There are big changes coming to Miami Lakes in 2025, starting with the elected leadership.
The Town Council
Four of its six leaders are untested in their new roles. Council members say they want to improve perennial issues for residents: taxes, traffic, damage from mine blasting, beautification, flooding and safety.
If the council approves Mayor Josh Dieguez’s nominee on Jan. 21, Alejandro Sanchez, an associate at a commercial property group and a Planning & Zoning Board member, will fill the seventh chair.
Dieguez, Vice Mayor Bryan Morera and Steven Herzberg are lawyers in civil practice. Juan Carlos Fernandez is a Realtor. Angelo Cuadra Garcia is a road construction supervisor. Ray Garcia is an executive at a title firm; he and Dieguez have the most experience on the town council.
The Business Climate
Fred Senra, president of the Miami Lakes Chamber of Commerce anticipates the economy will remain the same for the first three months of this year as it was during the last quarter of 2024.
“And then you’re going to see somewhat of a soft type of market,” he said. “Once the interest rates start going down, you’re going to see an upswing in the economy again.
“I’m not paying much attention to the tariff part of it,” Senra said. “I think that’s part of bargaining with other nations and depending on how things work out, with compliance for illegal immigrants, I think the economy will be healthy.”
“What the new administration will do as far as oil and other things that have been on hold, I think that will really open up the markets,” Senra said. “There may not be much of a need for the tariffs that everybody is afraid of.”
• The Chamber of Commerce
“I think it has a great future,” he said. “I’m pushing ... to elect a new board, a new president, vice president. I will be remaining on the board for a year or two as past president and mostly as an advisor. We keep attracting younger people which is great. That’s why I’m so hopeful that once they have a younger president … the chamber will be more attractive to young business owners.”
• Businesses locating in town
“Regarding 200 new businesses that came to Miami Lakes this year … I think the town is going through a renewal, a transition,” Senra said. “I’m very optimistic as far as the age of people moving into town, whether it’s because of the rental affordability we have in our town and the availability, but it is attracting a lot of young professionals. The town is renewing itself as far as that goes. And that will help local businesses, whether retail stores or restaurants.”
• Local governance, taxes, cops
“As for the new town council, I hope they continue to fix sidewalks and address the drainage situation,” Senra said. “It has improved tremendously but we still need more. I hope that they continue keeping the millage pretty much the same and I hope we don’t have to change to a new police department and keep it the way it is. We can’t afford our own police department.”
Development
Stuart S. Wyllie is president and chief executive officer of The Graham Companies, the developer of the town and the largest property owner.
“Given The Graham Companies’ long-term commitment to Miami Lakes, we continue to make significant capital investments in not just new development but renovating and improving existing older properties,” Wyllie said. “These ongoing investments are critical to retaining our businesses and attracting new residents to our community.”
“The things that I am looking forward to in 2025 include the following:
• “Completing the lease up of both the residential and mixed-use retail spaces at South Pointe. Our newest community of 179 units and 15,000 square feet of retail space on Graham Dairy Lake is a great addition to the west side of Miami Lakes.”
• “While we had hoped to commence the construction of the Residences & Shops on Nine at the Miami Lakes Golf Club in 2024, we are confident that we will be well underway by mid-year.”
• “The demolition and reconstruction of the Lake Katharine Shopping Center is moving along well and should be completed by mid-year. This new center will offer two restaurants and a mix of retail.”
• “The Baptist Health 19,800 square foot full-service Emergency Room is almost complete and will be welcoming patients very soon. This state-of-the-art facility has been a long time in coming and will be a great addition to our community.”
Danny Martinez, project manager at Miami Lakes Golf Club, said demolition of the course was completed in December, and elevation of some holes and moving others to new locations was begun. New irrigation lines are being installed to replace the more than 60-year-old pipes, fairways are being raised and shaped, greens are being worked on and trees will be planted.
• A new Driving Range Scheduled to start in March as part of the $110 million project is construction of a single-story building with 29 indoor and outdoor practice bays, a bar/restaurant and private video teaching rooms. There will also be a new facility for the First Tee Miami youth golf and education program.
• Palma Del Lago GT USA is building 37 luxury homes along Northwest 87th Avenue. Prices start at $1.5 million.
Philip Wyllie, leasing manager for Graham Commercial, described new businesses already open or coming to town:
• South Pointe Dentist Catherine A. Lopez; and The Suite Garden, where independent personal care estheticians and stylists will rent salon spaces.
