On May 6, 2019, ComReal attended the Planning Advisory Board’s public hearing regarding the proposed annexations of two areas within the Airport Palmetto Corridor – one by The City of Miami Springs and the other by The Village of Virginia Gardens. These high tax municipalities seek to offset their resident’s tax burdens by substantially increasing taxes on property and business owners in the proposed annexation areas. For example, if Miami Springs was to be successful, the municipal portion of property taxes would increase 281%.
Miami Springs (see Map below) is once again attempting to annex the area bounded by NW 74th Street Connector to the north, state Road 826 to the west, NW 36th Street to the south, and NW 67th Avenue to the east. The Planning Advisory Board voted 8-2 in favor of recommending denial of the annexation application to the County Commission. The denial recommendation was in large part due to the efforts of numerous affected property and business owners who came to speak at the public hearing. The Board was very receptive to the pleas of commercial owners and the damage the tax increase would have on local businesses that employ County residents.
Virginia Gardens (see Map below) is attempting to annex the area bounded by NW 36th Street to the North, state Road 826 to the west, state road 836 to the south, and NW 67th Avenue to the east (excluding portions of the Airport). Due to the efforts of numerous affected property and business owners and because of the previous two annexation applications being recommended as rejected (Miami Springs and Medley), Virginia Gardens voluntarily asked to have their application to annex be deferred. Virginia Gardens must now go back through the Planning Advisory Board and conduct another public hearing prior to going in front of the County Commission for ultimate approval. There is no date certain at this time for when they will have to go back in front of the Planning Advisory Board.
For a comprehensive industrial market report on the Airport Palmetto Corridor, read more here: The Miami Airport Palmetto Corridor. >>>
For more information Contact Pat McBride at 305-619-2937 or pmcbride@comreal.com
P.S. ComReal, along with Miami Realtors, has been fighting for years at the state level to have the sales tax on commercial leases removed or reduced. Florida sales tax was recently reduced from 5.7% to 5.5%. With the additional 1% sales tax added by MDC, tenants will now responsible for 6.5% sales tax on top of the property taxes. This is double-taxation and not fair. Welcome to Miami-Dade County, Florida!
Hopefully the County Commission will follow the denial recommendation from the Planning Advisory Board regarding Miami Springs. If the business/property owners are able to defeat these high tax municipalities again, it may be time to petition to be annexed by the City of Doral. Doral’s property taxes are actually slightly lower than unincorporated Dade County and this may be the only way to stop Miami Springs, Medley, and Virginia Gardens from attempting annexation in perpetuity.
You might also like to read our prior report on the annexation by Miami Springs at https://www.edwardredlich.com/2019/04/miami-springs-annexation/