Miami Lakers enjoy a quality of life that is greater than what is experienced by residents elsewhere in Florida and the United States. They consider the town’s greatest assets to be their sense of safety, the tree canopy, retention of property values and that it is a good place to raise children or retire.
Those were some of the findings from ETC Institute’s survey in January and February of 311 residents, conducted in English and Spanish. Results were similar to the company’s 2020 town survey.
Residents say areas of improvement worth investing in are traffic flow, public transportation such as the Freebee; pedestrian safety and infrastructure and resiliency, (sidewalks and drainage).
They are satisfied with police and fire protection, which are county services and worth investing in too, respondents said.
Though the town posts news on its website, in a newsletter and publications, on digital billboards, on social media and apps, in newspaper ads and livestreams most municipal meetings, respondents wanted it to enhance communications.
Respondents could identify multiple news sources and 72% said they get information from The Miami Laker, followed by 59% who cited the town website and its social media as sources.
Code enforcement is about right in town, 62% of respondents said, though about 25% were dissatisfied with enforcement of property maintenance standards and parking violations.
“I think a big part of the quality-of-life responses are derived from the council and the priorities they set, and the level of service residents get from the town and the town staff,” Town Manager Edward Pidermann said. “I’m very happy and proud of what our staff provides for residents and the effort they put into customer service, and that goes a long way toward residents’ satisfaction.”
As far as improvement goals, “When you look at what people prioritize in the survey, they are all things that require investment,” he said.
The town will need a new 10-year Strategic Plan, he said.
“It costs at least $100,000 to create one, and that will be the next step for the council to invest in,” Pidermann said.
Survey takers said fixing road congestion is a priority.
“The reality is that we’re landlocked by several expressways and unfortunately that limits how people can get around the town,” Pidermann said. “Considering that we understand traffic is always going to be a challenge for the town, the council and staff are looking for avenues of improvement.”
He said two studies will be taken:
--The Florida Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to study the feasibility of ramps on and off Interstate 75 at Northwest 170th Street.
--In March, the town council authorized a $55,000 feasibility study by Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. of Northwest 154th Street and the Palmetto Expressway. A town memo listed ideas such as new turn lanes between Miami Lakes Drive and Northwest 77th Court, and a ramp from Northwest 77th Court at Northwest 149th Street, south of Fire Station 64 that would cross the canal and connect to the southbound expressway ramp.
“If [the town study] finds we could improve traffic, we can look to partner agencies for funding,” Pidermann said. “It’s the worst intersection in all of Miami Lakes.”
He is on the board of the Greater Miami Expressway and said its plans for ramps onto the Gratigny Parkway at Northwest 67th Avenue will move forward.
“They may tweak it to help satisfy some of the concerns that the residents may have,” he said. “It’s funded, and [the agency] is not going to kill it.”
As for drainage, six years ago a consultant identified $54 million in infrastructure needs, Pidermann said.
Since then, the town has spent about $35 million in grants, stormwater bond proceeds and American Rescue Plan funds to improve drainage and prevent flooding, the manager said.
“Today those projects would cost more because everything has gone up in recent years,” he said. “I would easily say we’ve got $20 to $30 million more to do in drainage work ... That’s something I would consider funding. It’s an unfinished project built on all these different [funding] pieces.”
Sixty percent of survey respondents rated the condition and performance of stormwater drains, inlets and ditches as excellent or good.
Pidermann said a prior council’s decision to issue the stormwater bonds “helped tremendously. And when we got the money from the American Rescue Plan, they could have used it for other stuff and wisely used it for the drainage projects.
“The consultant’s rate study set the stormwater fee for residents. It funds capital projects and stormwater operations, for instance the vacuum truck that cleans the drains, the street sweeper,” he said.
The council has asked for maps to show areas that are still flooding as well as the survey categories with low satisfaction rates as areas for future improvements.
To read the full survey go to TinyUrl.com/ersjyud9.