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Neighbors for the Preservation of Little Gables offers the following reasons why Coral Gables residents should vote NO on annexation: First, the City’s own consultant report estimates annexation will cost $23.6 million over five years, with the deficit increasing in subsequent years! Wouldn’t the residents of Coral Gables rather spend their precious tax dollars on improvements to parks, museums, city services, roads, children’s programs, etcetera? Second, the City has no plan to assist the poor residents of the Gables Trailer Park – in fact their last proposal was to close it down, kicking out the low-income residents, many of whom are elderly, to make way for luxury housing. Third, the houses in Little Gables are smaller and much more moderate than those of Coral Gables, so annexation will ultimately negatively impact the overall valuation of Coral Gables homes. Fourth, greedy speculators that have been buying up houses in Little Gables and are pushing for annexation so that they can make an even larger windfall profits.
Here are the reasons why many residents of Little Gables oppose annexation: First, Coral Gables has higher property taxes, something that many residents of Little Gables simply can’t afford, especially the elderly living on fixed incomes. Second, we believe that the County must take responsibility for the health and safety of the residents of the Gables Trailer Park – we suggest working with the owner to create new affordable housing rather than eviction and likely homelessness. Third, compared to the County, Coral Gables housing codes are overbearing, they limit the color of houses, the type of fencing, acceptable roof materials, density of landscaping, and require permits for nearly anything done to your house, even painting, and it can take a long time and add hundreds of dollars in cost. Until just a few years ago you couldn’t even park a pick-up truck in your own driveway! And the City is infamous for employing a cadre of code enforcement officers who aggressively seek rule breakers. Fourth, although Coral Gables promises to “grandfather” us in, we don’t buy it because it won’t last forever and will likely be revoked the first time you need a permit for something as a resident of Coral Gables.
We believe that Little Gables should be once and for all “Left the Hell Alone!” Let Little Gables be what it was intended, a more affordable version of Coral Gables for people of more moderate means.
Sincerely,
Doug Mayer, Little Gables Resident
