Why Not Consolidate Miami-Dade ? (Jacksonville, Miami Beach: gated, landscaping, condos)

[noland123]

Should Miam-Dade consider consolidation,it worked for Jacksonville,why not here? No more duplicity of taxes ( city and the county),just a single tax. What do you think would be some other advantages along with what would be the disadvantages? The independent municpalities doesn't seem to be practical.

[crisp444]

It would not be in the best interest of the richer independent municipalities (Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Aventura, etc.) to incorporate but it would be in the best interest for the poorer independent municipalities (OpaLocka, Miami Gardens, Florida City, etc.) to do so. Why would someone who pays (high) taxes on their expensive home in Coral Gables want his tax dollars to go to the city of Miami when they can be used within Coral Gables to furnish luxuries such as fountains and lush landscaping in public plazas and streets? You largely don't find such luxuries in poorer areas where funding must be directed to social services and the police department, and by incorporating the county into one city - pretty much like Jacksonville - the richer areas would not get to fund themselves and would in return NOT get disproportionately high funding from the city of Miami. Any kind of incorporation effort will be highly contested and likely sued to death by all the money in various municipalities around the county. Conversely, this is why the richest areas want to incorporate to get out of the "unincorporated Miami-Dade" status. Aventura, Pinecrest, and Palmetto Bay are all relatively new municipalities which I suspect formed for similar motives.

[rogerbacon]

How small does an area have to be before they can incorporate? If myself and 10 guys on the block want to incorporate could unincorporated Dade stop us? I sure wouldn't mind paying for Dade's failing schools and all of the pet projects that our corrupt politicians favor (I'm looking at YOU traffic circles). What county taxes do incorporated areas still have to pay?

[kevinkagy]

Why doesn't the City of Miami just incorporate the unincorporated parts of Miami-Dade County?

[crisp444]

In short, because Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Miami Springs and other cities bordering Miami whose average property tax revenues are higher than Miami's do not WANT to be incorporated into the city of Miami. See my reply above.

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by noland123

Should Miam-Dade consider consolidation,it worked for Jacksonville,why not here? No more duplicity of taxes ( city and the county),just a single tax. What do you think would be some other advantages along with what would be the disadvantages? The independent municpalities doesn't seem to be practical.

When Pinecrest became a village, the homeowners taxes actually went down. These villages and cities actually have better police services because they have a much smaller area to patrol. I was amazed how large some areas Miami-Dade police station patrol, with so few policemen. The cities and villages have better police protection usually.

[MiamiVice1985]

Originally Posted by noland123

Should Miam-Dade consider consolidation,it worked for Jacksonville,why not here? No more duplicity of taxes ( city and the county),just a single tax. What do you think would be some other advantages along with what would be the disadvantages? The independent municpalities doesn't seem to be practical.

I would not use Jacksonville as a good example for any city. It is big, ugly, and segregated. The only thing good about Jackson-hell are the huge oysters that you can buy by the bushel.

[kevinkagy]

Originally Posted by crisp444

In short, because Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Miami Springs and other cities bordering Miami whose average property tax revenues are higher than Miami's do not WANT to be incorporated into the city of Miami. See my reply above.

I'm not saying for Miami to incorporate the already incorporated parts of Miami-Dade, I'm saying for Miami to incorporated the UNINCORPORATED parts.

[Keith-n-Jax]

Originally Posted by MiamiVice1985

I would not use Jacksonville as a good example for any city. It is big, ugly, and segregated. The only thing good about Jackson-hell are the huge oysters that you can buy by the bushel.

Jacksonville is not an ugly city,our skyline is not graced by condos and hotels everywhere,nor have we been over ran by other countries, and you dont need a passport to enter the city,--well I thought one insult deserved another,,otherwise I like all of Florida

[tallrick]

I would like to see Miami-Dade home rule repealed. Consolidation is bad, it just puts more money in fewer hands, and gets Team Metro in your pockets.