Well, it’s that time of year again when homeowners open their mailboxes and get that little love letter from their city: the tax bill. And in at least nine Miami-Dade cities, it’s going to sting more than usual. Some of these hikes are jaw-dropping.
But for property owners in Pinecrest, it’s not as bad as it could be. In July, the city council approved a ceiling tax rate of 3.86 — or $3.86 per $1,000 of taxable property — which was a 64% tax rate increase. Sixty-four. That’s not a typo.
People got really riled up, however, and after three budget workshops — where one imagines there was screaming and chairs thrown — the council lowered that rate to 2.503, which amounts to an increase of about 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The average home in Pinecrest is valued at $2.1 million and that homeowner would pay an additional $314 in taxes under 
the proposed 20125-26 budget.
This is the rate that will be discussed at the first pubic hearing Tuesday.
“Resident input played a key role in guiding the Council’s decision-making, leading to the newly proposed lower rate,” says an update on the city’s website. So, now it’s only a proposed 6.5% increase.
Does that mean that the village pulled a bait and switch, intentionally setting a high limit to make a smaller increase more palatable? As in, ‘Whew, we dodged a bullet?’ But not really.
While residents will see the higher 3.86 millage rate figure on their tax bills, “this was solely a statutory requirement and not the final rate under consideration,” the Pinecrest website states. Florida law requires municipalities to set a proposed millage rate each July. Municipalities can go lower, but cannot go higher than this figure. And they can go lower still through the final budget hearing Sept. 16.
Read related: Miami-Dade’s billion-dollar disconnect: Tax collector flush, county in the red
During the budget process, people expressed concern that the increase was to pay for a discount version of The Return of Parrot Jungle and what some have said are unneeded projects like the SUP.
No, not ‘Sup, like your teenager greets you. SUP stands for “shared use path,” and the one on Ludlam Road could cost taxpayers a cool $4 million for just one stretch. That’s the second phase of a bigger plan to lace 11.2 miles of SUPs across the leafy village, with curbs and road widening included, because Mayor Joe Corradino apparently thinks Pinecrest is the Netherlands.
Because it is a predominantly residential community with limited commercial businesses and no industrial properties or tourism revenue, Pinecrest relies heavily on property taxes to fund nearly all village services. Mirroring Miami-Dade, this year’s budget process in Pinecrest has been challenging, with budget pressures that include:
- Police equipment upgrades and competitive compensation to retain officers.
- Inflation affecting insurance, materials, and operational costs.
- Reduced state and federal funding.
- Essential infrastructure maintenance.
- Maintaining a $5 million emergency reserve for disaster response and federal funding delays.
The village has announced that it will still fund the following capital improvement projects:
- Ludlam Road Resurfacing Project for $779,300
- Police/vehicle fleet replacement for $428,883
- SFES elevator modernization Municipal Center for$245,250
- Pinecrest Gardens Horticulture Master Plan for $128,620
- InTouch DX time clocks upgrade for $44,770
- Police/computer hardware replacement for $35,250
- Police/taser replacement for $29,500
- Public Works Pressure Washer for $20,000
That means that some road resurfacing and design projects were scrapped.
Pinecrest is not the only tax offender in Miami-Dade. Miami Lakes has proposed a 31% tax increase, Medley proposed a 20% hike, Bay Harbor Islands wants to increase it by 9%, Cutler Bay by 7%, Key Biscayne by 3%, and both Florida City Golden Beach by 2%.
Read related: Miami Lakes Council could still hike tax rate — but maybe not as much
Property Appraiser Tomás Regalado, who knows a thing or two about tax drama from his Miami mayor days, made it clear: This isn’t the county. Each city sets its own millage rate. So if you’re angry (and Ladra knows many of you are), don’t bark up the wrong tree — call your mayor and council.
The Pinecrest Council will have its first public budget hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the city’s municipal center, 12645 Pinecrest Parkway.
Pinecrest already cut proposed tax hike before first public hearing Tuesday added by Ladra on
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