Short answer: The City of Miami is governed by Mayor Eileen Higgins and five district commissioners, alongside City Manager James Reyes, City Clerk Todd B. Hannon and City Attorney George Wysong. The Commission meets Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, next on October 22, 2026. Miami-Dade County is a separate government with 13 county commissioners, and the City adopts its own operating and capital budgets.
Last verified: October 19, 2026, against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Which Miami government guide answers which question?
The Miami government section has three deeper guides, on elected officials, City Commission meetings and the city budget, and this hub explains how the City of Miami government is organized and where it ends and Miami-Dade County begins.
| Question | Short answer | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Who are the mayor and commissioners? | Mayor Eileen Higgins and five district commissioners | Miami elected officials guide |
| Who is the city manager? | James Reyes | Miami elected officials guide |
| When does the City Commission meet? | Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall; next on October 22, 2026 | Miami City Commission meetings guide |
| How is the city budget built? | Two budgets a year, operating and capital | Miami city budget guide |
| Who governs Miami-Dade County? | The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners, 13 districts | This hub |
Residents with a question about voting, public comment or neighborhood groups will find those answered in the Miami civic engagement section rather than here. Last verified: October 18, 2026, with fresh reads of the City of Miami roster of officials, the clerk page, the 2026 commission calendar, elections FAQ, budget and Miami Forever Bond pages, the November 3, 2026 special election page, and the Miami-Dade County commission and municipalities pages.
How is the City of Miami governed?
The City of Miami is led by a mayor and five district commissioners, with a city manager, city clerk and city attorney listed beside them as city officials.
The city officials page lists Mayor Eileen Higgins; Commissioners Miguel Angel Gabela in District 1, Damian Pardo in District 2, Rolando Escalona in District 3, Ralph Rosado in District 4 and Christine King in District 5; City Manager James Reyes; City Clerk Todd B. Hannon; and City Attorney George Wysong (City of Miami City Officials). The same Miami page lists the city departments, among them Police, Fire Rescue, Parks and Recreation, Solid Waste and Resilience and Public Works.
Seats are tied to residence. Under the City of Miami election rules, candidates for mayor must have lived in the city for at least one year before qualifying, and candidates for the commission must have lived in their district for at least one year before qualifying (City of Miami elections FAQ). Candidate paperwork goes to the Office of the City Clerk at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive in Coconut Grove.
City Hall is in Coconut Grove, and offices such as Management and Budget work out of the Miami Riverside Center at 444 SW 2nd Ave (Management and Budget contact). The general Miami city line for departments is 311 or 305-468-5900.
What is the difference between the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County government?
The City of Miami is one of 34 municipalities inside Miami-Dade County, and the county has its own elected government, a Board of County Commissioners chosen from 13 districts.
The county board lists Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, who also holds District 10, and Vice Chairman Kionne L. McGhee of District 9, with District 5 held by Vicki L. Lopez and District 7 by Raquel A. Regalado (Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners). The Chair presides over all board meetings and appoints the chairpersons, vice chairpersons and members of all commission committees.
Dade County was created on January 18, 1836, and voters renamed it Miami-Dade County on November 13, 1997; the City of Miami incorporated on July 28, 1896 (Miami-Dade County municipalities list). Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah and Homestead appear on the same county list as separate municipalities, and the county also takes in unincorporated communities and neighborhoods.
The split shows up even in campaign paperwork: committees working only on City of Miami candidates or issues file with the City Clerk, while others file with the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections (Miami elections FAQ).
When and where does the Miami City Commission meet?
The Miami City Commission meets on scheduled Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, and the last three 2026 meetings fall on October 22, November 19 and December 10.
The Miami 2026 calendar opened with meetings on January 8 and January 22 and held two a month in September and October, but only one in each of November and December (City Commission Meetings 2026). Each Miami calendar entry is listed from 9:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
The City Clerk keeps agendas, minutes and legislative files from October 14, 2016 to the present on the Legislative Hub, with meeting video from November 15, 2018 onward and archived video from January 1, 2017 to November 7, 2018 (City of Miami City Clerk). The Miami City Commission meetings guide covers streaming and public comment in detail.
How does the City of Miami budget work?
Each year the City of Miami passes a separate operating budget and capital budget, and summarizes both in a Budget in Brief posted by the Department of Management and Budget.
The department, directed by Marie Gouin, has posted a letter from Mayor Eileen Higgins presenting the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget, and its capital plan covers investment from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2027 (City of Miami Management and Budget). The budget office answers at (305) 416-1500 at the Miami Riverside Center, 444 SW 2nd Ave, and keeps past budgets and budget books online.
