SPTX RATES - INCREASE STREET LIGHTING

Board of County Commissioners · 2026-07-21 · ordinance

Ordinance approving, adopting and ratifying non-ad valorem assessment rolls, rates and assessments for 219 certain street lighting special taxing districts in Miami-Dade County, Florida for the fiscal year commencing October 1, 2026 and ending September 30, 2027. The ordinance was adopted on final action on July 21, 2026. The total assessment for these 219 districts with proposed rate increases is $1,984,910. These 219 districts consist of 24,890 folios, of which 23,565 folios are increasing by less than $50.00 for the year. The ordinance relates to rates for 219 districts that are increasing, out of 957 active Street Lighting Special Taxing Districts. The proposed rate increases are necessary to cover utility rate increases approved by the Public Service Commission and contractual inflationary costs. Some districts have depleted their developer deposits or carryover, and their proposed rates represent the districts' true operational and administrative cost. Failure to approve these rates may result in suspension of services or accrued interest applied for lack of payment to the utility company. The ordinance was adopted on first reading on May 5, 2026, deferred on June 2, 2026, deferred on June 16, 2026, and adopted on July 21, 2026. The requester is Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces. The file number is 260693. The reference is 26-54. The status is Adopted. The final action date is 7/21/2026. The agenda date is 7/21/2026. The agenda item number is 5L. The introduced date is 4/17/2026. The effective date is not stated. The expiration date is not stated. The cost is not stated. The sponsor is not stated. The registered lobbyist is not stated. The staff recommendation is to approve the attached ordinance pertaining to the proposed FY 2026-27 assessment rates for the active districts listed in Exhibit A. The fiscal impact is countywide, but only for those homeowners within the boundaries of one or more Special Taxing Districts. The funds will accrue from the special assessments paid by the property owners of folios within the active Special Taxing Districts. The County is currently responsible for the management and operation of 1,103 active Special Taxing Districts. Of these, 957 are Street Lighting Districts, 24 are Security Guard Districts, 120 are Multipurpose Maintenance Districts, and 2 are Capital Improvement/Road Maintenance Districts. The special assessments are levied on a unit basis for security guard services, road maintenance and service relocations; square-footage basis for multipurpose maintenance services; and front-footage basis for street lighting services and gas pipeline services. Pursuant to notices published, posted, and mailed to all property owners within the Special Taxing Districts, the Board will hold a public hearing upon the notification of the assessment rolls, and all interested persons will be afforded the opportunity to present their objections, if any, with respect to their assessments on such assessment rolls. Prior to the hearing, residents of Districts with proposed rate increases will receive a required notice in the mail informing them of the public hearing. In addition, as required by law, staff will advertise the public hearing for impacted Districts in a newspaper of general circulation. Finally, staff from the Division have reached out to impacted Districts with organized associations to arrange for meetings with concerned residents and hosted an informational town hall meeting. The Internal Compliance Department (ICD) has been conducting annual audits on Special Taxing Districts. The most recent audit conducted for FY 2024 resulted in no adverse findings. The ordinance states that the Board has received written objections, if any, and heard testimony from all interested persons, but the document does not state the content of any specific public comments or objections. The ordinance provides that all assessments made upon said assessment rolls shall constitute a special assessment lien upon real property so assessed from the date of the confirmation of such assessments. The ordinance directs the Clerk of the Board to deliver to the Finance Director a copy of the assessment roll within 30 days from the effective date. The ordinance shall become effective ten (10) days after the date of enactment unless vetoed by the Mayor. The ordinance shall be excluded from the Code of Miami-Dade County. The document does not state a specific street address, intersection, parcel/folio number, or legal location for any of the 219 districts. The document does not state the acreage or number of units/lots for any specific district. The document does not state a zoning or use change. The document does not state the name of a specific applicant, developer, or owner. The document does not state a specific case number beyond the file number 260693. The document does not state a specific decision for each district, but the overall ordinance was adopted. The document does not state specific key dates for each district, but the overall legislative history is provided. The business opportunity for contractors and trades is not stated in the document. The document does not state a specific project site or action beyond the administrative approval of assessment rolls for 219 street lighting special taxing districts.