Miami-Dade’s mayor on Thursday abandoned an uphill push for a higher gas tax, retreating on a plan that was expected to raise $5 million for the county’s underfunded transit system.
At the start of an 11-hour budget hearing that adjourned after 4 a.m. Friday, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava dropped the proposed 1-cent increase to the existing 3-cent tax Miami-Dade charges on each gallon of gas.
Insiders privately said they didn’t think Levine Cava had the votes on the 13-member County Commission to pass the higher gas tax as part of a $12.9 billion budget package that includes cuts to charity grants, parks and social-services programs and hikes to transit fares.
“We have continued to listen to our community, and we have heard your concerns about even a minimum increase to the gas tax at a time when so many families are struggling,” Levine Cava said at the start of the 5 p.m. hearing…