Miami Lakes Council could still hike tax rate - but maybe not as much

Town manager, council member say it won’t be 36%

The Miami Lakes Town Council has set a tentative property tax rate for next year — and brace yourself, Lakers, because it’s higher than anything you’ve seen in nearly a decade. The new ceiling? It’s 2.6372 mills, or $2.63 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. That’s before all the exemptions, of course.

That’s a whopping 36% increase and, according to the Miami-Dade property appraiser, it’s the second highest tax rate hike after Pinecrest (more on that later).

But don’t freak out yet. Council members swear this is just a “placeholder” while they sharpen their pencils and poke around the $24.9 million proposed budget to see if they can trim a little fat or scare up some new revenue before the September hearings. And the administration has already found enough savings to cut the originally proposed tax rate.

That’s going to be the good news presented at a budget workshop Wednesday night. But Ladra bets it’s still gonna get hot.

Miami Lakes has been bragging about its “tax diet” for years, cutting the millage in 2017, 2018, 2019, and again in 2023, hitting a so-called “all-time low” in 2024 and then going flat this year. Town Manager Edward Pidermann says the belt’s so tight now, the town is choking.

“The multi-year reduction of millage has placed cumulative pressures on town revenues and its ability to provide a high standard of public services,” Pidermann wrote in a July 29 memo. Translation: The town just can’t keep delivering champagne services on a beer budget.

Back then, the manager had proposed a tax hike that would take Miami Lakes back to the 2006-2007 rates — and would bring in $13.1 million, which is $2.8 million more than last year. Enough to cover everything, including that $500,000 legal settlement with former Mayor Michael Pizzi. Yes, that Pizzi. Because Miami Lakes just can’t get rid of him.

For the average homeowner with a taxable value of $293,906, the jump would mean an extra $166 next year. Because everything costs more: contractors, insurance, retirement contributions, and of course, a 5% raise for town staff. And let’s not forget the elephant in the budget — police. Always police.

The biggest line item in the town’s ledger is the $12 million contract with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, sucking up almost half the general fund (48.5%). Next year that bill climbs another $836,194.

The council only capped the tax rate July 29. That means they can make it lower but not higher. And Councilman Bryan Morera told Political Cortadito on Tuesday that he never intended to move forward with the 36% increase, which was a worst case scenario. “Given the information in front of us at that last meeting, I did not have the math to support changing the recommendation,” Morera said. “But there’s plenty of room to come down.”

Property taxes only make up 53% of the town’s general fund — the pot that pays for crossing guards, code enforcement, community events, and yes, those little league parks. The rest comes from fines, permits, utility taxes (16.5%), FPL franchise fees (6%), and intergovernmental revenue (20%).

Morera said he was glad to hear that the town manager had already found ways to make the tax increase less painful.

Pidermann had warned that keeping the current flat rate instead of raising taxes would mean slashing police patrols, skipping a $300,000 infrastructure fund contribution, cutting back on tree trimming and park maintenance, and saying goodbye to new playground equipment. Also: no staff raises, fewer town events, and no council travel.

Some folks might not mind that last one. Electeds can travel on their own dime.

But on Tuesday, the town manager told Political Cortadito that changes had already been made after last week’s council meeting, where he got direction for modifications. “Therefore, the most recent version of the General Fund budget that will used in the workshop tomorrow night as the starting point for discussion has some changes,” Pidermann said.

Those changes include:

Increasing the franchise fee agreement with FPL from 3% to 6% — which generates an additional $1,125,000 in FY 2025-2026 and an additional $1.5 million in subsequent years.
Suspend for one year a Miami Lakes ordinance that restricts surplus funds generated by the FPL franchise fee. Normally all funds generated by the FPL franchise fee over $1.27 million must be used for certain infrastructure categories.
Drop the proposed millage rate from 2.6372 presented in July to to 2.2459 — which is still higher than the current 2.0732.
All town committee budgets shall remain flat from current fiscal year.
The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for staff salaries shall be reduced from 5% to 3%.

The franchise fee increase however is not a savings for most residential taxpayers, as these are still going to be passed along to them. And residents are not fooled.

“It looks like they’re okay with increasing taxes everywhere,” said longtime resident Homero Cruz, president of the Miami Lakes Republican Club and a member of the city’s planning and zoning board. Cruz told Political Cortadito that there are bloated salaries and duplicated positions and that many residents live on fixed income. This is not what people had in mind when they incorporated Miami Lakes in 2000.

“These people are going to kill this town,” Cruz said. “Some people re also saying it might be better to go back to the county.”

There will be no votes taken at Wednesday’s workshop, Pidermann sid. Council members can ask questions of staff and “give their opinion about what they prefer or not.”

Mayor Josh Dieguez, ever the red-pen surgeon, promised to go line by line until he finds savings. “I don’t think we should be afraid of that process,” he said in July. Let’s see how well Dieguez, who is handling his first budget as mayor, works with a scalpel.

And maybe Council Member Angelo Cuadra Garcia — who said he won’t support any tax increase, period — should just stay home. I mean, if he’s just going to cross his arms and be a petulant child, then don’t waste the people’s time.

There might be another workshop next week before the public budget hearings Sept. 11 and Sep. 25. All the meetings are at Town Hall, 6601 Main St. Stay tuned.

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Bryan Morera, Josh Dieguez

Miami Lakes Council could still hike tax rate — but maybe not as much added by Ladra on August 26, 2025
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