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Our Focus Issues

We believe that the people most affected by a problem should be the ones deciding how to solve it. We need public policies that ensure everyone's needs are met, resources are distributed fairly, laws are just and equitable, and that we can respond to new challenges. At Catalyst Miami, we prioritize policies that our community identifies as important and that are critical to our people’s well-being.

We know that enacting change in Miami-Dade will not be possible without simultaneously addressing Miami's long history of racial injustice.

South Florida has been built on the exploitation and marginalization of Black and Indigenous people. This has decimated wealth in these populations. The median liquid asset value for Black Miamians is $11 as compared to $10,750 for Whites. It's a matter of life and death: children in Miami's Black communities live 15 fewer years than those in communities just a few miles away.

For these reasons, we place racial justice front and center in every aspect of our policy platform. 

Why be an advocate?

Everyone wins when we learn our shared history and enact equitable policies.

Through our open and intersectional coalition-building efforts, we bring together our program alumni, community organizations, and other residents to: communicate their needs and concerns; ensure proposed policies meet their community priorities; build grassroots leadership; and lay the groundwork for long-term, positive change.

Click here to sign up for our email and text action alerts so you can make your values a reality — locally, and at the state level.

State Policy Priorities

Click here to view our 2024 collective state-level priorities in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.

Want to go with us to Tallahassee during legislative session? Learn more about our free advocacy trip at catalystmiami.org/c2c.

Local Policy Priorities

Want to take action on these issues? Join our monthly working groups at Miami Our Way!

Collectively decided by Catalyst Miami community members across race, class, and age, these local priorities reflect where Miami-Dade residents are impacted the most on a daily basis.

Click here to view the detailed breakdown on each of our 2024 local priorities.

Investing in community priorities & reducing barriers to financial wellness

  • Put money back in your pocket with the Working Floridians Tax Rebate
  • Work with local governments to give residents opportunities for direct feedback on how their tax dollars are spent
  • Assist small businesses and create worker co-ops

Ensuring everyone can access affordable healthcare

  • Expand Medicaid to 1.4 million Floridians through working the legislative process and a ballot initiative
  • Address medical debt through community education, helping community members negotiate with hospitals, and collecting stories of impacted residents

Reducing the housing cost burden for Miami-Dade households

  • Promote small-scale developers, community-owned land, and community benefits agreements with developers that benefit residents and workers
  • Prevent displacement from public housing, preserve our neighborhoods, and decriminalize homelessness
  • Creatively repurpose abandoned buildings as community spaces and use public land for the public good

Addressing immediate challenges & planning for the future

  • Lower heat risks & improve air quality by increasing green spaces
  • Replace poisonous incinerators with trash diversion practices and waste reduction programs
  • Protect residents from extreme heat through education, worker protections, & shade infrastructure
  • Reduce energy bill burden through clean energy investments & advocacy