KEON HARDEMON: The Miami-Dade County Commissioner, whose district includes Brownsville, said he couldn’t support the moratorium since the community is prepared to proceed with studying incorporation. PHOTO COURTESY OF FLORIDA POLITICS

By David L Snelling

Miami – Citing a financial downturn that could impact critical services in unincorporated areas such as police, fire and public works, Miami-Dade County has placed a moratorium on annexation and incorporation.

The County Commission, during its Feb. 19 meeting, approved Commissioner Kevin Marion Cabrera’s ordinance to halt local cities’ annexation applications and unincorporated areas’ quest for cityhood until MiamiDade’s coffers improve.

Cabrera’s ordinance initially called for a five-year abeyance but was amended to two years for incorporation and four years for annexation.

The moratorium affects the North Central Dade incorporation movement which must wait until 2027 for the Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC) to study the pros and cons of cityhood.

The targeted area borders Northwest 125th Street, Northwest 54th Street, Northwest 37th Avenue and Interstate 95 and includes historic African American neighborhoods such as Brownsville and Gladeview.

In January, commissioners extended the life of the MAC, which was initially created in 2001, to determine whether becoming a city is feasible.

The moratorium also puts a hold on Opalocka’s application to expand its boundaries further north near Miami Dade College.

Cabrera said with the addition of the new constitutional offices this year including new Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie CorderoStutz, the county’s finances are in peril and need budget trims to find more savings.

Cabrera said allowing annexation and incorporation plans to proceed could force the county to raise taxes for Unincorporated Municipal Service Area (UMSA) residents to offset budget shortfalls.

In addition, Cabrera said Cordero-Stutz is requesting an additional $50 million to run her department, which puts Miami-Dade in a tough position, especially if cities were allowed to annex incorporated areas.

He said the budget for UMSA represents 65 percent of police services and the county could experience economic hardship if Miami-Dade gives up the areas to cities.

“It creates a situation where if it continues to allow these areas to be annexed, who would support these services?” Cabrera asked at the meeting. “If we can’t support these services, what exactly are we going to do?” County Commissioner Keon Hardemon, whose district includes Brownsville, said he couldn’t support the moratorium since the community is prepared to proceed with the study for incorporation.

He said the Brownsville community has been seeking cityhood for two decades but the county has impeded the movement with previous suspensions on incorporation.

“That’s why the area hasn’t achieved their mission for 20 years,” Hardemon said. “That has been the difficulty for that area.”

Hardemon said the residential and industrial areas in Brownsville are in deplorable conditions, which is why residents and business owners want better municipal services to upgrade the area.

“The area in Brownsville is in the worst condition, especially the part along Northwest 46th Street,” he said. “The streets are in terrible shape and incorporation gives my constituents a better chance to improve the area.”

County Commissioner Marleine Bastien, who sponsored the ordinance to extend the life of the MAC and represents a portion of the area seeking incorporation, said the abeyance could have financial consequences in her district.

She said Biscayne Gardens and Opa-locka have already submitted their annexation applications to expand their respective boundaries to increase their tax bases.

“It’s too long for those two cities,” Bastien said.