Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava unveiled a proposed $14.3 billion fiscal year 2026-27 county budget on July 15, 2026, calling for the elimination of 12 Metrobus routes and reduced overnight service on dozens of additional lines across Miami-Dade County.

Which Miami-Dade bus routes and services are being cut?

The proposed budget would permanently eliminate 12 Metrobus routes while scaling back late-night service on many others, affecting thousands of riders who depend on public transit for overnight commutes and shift work. The Metrobus network, operated by Miami-Dade Transit (MDT), serves some of the county's most transit-dependent communities.

  • Twelve Metrobus routes face full elimination under the July 15, 2026 proposal.
  • Overnight service would be curtailed on dozens of additional routes countywide.
  • No fare increases are included in the proposal, and the property tax rate would remain flat.

Why is Miami-Dade raiding a rail expansion fund?

To avoid even steeper service reductions, Mayor Levine Cava's budget would redirect $96 million from the Transportation Infrastructure Improvement District (TIID), a reserve fund originally set aside to finance future passenger rail expansion in Miami-Dade. Tapping that reserve allows the county to plug a structural gap in transit operating revenues without raising taxes or fares, but it does so by drawing down capital that was intended for long-term system growth.

  • The $96 million TIID transfer is a one-time measure that does not resolve the underlying funding shortfall.
  • State budget cuts have reduced revenue flowing to the county, compounding pressure on the transit budget.
  • Mayor Levine Cava publicly acknowledged that long-term transit funding remains structurally unsolved.

What does this mean for Miami-Dade's long-term transit future?

Depleting the Transportation Infrastructure Improvement District reserve to cover day-to-day operating gaps signals a deepening mismatch between Miami-Dade's transit ambitions and its available revenues. The mayor held the line on taxes and fares for FY 2026-27, but offered no structural remedy for future years, meaning the county could face the same — or worse — choices when it assembles the FY 2027-28 spending plan.

  • Future rail expansion projects that depended on the TIID reserve will need alternative funding sources.
  • Continued state-level budget cuts could further erode the county's transit operating base in coming fiscal years.
  • Riders on eliminated routes will have no direct MDT alternative once service ends.

Original reporting on the FY 2026-27 budget proposal was published by Axios Miami.