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Have you seen images of high-rise buildings win an “X” blazed across them? Received emails warning that Council was going to allow high-rises? The images and messaging were crafted to scare residents and lure them to vote for a referendum that fundamentally changes the way Pinecrest has governed itself for 27 years.
But the problem with crying that the sky is falling, is that eventually you must deliver. And here, the referendum proponents cannot deliver. Council voted – unanimously – to maintain our four-story limitation on US-1, ban hotels, and protect our single-family homes.
Rather than accept this outcome as a shared victory, the referendum proponents sued the Village in a convoluted effort to stop Council’s second and final vote on the matter. At the expense of Resident tax dollars, the Village prevailed in court. Council then took its final vote – banning hotels, maintaining four stories, and protecting our residential zones. Again, unanimously: 5-0.
Now, you may ask yourself, and it’s a fair question: Well, yes, Council maintained four stories, banned hotels, protected residential zones — but what if some future Council goes rogue and allows high-rises? Our founders, in their wisdom, secured a solution. It is written in our Charter: Article 5, Section 5.2 – by petition and referendum, any Council decision can be repealed by a simple 50.1% majority.
Consequently, there is just no case for blowing up our Charter to begin requiring 60% supermajorities. The referendum is a nuclear solution in search of a problem.
Indeed, Council routinely votes on zoning and land use ordinances that enhance and preserve quality of life. For example:
* We don’t allow fraternity houses
* We regulate Air BNB’s
* We don’t allow people to live in trailers on your property
* We don’t allow medical marijuana facilities
* We regulate construction hours to honor Residents’ peaceful and quiet enjoyment of their homes
* We routinely modify the code and follow FEMA recommendations to adjust for sea level rise and flooding; and this, in turn, helps contain our flood insurance premium
If this referendum were to pass, measures like some of these would require a special election and a 60% supermajority to pass. Special elections would cost the Village between $28,000 and $60,000 because educating our electorate takes time and money, and elections are costly.
Our new reality would be a Village Community hamstrung to deal with emerging threats, needs, and changing circumstances. Gridlock would become the norm. Special elections will become a carnival of jockeying special interest groups. No thank you.
Over the course of 27 years, Pinecrest has flourished into the #1 neighborhood to live in in Miami-Dade according to Niche.com. We are ranked #5 statewide. The South Florida Business Journal ranked Pinecrest the #1 municipality in South Florida for Quality of Life.
None of this is a mistake. Incorporating and creating a functional, responsive government are big reasons for this success.
We all know that:
* Our property values are solid
* Our taxes have remained consistently low
* We have nationally ranked schools
* We have beautiful parks
* We have an outstanding professional Village staff and Police Force
* We are even home to one of the nation’s few natural rain forests at Pinecrest Gardens
Pinecrest Residents don’t favor change. We like Pinecrest the way it is. And that goes for the fundamental structure of our government as well.
The change that this referendum seeks is radical. The referendum proponent’s fearmongering of high rises was all misleading and false. Their central premise failed. The sky did not fall.
We inherited our Charter from our Founders. We are entrusted with securing it for future generations. Pinecrest is not broken. Our charter doesn’t need fixing – and neither does Pinecrest.
I respectfully request that you Vote No.
Committed to our Community,
Shannon Del Prado
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