Three of Miami-Dade's youngest municipalities have not benefited from the county's half-penny sales tax for transportation because they became cities after the tax was created.

That could soon change.

In a win for Cutler Bay, Doral, and Miami Gardens, the Florida House and Senate have signed off on a measure that requires counties to revise their transportation tax agreements at least once every five years to include cities that have incorporated during that time.

The bill now goes to Gov. Charlie Crist for his signature or veto.

All county residents have been paying the tax since it was approved by voters in 2002.

Cities that incorporated later were not given a share of the tax collections, even though their residents were paying the half-penny.

''This was a fairness issue,'' said Rep. Oscar Braynon II, a Miami Gardens Democrat and former city council member who sponsored the measure.

That would let the three cities use half-penny sales tax collections for transportation projects -- like free circulator bus routes -- as other cities have done.

''There's a lot of things that we could do -- not only to help Doral but also the county,'' Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez said.

``The county's bus routes don't actually reach the westernmost areas of Doral.''

Sales-tax funds could cover the costs of a trolley to those areas -- now paid for out of the city's budget.

But that's if the county doesn't end up killing the half-penny tax altogether. Miami-Dade has been facing heat for mismanaging the money, using it on salaries and expenses while failing to deliver promised bus and rail service.

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