FL: Miami-Dade mayor recruits new transportation director from DeSantis administration

The head of state transportation projects in the Miami area will take over Miami-Dade’s transit system under an appointment announced Friday by the county’s mayor, Daniella Levine Cava.

Stacy Miller, who holds the title of district secretary in the Florida Department of Transportation, will take over as transportation and public works director in Miami-Dade.

She replaces Eulois Cleckley, the former Denver public works chief Levine Cava hired shortly after winning office in 2020. Cleckley left his $298,000-a-year county post last year to lead the fundraising operation of the Underline, a privately run bike and pedestrian trail under the county’s Metrorail system.

Miller, an engineer, took over the Miami-Dade and Monroe County operations at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 2021 under Gov. Ron DeSantis. The job gave her the title of District Six secretary and made her the point person for state funding for road, bridge and transit projects across the region.

With Miami-Dade projecting a budget crunch next year, those dollars are even more important as Miller comes in to oversee the county’s roads, bridges, traffic lights and transit system in a job that will pay $302,000 a year, according to an offer letter released Friday by the mayor’s office.

Miller takes over as Levine Cava’s administration is predicting a revenue shortfall in next year’s county budget even as the county prepares to open a rapid-transit bus line in South Miami-Dade and pursues federal funds to open a commuter rail between Miami and Aventura. Both projects — the South Dade rapid-transit bus line and the Coastal Link rail line — are part of the county’s SMART Plan blueprint, an initiative that counts on state funding to become reality.

Javier Betancourt, director of the office overseeing the county’s half-percent sales tax for transportation, praised Miller for her extensive state contacts and strong local relationships.

“I was delighted to hear about the appointment,” said Betancourt, director of the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust. “She’s familiar with our community, and she’s committed to the SMART Plan.”

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