside roughly $4 million for renters earning at or below 140% of the area median income. Leftover surplus funds will now go to city priorities, including permit discounts and procedural steps related to the city’s purchase of a North Beach property. The budget surplus, which was $11 million in October, now totals $13.4 million.

Mr. Fernandez’s revised proposal passed, marking the first time in nearly two decades that the city has offered residents a budget surplus payment.

“This is the taxpayers’ money and we should be returning this to the residents,” he said.

Florida law restricts cities from offering refunds to residents using taxes based on property value, also known as ad valorem taxes. However, city officials have said the program will be funded by “non-ad valorem sources.”

The commission also unanimously approved a measure to work a rolled-back tax rate into next year’s budget, which officials said could lead to more than $20 million in budget cuts as well as help renters and homeowners in the future.