Large Miami capital programs are paid for with bonds. The Miami Forever Bond spreads $400 million over five categories (sea-level rise and flood prevention; roadways; parks and cultural facilities; public safety; affordable housing), with a first tranche of $58.7 million, and a bond oversight board appointed by the City Commission oversees project management and progress reporting (Miami Forever Bond). The city describes it as a general obligation bond issued without raising taxes while earlier bonds are paid off.
The next bond is on the ballot. A City Commission resolution puts a November 3, 2026 question to Miami voters on general obligation borrowing of no more than $450,000,000 for repairing and replacing fire and police facilities, alongside a Virginia Key marina lease question, and a separate resolution directs the City Attorney to prepare a charter amendment for the same election (2026 Special Election, City of Miami). The Miami city budget guide covers the adopted totals.
What does the Miami City Clerk handle, and are city records public?
The Miami City Clerk keeps the official record of the City Commission and supervises city elections, along with lobbyist registration, boards administration and a passport acceptance office at City Hall.
The clerk page, headed by Todd B. Hannon, lists the office duties as recording and safeguarding commission minutes and legislation, legislative research, lobbyist registration, bid openings, records management, attesting contracts, attending bond validation proceedings, and supervising and certifying the results of city elections (City of Miami City Clerk).
All records held by the Miami clerk are public, with four listed exceptions: home addresses and phone numbers of current or retired police officers, firefighters and code enforcement officers; transcripts of attorney-client sessions; election complaints before a file order from the State Election Commission; and any other records exempt under Florida Statute 119. Ordinances, resolutions, motions, commission minutes, agreements, election files, lobbyist files and board files are all kept there.
For the November 3, 2026 election, the Miami clerk office line is 305-250-5361 and the elections coordinator is at 305-250-5369 (City of Miami special election page).
Frequently asked questions
Who is the city manager of Miami?
James Reyes is the City of Miami city manager, according to the city officials page checked on October 18, 2026. The same page lists City Clerk Todd B. Hannon and City Attorney George Wysong.
Is the City of Miami the same as Miami-Dade County?
No. The City of Miami is one of 34 municipalities in Miami-Dade County, with its own mayor and five commissioners, while the county is governed by a 13-district Board of County Commissioners.
Where is Miami City Hall?
Miami City Hall is at 3500 Pan American Drive in Coconut Grove, where the City Commission meets and the City Clerk takes candidate filings. Many city offices work from the Miami Riverside Center at 444 SW 2nd Ave.
How much is the Miami Forever Bond?
It is a $400 million general obligation bond program split across five categories: flood prevention and sea-level rise, roadways, parks and cultural facilities, public safety, and affordable housing. Its first tranche was $58.7 million.
Are City of Miami records public?
Yes, with exceptions. The City Clerk says all records in the office are public except protected addresses of police, fire and code officers, attorney-client transcripts, some election complaints and records exempt under Florida Statute 119.
Sources
- City Officials, City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/City-Officials Used for: mayor, five commissioners by district, city manager, clerk, attorney, department list
- Elections Frequently Asked Questions, City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Elections/Elections-Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQs Used for: residency requirements, City Hall clerk filing address, county Supervisor of Elections filing split
- Board of County Commissioners, Miami-Dade County https://www.miamidade.gov/global/government/commission/home.page Used for: 13 districts, chairman, vice chairman, district commissioners, role of the Chair
- Miami-Dade County Municipalities, Miami-Dade County https://miamidade.gov/global/management/municipalities.page Used for: 34 municipalities, 1836 creation, 1997 rename, Miami incorporation date
- City Commission Meetings 2026, City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/Planning/Planning-Calendar-of-Meetings-Events/City-Commission-Meetings-2026 Used for: 2026 meeting dates, 9:00 a.m. start, City Hall location
- City Clerk's Office, City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/City-Clerks-Office Used for: clerk duties, Legislative Hub archive dates, public records rules
- Management and Budget, City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/Management-Budget Used for: two budgets, Budget in Brief, proposed FY 2026-2027 budget message, capital plan dates, director, contact
- Miami Forever Bond, City of Miami Office of Capital Improvements https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Departments/Office-of-Capital-Improvements/Miami-Forever-Bond Used for: $400 million, five categories, first tranche $58.7M, oversight board, GO bond without raising taxes
- 2026 Special Election, November 3, 2026, City of Miami https://www.miami.gov/My-Government/Elections/2026-Special-Election-November-3-2026 Used for: $450,000,000 fire and police GO bond question, Virginia Key lease, charter amendment, clerk phone lines
How this page was made
Digital Towns uses AI assistance to research and write its guides, and every page is only as good as the sources it cites. Our goal is the most accurate, useful local information possible.
This page was fact-checked twice before publishing.
If you see an error, or anything you can show is false, tell us right away and we will take a third look.
Report an error
Thank you. We'll take a third look and correct the page if it's wrong.
