Miami-Dade Passes Pro-Cash Legislation

County commissioners for Miami-Dade have approved legislation requiring retail businesses to accept cash payments for goods and services. The move aims to ensure equal access to retail services for all, and will affect over 200,000 businesses.

In early May, we reported on Commissioner René García’s campaign to ensure cash is accepted across Miami-Dade’s businesses, joining states such as Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts, and cities including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The ordinance has now been passed.

Businesses may no longer post signs on their premises saying cash payments are not accepted, with violators first facing a warning, then a fine of $100, then $200 and finally a fine of $1,000. Complaints can be submitted to the Regulatory and Economic Resources Department’s Office of Consumer Protection.

Senator García is now working with franchises across the county to ensure they are prepared, aiming to accommodate all payment preferences with measures such as reverse ATM machines that will allow people to pay in cash and load it onto a card that can be used with a business’s existing machines.

Commissioner Raquel Regalado pointed out that the State of Florida already offers a Cash Discount Program in which people are charged less for using cash at restaurants and gas stations, and this has been added to Miami-Dade’s new ordinance.