Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Local Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County approves renaming stretch of NW Eighteenth Avenue with songs honoring local music scene
Summary
The Miami-Dade County Commission approved an item to designate a series of street names along Northwest Eighteenth Avenue and nearby blocks after local songs and artists, part of a broader effort to spur economic activity on the Broadway (Eighteenth Avenue) corridor.
Miami-Dade County commissioners voted to approve a resolution designating a collection of streets along Northwest Eighteenth Avenue in the Broadway corridor with names drawn from local songs and musical references, after extended public comment and debate.
The measure, presented by Commissioner Roy Hardiman, assigns informal street-designation names such as "Welcome to the MIA Terrace," "Tunnel Vision Street," "We The Best Terrace" and a number of other song- and lyric-based names for short stretches and terraces along NW 60th–70th streets and NW Eighteenth Avenue in the Broadway/Liberty City area. The item passed after discussion with supporters and several amendments to some names and related code text.
Supporters said the designations are intended to boost tourism, civic pride and private investment in a long-neglected commercial corridor. Commissioner Hardiman described the proposal as part of a broader plan to accelerate physical improvements already underway on Eighteenth Avenue — new lighting, bump-outs, landscaping and traffic-calming elements — and to attract private investment and cultural activity. Several residents and community leaders offered testimony in favor, saying the renaming would draw visitors and economic activity to local shops and venues.
Opponents and some commissioners raised concerns about specific name choices and the process. Commissioner Eileen Higgins and others objected to one proposed name whose common usage they said had sexualized connotations; Hardiman agreed to amend that line. Commissioners emphasized the item is district-led and that names are not permanent; the code designation can be changed by future boards. Several commissioners urged sensitivity to churches and longtime residents when placing individual designations adjacent to houses of worship.
After discussion and a roll call/voice procedure for cosponsors, the commission approved the street-name resolution. Commissioners also instructed staff to address any code references that required correction and to work with the sponsor on any requested edits.
The vote followed a public hearing that included multiple neighborhood speakers and members of the legal and arts community. Commissioners framed the action as a locally driven economic and cultural development tactic rather than a countywide naming policy shift.
