Miami Dade commissioners are considering creating the first new city since 2005

Miami-Dade County has not had a new ward in over 16 years. That could soon change with Biscayne Gardens.

County commissioners are due to decide on Sept. 1, following a public decision, whether to ask voters whether to encompass five square miles bordering four existing cities to the northeast.

If local voters vote in a special election on November 2, the new city would be Miami-Dade’s 35th parish and the first since Cutler Bay was founded in January 2005.

Biscayne Gardens would keep the neighborhood name that locals have been using for decades.

The area is bounded by Northwest 167th Street to the north, Northeast 18th Avenue to the east, Northwest 128th Street to the south, and Northwest 17th Avenue / State Road 9 to the west.

The Miami-Dade commissioners formed the Biscayne Gardens Municipal Advisory Committee in September 2003 to look into the possibility. These activities were put on hold two years later when the county imposed a moratorium on establishment. That lasted until April 2012.

During this time (and since) the county voters and officials have thwarted all attempts at inclusion. Recent examples are the attempt to found a new city between Aventura and North Miami Beach in 2018 that failed 51% to 49%, and another one in South Dade the next year never got a vote. The funding officer, Dennis Moss, got it out of consideration to loud resistance from residents and his colleagues on the podium.

The area in question now has nearly 35,000 residents, more than half of whom are registered voters. The Miami-Dade Election Department estimates that running a special election on the founding would cost $ 94,000, a price the county would pay but the city would pay back if it was formed.

Biscayne Gardens is a conglomerate of contiguous, unincorporated land between North Miami Beach, North Miami, Miami Gardens and Opa-locka.

A map of the planned Town of Biscayne Gardens. Image via Miami-Dade County.

Only 3% is undeveloped land. A quarter of the area is taken up by traffic, communication and utility facilities, according to a memo from Jorge Fernandez Jr. BGMAC chairmen sent by the administrative and budget office of the district Wayne Rinhart and other members September 30, 2020.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for redevelopment. According to the Biscayne Times feature report, plans are progressing for three large apartment complexes totaling 861 units, a mega-church and flood-contaminated apartment buildings.

A 2014 analysis by a business management and marketing consultant PMG partnerwho are a. introduces Council Manager A five-seat council, including the mayor, proposed a millage rate of 4.00 – more than double what residents there are now paying the tariff of the district for the unincorporated municipal service sector (UMSA).

This could prove to be a deal breaker for voters as the region’s median household income falls below $ 44,100 in 2018 the district average of $ 51,347, that’s less than three years ago.

“It is possible that the millage rate could be set a little lower if the elected officials so choose,” wrote PMG staff. “However, this measure will reduce the surplus and the resulting emergency amount. The officials have to be careful so that the new church does not get into financial difficulties. “

A breakdown at the end of 2020 showed that more than 20% of the population, 6,919 people, lived below the poverty line. Those numbers may have risen since the pandemic, as has the region’s 7% unemployment rate, which at the time was higher than the county’s now during the pandemic economic downturn.

Biscayne Gardens is 69% non-Hispanic black and 19.5% hispanic. and 7.2% from non-Hispanic. White. The average home value there is just over $ 197,000.

Thirteen public schools would serve the city, including seven elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools.

A sales analysis by Miami-Dade found that Biscayne Gardens is a recipient community. At inception, UMSA would lose about $ 2.9 million a year in providing services to Biscayne Gardens.

In a memo to the Commissioners, Miami-Dade Financial Director Ed Marquez noted that services will eventually become too expensive for UMSA residents when startups resume across the county.

“As annexations and incorporations continue, at a certain point in time it will no longer be financially feasible for the UMSA,” he wrote. “It is difficult to say for sure when UMSA will reach this point; it depends on which territories include, the timing of these incorporations, annexations of territories and what is left to fund the services for the remaining UMSA. Since there is less income available to finance the services, the remaining areas will pay more for them and / or the departments will have to reduce the level of service and / or staff. “

The area includes a county water and sewage pumping station, a garbage and recycling center, and a $ 60 million mobility complex the construction of which the Florida Department of Transportation now plans to complete by fall. All are expected to remain under Miami-Dade’s control until an interlocal agreement is reached with the city.

The city would also have three parks, including Oak Grove Park, which includes a 20,000-square-foot community center that costs about $ 1 million to operate and maintain annually. These costs, which were not included in a pro forma PMG, would accrue to the city if they were included.

Biscayne Gardens would still have Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, a district library, and garbage collection services “forever,” wrote Marquez.

The city would also need to sign a contract with the Miami-Dade Police Department for local patrols for at least three years, agreeing the county to retain much of its power over restrictive zoning agreements, to pass the county’s housing development program for workers who share responsibility for its share Proportion of debt servicing for the county’s outstanding bonds and confirming the continued jurisdiction of the county over a community redevelopment area between Northwest 135th and Northwest 165th Streets along Northwest Seventh Avenue within the theoretical boundaries of the city.

Miami Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime, whose borough includes Biscayne Gardens, the district attorneys instructed that resolution which, if approved, would lead to special elections.

While Monestime is the face of the movement in the district government, the driving force has long been there Bernard Jennings, a resident of Biscayne Gardens who has already prepared a model charter, formed and incorporated a political committee for incorporation website, among other activities.

But, as the Miami Times reported, there is strong opposition to the move, partly driven by a. is represented Counter site and protesters who will no doubt fill Miami-Dade County Hall to voice their objection on Wednesday.

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