MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A judge has sided with the City of Miami Beach following a lawsuit from the city’s residents on a ballot referendum.

A group of Miami Beach residents sued the city on Thursday after a ballot item was rescinded.

The item proposed a 1% food and beverage tax. The money collected would have supported the homeless and domestic violence centers.

It was rescinded following a vote by the city commission because they didn’t trust where the money was going.

Residents had argued that the commission and the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections were engaging in voter suppression because 20,000 votes had already been cast during early voting.

But on Friday, after an emergency hearing, a judge sided with the city so the votes from the ballot question will not be counted.

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