There are 34 municipalities in Miami-Dade County and more than 400 in the State of Florida. When we measure ourselves against all those cities, we find that in Pinecrest we perform very well. We have some of the highest, most stable property values and lowest property tax rates in the county. Crime has gone down consistently since our incorporation and this year it is half of what it was 20 years ago, and at an all-time low. We are processing development and redevelopment in an orderly manner. Our fiscal health has never been better with an AAA Bond rating. We have a 9-month budgeting process, because nobody likes surprises. Our customer satisfaction rate is more than 95 percent.
The state of the Village is strong! It is this way because all of us together agreed to take the job of running this city very seriously. We work hard to understand the issues, we debate them vigorously and we stay focused on our goals. “Maintaining our character and enhancing our quality of life” embodies our goals over the past several years. To that end, we believe that how we do something is just as important as what we do. We strive to be an example of a thoughtful, reasonable, rational local government.
People have many choices on where to live. We’ve chosen to live in Pinecrest. No matter how beautiful Pinecrest is and how much we want to run a small government that stays out of people’s way, we know that at some point in all of our lives, each of us will need the Village of Pinecrest. This is when we step in and do some of our most important work.
We strive to provide something intangible to our citizens – a concierge level of service, where we are able to provide immediate individual attention to anyone who needs it. Our staff are experts in their fields and true public servants who understand the community, focus on understanding our needs and finding the most efficient and effective path so we are able to achieve our goals.
Because of this we have been highly successful. We’ve processed the redevelopment of three of our largest schools with the consensus of the community while protecting our neighborhoods. We have addressed our most historic and pernicious issues, like Transportation, Water and Electricity. Our resiliency efforts have gone far in protecting the environment. More than 20 percent of our overhead electrical lines are going underground.
We are winning grants at Pinecrest Gardens at an accelerated pace, while working each and every day to assure that the facility is fitting seamlessly into the surrounding neighborhood. We did a bond for parks and streets and have ample bonding capacity remaining. We have brought our employees benefits back to pre-recession levels. Our dog park will be opening soon. All of this within the envelope of one of the lowest tax rates. That is Pinecrest…a community that has always been able to take on our most pressing issues in constructive manner.
We have done a lot of great things over the past 23 years, and we are going to continue to do so. But just as when we incorporated, we must realize that many of the problems that impact us are regional in nature. We’ve done a great job of curing the symptoms of those problems inside our boundaries, and we will continue to stay focused on the root cause of the issues that impact us and all of South Dade. No longer can we accept transportation agencies that don’t provide adequate transportation, water and sewer departments that don’t provide all of us water and sewer, and economic development organizations that have never created a meaningful job in our area. We will continue working with our partners in Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Homestead, Miami-Dade County, Chamber South and the League of Cities. Today, because of the fresh focused leadership in Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay, we are collaborating more closely, and addressing our collective issues more productively than ever before. We are all working together on a regular basis to identify our issues, develop a common set of facts and collaborate on how best to address these issues so protect our quality of life.
We need to thank Gary Matzner and Evelyn Greer for having the vision, wisdom and courage to spearhead our incorporation efforts, form our government and lead us as our first two mayors. They, along with the all the people who served on our councils since then, have set the standards by which we measure ourselves each year. We constantly strive to meet those expectations.
We pause to remember former vice mayor Jeff Cutler, who unexpectedly passed away this past year. Jeff was a beloved fixture in Pinecrest and is deeply missed.
Today, our Village Council, Vice Mayor Jim McDonald, Councilmembers Doug Kraft, Katie Abbott, and Anna Hochkammer, along with our manager and clerk are working hard, every day to assure we are continuing on the correct path.
The state of the Village is strong and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. We wish you all health in the coming year. If you need anything, we are just a phone call away. I can be reached at 305-606-2364 or jcorradino@pinecrest-fl.gov.
