Once again, State Senator Rene Garcia, and State Representatives Jose Oliva and Manny Diaz Jr., are teaming up during the 2015 Florida Legislative Session in Tallahassee to help Miami Lakes secure state funding for several capital improvement projects. This year, the town is requesting $3.75 million for four different projects: The West Lakes drainage improvement project, the Lake Sarah, Adele, Hilda, Mary and Suzie drainage improvement project and the Greenways and Trails Master Plan.
According to the town’s Storm Water Improvement Master Plan, the West Lakes project will reduce flooding for over 2,722 Miami Lakes residents living in the area. All localized flooding will be virtually eliminated once the project is complete. The proposed system has the potential to prevent an estimated $36 million in private property structural and content damages by increasing storm water management capacity.
Thanks to the State Legislature, the town received $300,000 for Phase I, which was completed last year, and $300,000 for the second phase. The town is requesting an additional $300,000 to complete what it is calling a “critical infrastructure project.”
Many of the drainage canals throughout Miami Lakes were built forty years ago and experienced significant bank erosion over four decades. Erosion is widespread, occurring near private properties, town land and roadways, compromising the structural integrity. Through the 2013-20114 legislative appropriations process, the town received $1 million in grant funds for the first phase of the Canal Bank Stabilization Program.
The Town is requesting an additional $1 million to complete the project. The Lake Sarah, Adele, Hilda, Mary and Suzie drainage improvement project will reduce flooding for 622 homes. The town is requesting $1.8 million to complete the project. Miami Lakes was recently awarded FDOT grant funds to partially fund a third phase of the Greenways and Trails Master Plan. The town is requesting $400,000 to complete the next phase, near N.W. 77 Court, which unites both sides of the Town, which may be requested through FDOT, to deliver miles of connected greenways within the Town.