FYI Miami: August 20, 2026

PORT BONDS GET AN ‘A’: Fitch Ratings cited strong positioning of PortMiami as it evaluated $653 million in new bond borrowing for seaport capital improvements. Fitch assigned ‘A’ ratings to $550.8 million in new senior seaport and revenue refunding bonds and $102.2 million in taxable senior seaport revenue bonds, while it affirmed the same rating on $1.7 billion of outstanding senior seaport revenue bonds. Fitch cited as pluses “long-term guaranteed contracts with key cruise customers and long-term leases with cargo operators. These agreements insulate the port’s cash flow and financial metrics from exposure to volume fluctuations and the discretionary cruise business.” Fitch’s analysis listed as major ongoing projects cargo-yard related improvements and the construction of additional cruise terminals but did not mention any impact from this month’s change in seaport director or the unresolved scramble to secure a fueling facility for the port after owners sold the current site for residential development.

VOTE MONITORING: Polling sites in Miami-Dade County and Wyoming were being monitored Tuesday by the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The federal agency said the monitoring was “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.” “Election monitoring is an ongoing priority for this office,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a released statement. “Nondiscriminatory monitoring ensures all elections remain free, fair, and accessible to all.” Four division attorneys were assigned to Miami-Dade. The agency noted it regularly deploys staff to monitor for compliance with federal law and previously conducted similar operations in 2022 in both Florida and Wyoming.

MORE TREE COVER: TD bank has made a $150,000 grant to support the Million Trees Initiative of the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management. The grant will help fund park planting projects, including “growing green” playgrounds with shade trees to protect children; small installations ranging from butterfly gardens to pollinator plant habitats; and community tree and garden giveaways in low-coverage neighborhoods. Upcoming giveaways from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be held at three TD stores: Sept. 4 at 801 W 49th St. in Hialeah; Nov. 6 at 2495 NE Eighth St. in Homestead; and Jan. 15, 2027, at 7400 SW 40th St. in Miami. The Million Trees Initiative is an effort to achieve a 30% tree cover for Miami-Dade. “Growing our tree canopy is a responsibility we all share,” said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

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