Palmetto Bay may be the “Village of Parks,” but right now it looks more like the Village of Political Theater. All over a patch of 8.7 acres of woods that have been sitting untouched for a century.
On paper, the property known simply as “The Woods” technically belongs to Miami-Dade County. But since 2019, the Village of Parks has been leasing it for the grand sum of $10 a year, promising trails and park amenities that never sprouted. Instead, what’s grown is the political posturing.
Now, as Monday’s budget hearing looms, Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer is out front waving the green space flag, warning residents that Mayor Karyn Cunningham and her administration want to give the land back to the county — “abandoning” it and leaving it wide open to developers.
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“This was supposed to be a park,” Merwitzer said, calling the move a “betrayal” of everything the village supposedly stands for and having a “press conference” about it last week.
Cunningham, meanwhile, says the vice mayor is making mulch out of molehills. She points out the Village has already tucked $9,000 into this year’s budget for maintenance and will be bringing a resolution in October to officially designate the parcel as 
parkland — a move that would keep it from development.
“There is no proposal to develop this land,” the mayor said in a statement, accusing the VM of straight-up demagoguery. “Residents deserve honest conversations about the budget, not political theater.”
But Merwitzer calls the $9,000 a joke and says that the village is under a “contractual obligation” to the county to turn the 8.3 acres into a pocket park by the middle of next year. “If we do not do that, the county has every legal right to take away that land form us and turn around and sell it to a developer,” the vice mayor said on a social media post over the weekend, urging residents to go to the first budget hearing at 7 p.m. Monday at Village Hall, 9705 Hibiscus St.
Many residents have already gotten flyers about the hearing delivered door to door.
The village manager will propose reducing the millage or tax rate from 2.35 to 2.3018 — which would save the average household only a few dollars annually and risk cuts to services like public safety and parks.
“Police costs already exceed property tax revenues by nearly $1 million,” Cunningham said in an email Monday. pThis year is is likely that we will need to reduce our Police overtime budget by $300,000. A lower millage could limit our ability to keep Palmetto Bay one of the safest communities in South Florida.”
Lower revenue could also lead to reduced park staffing and security, shorter hours and fewer programs and delayed maintenance.
Also, she keeping the 2.35 millage rate would preserve the village’s s AAA+ credit rating and keeps reserves intact, giving the 
administration flexibility to respond to economic shifts, storms, or state policy changes.
“For me, the choice is clear: maintaining the 2.35 millage rate is the responsible path forward,” Cunningham said, adding that a survey she did shows that residents feel the same way. “Because it ensures we can continue investing in public safety, parks, and infrastructure while protecting the long-term stability of our Village.”
Cunningham knows she doesn’t have the votes to keep the tax rate the same, which would increase taxes a little bit for properties that have increased in value.
So, if you think The Woods are in danger, wait until you see what happens to your patience.
Because let’s face it: this isn’t just about the woods. It’s about who gets to play the hero in Palmetto Bay’s soap opera. Merwitzer wants to be the defender of green space. Cunningham wants to be the responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.
And residents? They just want their so-called Village of Parks to act like it.
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Palmetto Bay budget hearing Monday could focus on “The Woods” property added by Ladra on
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