• Business Park West Pompa C.P.A.; Daniel O’Connell’s Sons, Inc. construction; Lifestyle International Realty; Q International Courier, pharmaceutical distributors and MDFlow healthcare information technology.
• Main Street A new MedSpa will open on the street. Welcoming shoppers since late last year is B-Diva Style clothing for sophisticated women, and 37 Degrees North, outdoor outfitters and Boy Scouts supplier.
• Northwest 67th Avenue Americans for Prosperity political advocacy group is at the Promenade building; Vellu Laser Inc. is at Crescent Pointe and Ivanov Orthodontics is coming to the Windmill Gate Shopping Center.
• New Barn Road Contractor House Related LLC and Smart Sciences environmental consultants, both in Laurel Court, and Venture X executive rental suites in Arbor Place.
Edward Pidermann, Miami Lakes town manager, said staff will focus on:
• Drainage The town’s program has been in effect for four years after the council issued stormwater bonds that raised over $18 million for its Stormwater Fund. The council directed $15.7 million in American Rescue Plan funds be used for stormwater projects and the money went into the Stormwater Fund, he said. “Our Public Works Department has worked tirelessly to put all of this new revenue to good use … identifying the neighborhoods with the worst flooding … designing the solution and awarding the construction contracts. All residents should notice a dramatic improvement as they drive the streets of our town.”
• The Northwest 59th Avenue project The town bought a warehouse that will be demolished early this year to allow for completion of the southern intersection at Northwest 151st Street. The FAA and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department approved realignment of the avenue over the C-8 Biscayne Canal and through the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport runway approach, Pidermann said.
Plans are being developed for the new road. Negotiations are continuing with property owners Caterpillar and Miami-Dade County Public Schools District for easements or transfers of “slivers” of property, as well as a license agreement to go through the Aviation Department’s property, he said.
• Optimist Park By mid-2025, Pidermann hopes to present to the council a $1 million to $1.5 million initial redevelopment investment in the park, and then work with the school district for approval of any plans.
• Police Pidermann said Miami-Dade Police have continued to patrol neighborhoods and used extra patrols “to reduce and even eliminate speeding ...”
• Parks A council-sponsored initiative is underway to improve the quality of about 33 of the town’s 100 pocket parks, he said.
• Blasting The council is following Councilman Steven Herzberg’s plan to get blasting levels lowered by coordinating lobbying efforts in Tallahassee. Town attorneys are looking into ways to ensure property owners’ claims can be heard or resolved in court.
The Auto Industry
Victor Benitez, vice president of Gus Machado Ford is bullish about sales.
• “It’s back to business as usual. We have inventory, no supply chain issues. I foresee 2025 to be a very good year. We had a great November, we’re having a great December. I think consumer confidence is there.”
• It’s a car buyer’s market. “I think prices are going down and not because factories are making them cheaper, but some will stay flat from ’24 to ‘25,” Benitez said. “When you’re competing against other dealers, customers will buy most of the time from whoever gives them the best price. I think competition is good for the customer. The average price of dealer sales has gone down per vehicle; we don’t charge a premium anymore. I’ve got to move cars. They can’t sit, they gotta go.”
• Electric Vehicles “Sales of EVs have grown 10% to 15%,” Benitez said. “The EV market keeps growing [but] it’s not going to be 35% of the market. Incentives from the government have really made people buy them because now they’re really cheap,” he said, describing government tax credits and manufacturer rebates, combined with lowering prices, saving consumers thousands of dollars.
“The Ford Mustang Mach-E price is $20,000 less from when it came out,” he said.
• EVs will go farther “Most EVs give you 250 to 300 miles per trip,” he said. “We have three electric vehicles at home. If you’re going to take it for a long trip, you have to figure out where to charge.”
Residential Real Estate
Angel Alvarez, an agent with the Keyes Company Miami Lakes and Star Rodriguez, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker, share their predictions.
“I’m excited about new beginnings under the leadership of our newly elected mayor who will continue advancing approved plans and upcoming projects to help our community thrive,” Alvarez said. “The golf course renovation is [a] significant development. It has been a major topic of interest for the past two years, and I’m confident it will be a great success. It promises to bring tournaments, corporate events, and enthusiastic golfers to our town, further boosting the local economy.”
Rodriguez said buyers paused spending because of the election and the holidays but expects they’ll return to the market.
“We are already seeing that increase in buyer interest, with buyers paying down debt to have stronger pre-approvals in hand,” she said. “Inventory is still very low, with few single-family homes available which is great news for motivated sellers.
“Sellers should remain confident that traffic will be brisk as interest rates have stabilized and the dream of owning a home remains strong in 2025.”