Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Neighborhood Security topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission considers special taxing districts to fund security and gates for Venetian Islands, North Bay Road and Bayshore
Summary
Committee members and residents discussed creating special taxing districts to fund guard gates, roving security and camera technology on Venetian Islands, Lower/Middle/Upper North Bay Road and portions of Bayshore. The committee referred the matter to the full commission for further review and follow‑up.
Residents and commissioners on March 18 discussed whether special taxing districts could fund enhanced security — including guard gates, roving patrols and license plate readers — for the Venetian Islands, North Bay Road and Bayshore neighborhoods.
Commissioner David Suarez and co‑sponsors presented comparative crime data indicating Venetian Islands (no gate) had higher theft and “suspicious person” report rates than Sunset Islands (with a guard gate and roving security). Suarez described a multi‑step process and a roughly two‑year timeline from petition to construction, noting initial steps include a letter of intent signed by at least 10% of property owners, boundary setting and then a property‑owner vote (county process typically requires a 51% approval; the city’s historic practice for other special districts is a 60% threshold).
The presentation outlined a menu of options: stationary and roving guards, license‑plate reader cameras, RFID access, fixed guard gates and varied staffing models (private security or off‑duty police). Examples in Miami Beach (Allison Island, Biscayne Point, Normandy Shores and others) and county special taxing districts were cited as precedents. Cost examples from similar islands were shared (for example, Allison Island annual costs in the presentation screenshot were described roughly as $282,000 a year in the prior example, with household assessments varying).
Residents and homeowner association leaders gave testimony describing repeated thefts, armed incidents and traffic problems; many urged immediate relief. Commissioners proposed a bifurcated approach: immediate roving patrols funded by interim means while a parallel process evaluates guard gates, traffic studies and formal special district formation. City attorneys and CIP staff described due diligence, county and city pathways and the likely timeline for design and construction once a district is approved.
The committee agreed by acclamation to move the matter to the full commission for additional committee review (finance/other committees to follow), noting the matter is resident‑driven and will require neighborhood petitions and votes before any assessments are levied.
