Miami Beach committee revisits rule making neighborhood group speakers file disclosure forms

Residents who speak for a Miami Beach neighborhood or homeowner association could be required to file a written disclosure with the city clerk for every issue they speak on, under a proposal back before a City Commission committee on Monday, according to the meeting’s agenda and a memo from City Attorney Ricardo J. Dopico.

The Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee takes it up as item 15 at its 9 a.m. meeting in the commission chamber at City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive. Commissioner David Suarez sponsors it.

What’s already law

The commission adopted changes to the city’s lobbying rules in September 2025, then voted on Dec. 17, 2025, to reconsider them. It re-adopted only the first two sections, now Ordinance 2025-4788, and sent the rest to the committee, the memo says.

The part already in effect requires a registered lobbyist to tell the city clerk in writing when the lobbyist gives, or agrees to give, a neighborhood association or its designee anything worth $1,000 or more, in money or otherwise, to support a project or drop an objection to it before the commission or a city board or committee.

What’s still pending

Three pieces are still on the table, according to the memo:

• A form for every issue. People the code exempts from registering as lobbyists, including unpaid representatives of neighborhood associations, would file a separate disclosure on a clerk’s form for each issue they appear on, giving their name, address and the person or group they are speaking for. The amendment would also set when the form is due.
• Who can be penalized. The rules would state that the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust can enforce them against a person acting for a company or group. The county code’s penalties include reprimands, fines and bans on lobbying the city.
• Contingency fees. The existing ban on fees that depend on winning or defeating a city decision would be clarified to cover both people and organizations.

The item is listed for discussion. Adopting any of the changes would take a new ordinance, with two readings and public hearings before the full commission, the memo says.