SOMETHING TO SYNC ABOUT: By an 11-1 vote, commissioners placed on the Nov. 3 ballot a proposed county charter revision that would revise the process of calling an election to fill commission vacancies and would establish minimum standards for municipal qualifying dates. The county’s charter review task force had recommended by a 7-1 vote that the change be sent to county voters for their action. Legislation says approval of the charter change would allow county commissioners to act on a prospective resignation to call an election that would sync up with other elections and would establish minimum standards for municipal qualifying dates to provide greater opportunities for elections to be synced up. “I think this is a really great example of giving the commission flexibility to allow for the filling of a vacancy with an election,” Commissioner Micky Steinberg said. FLAT TAX RATE: Miami-Dade commissioners unanimously adopted Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s recommendation for a tax rate that is the same as last year’s in a difficult budget season. “Making any millage cuts now in the midst of a budget year when we have done everything possible to propose a fair, balanced budget would not be fiscally responsible and would ensure service reductions,” the mayor wrote to commissioners before they took their July vote. The tax rate that she recommended would generate $2.347 billion in property tax revenue for the countywide general fund, the mayor’s memo said. GAS PRICE UP, DIESEL DOWN: Average gasoline prices in Miami rose 4.6 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.93, according to GasBuddy. Prices in Miami are 4.2 cents higher than a month ago and 95 cents higher than a year ago. The national average price fell 10.7 cents per gallon in the week to $3.94, up 9.5 cents from a month ago and 85.6 cents from a year ago. Meanwhile, the national average price of diesel fuel fell 5.1 cents in the week and stands at $5.275 per gallon. For motorists with electric vehicles, the average kilowatt-hour cost at charging stations in Florida on Sunday rounded down to 41 cents, a rate mostly unchanged since early March. SECURITY FOR RELIGION: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure that allows volunteer security guards at houses of worship to carry guns without facing state licensing requirements. It creates an exemption from state law that regulates private investigative services, private security services, and repossession services. A Senate staff analysis noted that research spanning from 2000 to 2024 found 379 incidents of violence in churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship in the U.S. resulted in 487 deaths and 172 injuries. These are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here. The post FYI Miami: August 13, 2026 appeared first on Miami Today. ...read more read less