During the Mangowood Forum held on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 Candidates revealed plans to be implemented in Palmetto Bay if they are elected . The link to the Forum tape:  Palmetto Bay.US    

A Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) was recommended by Peter England as necessary for the development of our Commercial areas.  He is supporting this even as he freely admits they are recent subjects in the news of graft and corruption in areas such as Overtown.   He has already lobbied the Council to try to put this in place.  

 I do not support a CRA for Economic Development
of our Commercial areas  
    The mandatory components required by the law
will not benefit our Village but will put us at risk
of out of control development, falling property values and rising taxes and other negative financial outcomes.
Under a CRA:
>The designation of part of our Village to be a slum. Required.
> Property Taxes are drained off from the residential tax base and retained within the CRA designated area. Taxes will rise or services will be cut, such as Police, because they are no longer funded with 100% of our ad valorem taxes. Required.
> Palmetto Bay residential tax money will used to fund the CRA since funds have not accrued sufficiently to support it. 
> A CRA Board must be created to distribute the money and form a plan, another level of government and an  expensive  bureaucracy. Required
> CRA Director and staff are hired to manage the money which creates another expensive government within a government. Required
> Eminent domain is one of the tools used to assemble properties for re-development. You sell whether you want to or not.
> Affordable housing is included in the make-up of a CRA.
> Density is increased i.e., apartment buildings
> Land Write-Down allows land purchase by developers below market value subsidized by your tax money. More “Corporate Welfare"
> Owner Participation Agreements (OPA) allow for subsidy payments from your tax money to property owners by the CRA to develop 'their' properties.  More “Corporate Welfare”
> Tax Allocation Bonds are issued to finance the redevelopment projects (creates debt for the Village) by the CRA Board

I do not support this type of redevelopment vehicle that, as  England admits and has said, is known for its potential for corruption and graft.  Our statistics do not support the need (median income over $95,000) for this plan that parallels the CRA's in Overtown and the City of Miami. We certainly are not them.  Check the Miami Herald for related stories.

He insists that we have a ghetto or slum in Palmetto Bay that will be best served by a CRA.  He has already sought Council Support (no Council Action, yet) and supported it at the Mangowood Forum held on Tuesday, October 7, 2010.  

Development in our commercial area is progressing at a natural pace.  In the last year, even in this economy, we have seen the opening of the new Palmetto Bay Point Building (almost fully rented) and the Teachers’ Credit Union. There is more development in the pipeline on US1.  Our new Village Hall is now under construction. The renaissance of US1 is underway.  Let’s not threaten the character of our Village with the need for boomtown development. 

Please think carefully about this issue before voting.