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CITT explains surtax spending and six-corridor transit plan to South Miami leaders
Summary
Citizens Independent Transportation Trust staff told commissioners the 0.5-cent surtax has generated nearly $5 billion in 22 years, that about 74% of current surtax funds go to transit, and that municipal shares (about $700,000 for South Miami) fund local projects; the presentation outlined BRT, MetroMover and commuter-rail options across six corridors and noted federal match and land-use hurdles.
Javier Betancourt, representing the Citizens Independent Transportation Trust (CITT), briefed the City of South Miami Commission on Oct. 1 about the countywide People27s Transportation Plan and how surtax dollars are used.
Betancourt said the half-cent surtax has collected "almost $5,000,000,000 over 22 years," with the bulk devoted to transit and roughly 20% distributed to cities on a pro rata basis. He told commissioners South Miami27s municipal share is about $700,000 per year for local projects and that the municipal program prioritizes ridership connectivity and last-mile solutions.
He walked the commission through the "1.5" smart-plan concept that divides priorities by 0.25 segments: South corridor (gold-standard BRT), Beach corridor (proposed MetroMover extension), East-West options (Dolphin Expressway vs. Flagler Street alternatives), Kendall corridor (controversial lane reallocation), Northeast corridor (commuter rail using existing FEC tracks and Brightline/FEC negotiations) and North corridor (Metro expansion up 27th Avenue). He said federal matching funds are competitive and often hinge on corridor density and acceptable land use.
Why it matters: commissioners raised neighborhood concerns about specific route impacts and asked CITT to facilitate follow-up meetings; the briefing underscored how local planning and density choices affect the prospects for federal grant awards.
Mariana Price, CITT municipal program manager, added that South Miami switched from a fixed-route circulator to on-demand service during COVID and that many municipalities now use on-demand services to better serve residents. She encouraged the commission to engage the county on the Better Bus Network adjustments and to nominate municipal residents to the CITT volunteer trust.
