New, Incoming Commissioners Should Vote on Miami Springs’ Annexation

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Miami-Dade County Commissioners want to give Miami Springs an early Christmas present by allowing it to annex a big chunk of industrial and commercial land adjacent to it and Doral.

I am not generally opposed to annexation, but I don’t support what appears to be an 11th-hour vote soon that will have a big impact on the County, Miami Springs and Doral, not to mention the property owners in the targeted industrial zone.

Let’s discuss why Miami Springs wants this: adding the industrial and commercial zone is going to add millions of dollars to its tax base. Every city wants that, especially those that don’t have a lot of new revenue streams to bolster their coffers. However, Miami Springs has done nothing to internally grow its tax base for years. They’ve refused to redevelop the few failing commercial areas they have in their City. Why should they be rewarded with this annexation?

The Ford F-150 is an exceptional working machine
Grant Miller

While some may argue that this proposed annexation meets the goal of some county commissioners to eventually allow its available land to be absorbed into existing and even new municipalities, a bedroom community like Miami Springs lacks the wherewithal to manage an industrial and commercial area like the one they seek to annex. If the targeted area is to be annexed into an existing city, isn’t Doral a much better fit ?

The timing is also at issue right now. I don’t like the fact that such a big decision is going to be decided by the current board of county  commissioners who won’t be there after November because of term limits. That means that the consequences of their actions will be managed by a group of individuals who had nothing to do with the decision. That breeds chaos and uncertainty on the part of residents and it’s not good for business.

Additionally, 15 property owners in the industrial and commercial zone that would be annexed have hired an attorney to voice their concerns. They made several compelling points including that their property taxes will increase by  373% as a result of the change without any improvement in service. Additionally, the impacted property owners have pointed out that they do not get an opportunity to vote on the proposed annexation by Miami Springs. Isn’t this taxation without representation?

So please, with all due respect, hear me out Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, who is sponsoring the upcoming vote on the annexation and who will give up her seat in November because of term limits. Let’s let this one go. Let the new, incoming commission, which will take office in November, review the proposed annexation. Delaying the vote also gives the county commission an opportunity to develop a process for the targeted property owners to vote on whether they want to be annexed and by which city. Everyone wins.

On the proposed annexation of the industrial and commercial zone to Miami Springs, let the newly elected county commission decide.”

If you have any questions please feel free to call me 3053238206


Connect To Your Customers & Grow Your Business

Click Here

2 COMMENTS

  1. Your article is absolutely on target. I hope the folks in Miami Springs understand your concern and the concern of all Dade county.

  2. Thank you Grant for supporting the local business owners and giving a voice to those who have no say in this whole process and are now uncertain of their future and how they will continue growing under such a huge property increase. Property values have already soared 10 percent higher this year. In addition to this economic blow, which in our case would be $60,000 , we should need to add the annexation mileage rate, $ 201,000 more, to total to $ 261,000 in additional property taxes . And this is the increase of only one company. This process is undemocratic and there is a community of over 1300 hardworking businesses that will be adversely affected in a time where we already dealing with soaring inflation, raw material shortages, and more . Businesses need to have a say. We need help to stop this annexation. On behalf of our entire local business community, we thank you for giving us this voice.

Comments are closed.