Residents, conservation groups urge full funding for Arch Creek East Preserve during North Miami budget hearing

Several residents and local conservation groups urged the North Miami City Council on Sept. 25 to fully fund work at the Arch Creek East (ACE) Preserve, saying the trail provides habitat, recreation and stormwater buffering for nearby neighborhoods.

Brenda Duke, who identified herself as a long‑time North Miami resident, told council the Arch Creek East Trail “is a local treasure teeming with birds, fish, and turtles” and asked council to support “removing the invasive species and planting shade trees” so the trail remains a community asset.

“I take my own kids there. We go on bike rides all the time,” Brenda Duke said during public comment, emphasizing the preserve’s value as shaded green space for exercise and neighborhood recreation.

Sam Van Leer, president and founder of Urban Paradise Guild (UPG), said UPG has defended the preserve from development pressures since 2013 and asked the council to “find the funding to fully fund ACE Preserve.” Van Leer added that each dollar invested in removing invasives and re‑establishing canopy makes the area harder to develop.

Jacqueline Bonilla, speaking for a sustainability organization, presented before‑and‑after photos and said the preserve’s recovery took years of tree planting and maintenance; she urged the council to “fully fund the proposal for ACE Preserve” to maintain that progress.

Other speakers including Alfonso Brooks of the African Foundation and Geo Darter, a business owner and cultural promoter, tied funding for parks and cultural programming to broader economic benefits, saying events and cultural attractions bring visitors and revenue to North Miami.

Why it matters: ACE Preserve is a neighborhood‑level natural area that provides habitat, stormwater buffering and passive recreation. Funding for invasive removal and canopy restoration was singled out by several speakers as a relatively modest investment with outsize community and environmental benefits.

What council said: Council members acknowledged the requests during the public hearing and directed staff to consider the change memo and budget adjustments presented by the CFO. The CFO and manager later clarified that a scrivener’s correction shifted some line items for invasive plant removal between Enchanted Forest and Arch Creek funding lines; that correction will be reflected in final budget documents.

Speakers during public comment also raised other priorities (senior transportation, Chamber programming, and neighborhood drainage) that council and staff addressed separately during the hearing.