On the November ballot: a referendum on creating the village of Biscayne Gardens
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Municipal election season is underway, with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez seeking a second term and other key races taking place in Miami-Dade County on Oct. 5 and Nov. 2. Here’s what you need to know before you vote.
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Miami-Dade County could get its 35th municipality if residents of the Biscayne Gardens area decide to break away from county municipal services and endorse forming their own local government.
It takes a majority vote to pass the Biscayne Gardens referendum on Nov. 2. The referendum authorizes the county commission to create the new municipality. Voting is limited to residents within the five-mile area in unincorporated land outside Miami Gardens, Opa-locka, North Miami and North Miami Beach.
Should the referendum succeed, a second referendum would eventually be needed to approve a municipal charter for the village.
Proponents tout the potential for local control of zoning decisions, and point to incorporation as a defense against neighboring governments incorporating parts of the area into their own boundaries.
Opponents point to the higher tax rates that come from shifting away from Miami-Dade’s municipal-services tax (less than $2 per $1,000 of taxable value) to paying a local government for the same services (a county study projected a $4 per $1,000 municipal tax if Biscayne Gardens incorporates). Municipal tax rates account for only a portion of a yearly property-tax bill, which includes tax for the school system, countywide services and other government functions.
About 35,000 people live in the area that could be incorporated, and the referendum will be decided by the roughly 18,900 registered voters currently living there. The deadline to register to vote in the referendum is Monday, Oct. 4.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
