We can do better.

Thanks Fred for allowing me to post.

Dear Neighbors and Friends:

We can do better.  I am running for the Village Commission because I believe that we must move past the discord that has turned all too personal over the course of the past few years.  The level of animosity among certain elected officials and residents is holding back our community.  While disagreement is inevitable, the discussion should not be acrimonious.  Taking a hard line and insulting those with opposing views takes little effort.  We need elected officials and community leaders that are capable and willing to find common ground.  Working together, we can resolve the issues and move the Village forward. 

For those of you who I have not yet had the pleasure to meet, I am a partner at the law firm of Shutts & Bowen, LLP in Miami.  I have been practicing law for over 10 years.  I practice almost exclusively in the area of municipal land use and zoning law.  Since moving to the Village in 2009, I have been involved in our community.  For the past few years, I have been the Chair of the Code Compliance Board and Vice-Chair of the Code Review Committee.  Using my professional experience, I am capable and willing to work on your behalf as a Village Commissioner.         

So, let’s get to some of the issues.

Annexation:

There has been talk about the financial viability of the Village and the need to annex land to solve the Village’s budget issues.  I agree that annexation needs to be considered and pursued because it is the single act that would most significantly increase the Village’s revenue and improve the ability to replenish our reserves.  That said, it is a significant act that will likely change our Village.  Before going further down the road of annexation, we should make certain that we have the necessary information to make an informed decision.  We have some of that information already, however, more information is needed.  For example, the Village’s planning consultant issued a report regarding the annexation of a particular segment of the overall unincorporated area east of the FEC railway, which includes both residential and commercial uses.  More recently, the Commission was scheduled to consider a much smaller commercial area for annexation.  Obviously, the size of the area and the uses contained in the area have a direct impact on the revenue gained and the increased costs necessary to maintain the annexed area.  I would like to see our planning consultant amend its report to outline a few different scenarios.  We can then weigh the pros and cons of each scenario, and make an informed decision to move forward.  In light of the fact that the City of North Miami has already submitted its request to annex the same land, I acknowledge that the window of opportunity may be short.  Although we must act quickly, we must also act with a clear vision.  Obviously, there is also the possibility that even if we pursued annexation, we would not be successful for multiple reasons.  In addition to competing with the City of North Miami for the same land, it is possible that voters within the land to be annexed would have to approve the annexation.  Because of these uncertainties, we need a back-up plan.  Thus, regardless of whether we ultimately decide to pursue annexation, we need to continue looking at other means to generate revenue, as well as cost saving measures. 

Village Hall:

We have a beautiful, historic log cabin that is in need of substantial and costly repairs.  We must find the resources to make those repairs.  To that end, we need to aggressively seek grants and other funding sources.  Our requests for funding need to be professionally prepared and presented to improve our chances of being awarded funds.  With that said, the log cabin is not sufficient to house our administration.  In my view, it should be restored for community functions and other activities.  We need to look at other options for our administration, including the possibility of developing the vacant land adjacent to the log cabin.  A small limited commercial component that is carefully planned and designed should be on the table and considered, among other options.  Using that land, we may have the opportunity to gain new Village administration space and bring in enough funds to repair the log cabin.

School:

I am not opposed to having a limited pre-school within the Church of Resurrection property, subject to the conditions that have been proposed by our Village planning consultant.  However, we should go a few steps further.  We need to safeguard the interests of neighboring property owners.  One of the more critical issues with the school is clearly traffic and parking.  Although the applicant has hired a very reputable traffic consultant to analyze these issues, that consultant works for the school.  I would have liked to see the Village hire its own independent traffic engineer to review the applicant’s traffic study.  It is not uncommon for an applicant to pay for such a study.  In fact, many smaller municipalities have cost recovery ordinances that allow for the recovery of costs incurred in the review of development applications, particularly those municipalities with outside consultants (e.g., planners, engineers).  We need to adopt such an ordinance, particularly if we are going to annex commercial property on the east side of the FEC railway.  The other issue pertains to the overall impact of the school on the community.  The majority of the larger municipalities impose impact fees on development applications to help with roadway and other public improvements.  Those smaller municipalities that do not have impact fee ordinances often rely upon financial contributions proffered by applicants in the development review process, which are then incorporated into the development agreement.  I would have liked to see such a proffer here.

Code Compliance:

We need to continue our efforts to educate the community on our code of ordinances and clean-up our community through a fair, but firm, code compliance process.  In most instances, our residents respond to courtesy notices and compliance is achieved.  For those who do not, we must enforce our rules.  The desirability of a community is directly linked to its appearance and tidiness.  Desirability equates to an increase in property values.  Increase in property values means more revenue for the Village.     

There are other issues.  For example, median improvement and other beautification projects should be discussed and properly planned rather than carried out piecemeal.           

I humbly ask you for your vote on December 3rd.  We can do better, and if I am elected, we will do better.

Sincerely,
David Coviello

Please do not hesitate to email me at lawdjc@gmail.com or call me at 786-385-8953 if you would like to discuss the issues and my campaign.