MIAMI. – 2023 in Miami-Dade closes as it began, with an immigration crisis challenging local services and institutions. A period is coming to an end in which problems such as inflation, the shortage of affordable housing, waste management, the vulnerability of crucial infrastructure to the stalking of nature, problems in public transport and delays in taking political decisions that affect the lives of residents.
Impact of immigration
In the area of immigration, the president of the Homeless Trust, Ron Book, warned at the beginning of the year about the presence of 1,100 homeless people living on the streets of the county, without shelters. A reality somewhat alleviated when the Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated $21 million to address such a crisis.
The growing immigration was reflected in the Miami-Dade public school system as the population of children and adolescents eager for school places grew. At the beginning of the year, the school district had enrolled more than 14,800 students from other countries. Of them, 10,000 were Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. A figure that was 1,400 more than the number of students enrolled the previous year.
Public transportation
The problem of public transportation persists. Despite the approval of a $175 million contract with New Flyer of America Inc. for 100 electric buses, the choice sparked controversy due to the cost and need for additional infrastructure required for these types of vehicles. Each of the 100 buses contracted exceeded 1.7 million dollars. While the price of a fuel bus did not exceed $500,000 without the need to create new infrastructure for its operation.
In July, the County Commission endorsed the Better Bus Network program to improve Metrobús service, although the Department of Transportation’s implementation of free fares for 48 days, without proper approval, led to the suspension of director Eulois Cleckley in October.
Waste management
The bad odor crisis in Doral, coming from the Covanta plant, and the fire at said waste recycling facility in February, raise the need to decide whether to rebuild or relocate it. At the damaged plant, owned by the county, half of the garbage collected in Miami-Dade homes was processed and converted into electrical energy that supplied some 35,000 users. Rebuilding the plant, according to a study to which DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS had access, would cost about 91.5 million dollars, 35 million would come from “fire insurance funds.”
The County Commission’s indecision about the location of the next waste plant was not an impediment to approving the increase in the household waste collection rate proposed by Mayor Levine Cava. Added $36 to the current annual fee of $509.
Gasoline
COURTESY: Carlos A. Albino
Kaseya Center and Fuel Crisis
A $117 million contract changed the name of the county’s sports venue, previously called Americana Airlines Arena, from FTX to Kaseya Center. Thus, the headquarters of the Miami Heat basketball team obtained the necessary resources after the loss of its previous sponsor after declaring bankruptcy, rendering worthless a contract for 135 million dollars on which the Peace and Prosperity Plan promoted by the mayor also depended.
On the other hand, the fuel shortage caused by rains and flooding in Port Everglades highlighted the fragility of the gasoline supply in the region that depends largely on the entry of gasoline through Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami.
Affordable Housing
Mayor Levine Cava recognized the affordable housing crisis as the most serious problem and announced the construction of 32,000 homes to address the situation. We witnessed the groundbreaking of the project at River Parc, in collaboration with The Related Group, creating 500 affordable homes.
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Initiatives that do not come to fruition
Several Commission proposals failed, including measures to protect employees working outdoors from the heat and the initiative to develop agritourism, the proposal to build Miami Wilds, a water park, also did not advance due to environmental concerns. The controversy surrounding this last proposal was that the park construction project had been won in a bid more than 10 years ago.
Candidacies and historical budget
In the political sphere, the launch of the candidacies for sheriff, property appraiser and county mayor in the 2024 elections stands out. Until now, Republicans Ignacio Álvarez, Jaspen Bishop, Ruamen aspire to the position of head of the County Police J. de la Rúa, Alexander Fornet, Mario Knapp, Orlando J. López, Rolando Riera Jr., John Rivera and Ernesto Rodríguez, as well as Democrats John M. Barrow, Susan Khoury and Rickey Mitchell.
For their part, Democrat Marisol Zenteno and Republican Tomás Regalado presented their candidacy to occupy the chair of the Miami-Dade property appraiser.
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Another big headline this year was the Miami-Dade Commission’s approval of a record budget of nearly $11.7 billion that, according to the mayor, is partly intended to maintain social programs and improve infrastructure.
In 2023, Miami-Dade reflected a complex confluence of challenges, from the affordable housing crisis to waste management, some of which were left without clear answers and we will have to wait until 2024 in the hope of seeing actions effective by local authorities.
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