The analysis in my “Follow the Money!” and “Pinecrest Phase 3” articles has been criticized as “there are lies, damn lies and statistics” and “crazy”. In these articles, I used facts, logic and numbers to show how Pinecrest is a donor community in general and showed why it is not beneficial to Pinecrest to receive funds from any County -big government- bond.
Thought leaders opposing the Water Vote Referendum have two main arguments: (1) that the County should do it (“Call the County commissioner”), and (2) that it benefits few Pinecrest residents. In these arguments, they introduced the concept of “Benefit Accounting” into the discussion.
In my articles, I have clearly and convincingly showed that waiting for the County to finish Phase 3 will cost us more.
When I compared the County-bond related tax payments with the benefit that Pinecrest received, I have stayed within the framework set by the opposition. Though, I disagree with their approach, I want to show the fallacy of their logic and their misrepresentation of reality.
I agree with their new argument that we are actually paying per year $5 (1.5% of the bond tax) for the Pinecrest Water Project Phase 1 & 2 and that the rest of the $315 (98.5% of the bond tax) goes towards other Miami Dade projects. By the way, in making this point, they are invalidating their original two arguments.
In fact, in making such an argument, the opposition is actually validating my conclusions:
- The opposition has no issue paying 98.5% of our tax dollars to Homestead Residents’ sewer system whom they don’t know.
- The opposition has no issue paying 98.5% of our tax dollars to Hialeah Gardens Residents’ water and sewer system whom they don’t know, and the list goes on…)
- The opposition has no issue with the fact that 98.5% of our tax dollars make all these projects possible and that they are a GIVEAWAY to Miami Dade Water and Sewer Department who benefits from the revenues generated by these projects.
The opposition only has an issue when half of the county bond tax amount can provide benefits 100% of your neighbors, Pinecrest Residents whom they and you know.
REALLY???
Is it really “crazy” to vote FOR a referendum where all of us benefit 100% from in the form of increased Public Safety and Protection?
“The Main Thing is The Main Thing” is the motto of Pat Riley, Miami Heat president. The Main Thing of this Water Referendum is nothing else but Public Safety and Protection.
Public safety and Fire Protection for all of our homes. Fire protection for 2500 of your fellow Pinecrest neighbors.
Why are we having a discussion about “benefit accounting” or “giveaways” in talking about Public Safety? Should we apply these concepts to our Police Department (public safety and protection)?
Should the Police provide more protection to me because I pay 8 times more taxes than Mrs. Ross? The answer is a convincing NO. We all deserve the same protection and the same public safety.
This is the fallacy of applying “benefit accounting” and “giveaway” arguments to matters of Public Safety and Protection.
If you want to make a comparison regarding money spent on public safety apply it to having insurance. You are paying for it and you hope you never have to use it. No responsible person goes around without insurance, neither should we, as a community.
Mrs. Ross and our Honorable Council member James McDonald have given no viable option to solving this Public Safety and Protection issue other than an implied “wait for the county” and the pipedream of “winning the lottery” if and when something can be done without a tax increase.
Those are not reasonable or responsible options. The only reasonable and responsible option to provide Safety and Fire Hydrant Protection for all Pinecrest is with a FOR vote.
Side note: The argument that the county bonds is a sweetheart deal reminds me of shady investment advisor’ explanations regarding your retirement portfolio’s performance. Invested $1.5 in Apple shares and $98.5 in Enron shares. After three years, the advisor says, “hey, the Apple shares are now worth 1000% more (10x)! Look, how great I am”. However, he forgets to mention that Enron went bankrupt and you have lost all that money to people who you don’t know. So, you end up with $15. And your net loss is $85. Go, figure!
Come to think of it, I “need” a new car. Nothing fancy, a basic Ford Fusion which would cost me about the same $21,000 as it would cost each of the 740 or so homeowners without access to County water if they had to pay for the $15million project themselves (740x$21,000=$15million). Why don’t we have a vote to tax everyone in Pinecrest to pay for the car that I “need”? If you do, I promise to let every resident of Pinecrest ride in it at least once. Will the 740 homes to get water service all let us use their pools or bathrooms? And the Fire argument? Please provide some examples of Pinecrest houses that have burned down because of a lack of County water.
Mr. Enekes fails to address the fact that splitting the $15,000,000 cost of the water project among the 740 or so homes without access rather than among ALL Pinecrest property owners woul be a fairer way to pay for the project that would directly benefit only those 740 or so property owners. It is easy to understand why he and others who would benefit would like to spread the cost over a greater number of people — then Mr Enekes and the other 739 or so would have to pay less. But I am not interested in welfare for the wealthy. Perhaps he should do as some have done who want to raise millions to build more walls on our border with Mexico — start a Go Fund Me page! Or, heaven forbid, create a special taxing district that so that only those who would benefit from the project are the ones who will have to pay for it. In fact, if everyone in Florida contributed $1, there would be more than enough money to pay for the project to help out Mr. Enekes and his 740 or so neighbors. May be that is the solution!
Don’t pass this NOW. Take time to get REAL FACTS. The County shouldn’t benefit from taxing us for 20 years . Reassess and think . Revisit this issue another time . Not now !
I’m glad you belatedly agree that only 1.5% of the $320 paid by residents annually toward the County’s 2004 bonds is going toward water for Pinecrest residents.
But no, this doesn’t mean that we’re paying the other 98.5 percent for any single other project, as you infer. My 3/18 Pinecrest Tribune article stated that our $320 is supporting hundreds of projects all over the County. Many are regional projects such as the Perez Art Museum and the Fairchild Tropical Gardens welcome center that all of us have a chance to enjoy.
And no, I can’t fathom how presenting this information validates your conclusions in any way. The premise of your “phase 3” email was that we’d be paying less for Pinecrest water, over a shorter period, than we’re doing under the county’s 2004 bond. If we’re paying under $5 annually per household, a figure you now accept, your entire analysis is blown out of the water.
I find the twists and turns in your increasingly imaginative scenarios very hard to follow.
The most appropriate option for finishing out the water system is to create a special taxing district that would have those who benefit pay for it. Toward this end, Village Council hired SCS Engineers of Jacksonville, FL in 2017 to study how a special assessment program might be implemented.
The consultant’s report, dated January 3, 2018, included this information: “In the case of the Village of Pinecrest, most of the parcels in the Village have access to public potable water supply. The addition of water lines to provide this service to certain parcels does not provide benefit to parcels that already have access to public potable water supply. Therefore, it is determined that because all of the parcels in the Village do not derive special benefit from the proposed project, not all parcels in the Village can be assessed.”