Student perspectives on county government
Opinion pieces written by Miami-Dade County students about the Board of County Commissioners, constitutional offices, and county legislation. These are opinion, not nonpartisan reporting, and they belong to their authors, not to us. See our editorial policy.
Miami-Dade Must Stop Treating the Urban Development Boundary as a Suggestion
Miami-Dade County has one simple problem that keeps getting more complicated. We keep hearing about responsible growth, but then we make exceptions when development comes along that officials want to approve. That is why I believe our County Commission made the wrong decision when it voted in September to allow Kelly Tractor to move forward with a project outside the county’s Urban Development Boundary. This vote was 9 to 3, which was enough to override Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s veto. The Urban Development Boundary is supposed to help Miami-Dade decide where urban development belongs as opposed to where it does not. In February of 2026, Mayor Levine Cava vetoed the Kelly Tractor land-use change because it would have allowed development outside the boundary on land involving wetlands. Her office then released a statement, which said that the proposal affected approximately 160 acres of wetlands and did not contain enough enforceable protections for those areas. I understand why commissioners might support a project like this. Development is crucial for regions, its a key economic necessity, from areas such as creating new jobs to expanding businesses. But that does not mean every project is worth changing the rules that are supposed to guide development. What worries our community, and me, is the precedent this infringes upon. If the Urban Development Boundary can be pushed aside whenever a particular project seems economically useful, then it stops functioning as a meaningful boundary. The county has already taken other steps in this direction: in July, commissioners approved a resolution directing the administration to prepare a Comprehensive Development Master Plan amendment addressing text amendments that could facilitate urban land uses outside the boundary. Whilst that doesn't automatically mean every future project outside the boundary will be approved, it does mean Miami-Dade is creating a decision about making development beyond the existing line easier. And that conversation deserves more attention from residents, especially young people who will live with the consequences of today’s decisions. It is true that growth is needed, the increasing population needs housing, jobs, transportation and businesses. But this growth has to happen orderly and in specific areas, and where it happens matters. Wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas are not empty spaces waiting for someone to build on them. The mayor’s office pointed out that wetlands provide water management, habitat to various species, and flood protection benefits. The Commission’s decision on Kelly Tractor does not mean Miami-Dade will suddenly be covered in buildings outside the boundary, however government policies are built one exception at a time. If officials continue treating the boundary as something that can be moved or worked around whenever a project is attractive enough, residents should question whether the boundary means what it says.The county should not have to choose between economic growth and environmental responsibility. It should demand both. Miami-Dade’s government have the current power to decide what the county will look like decades from now, and they should use that power carefully. A boundary designed to protect responsible growth should be treated as a real limit rather than merely an obstacle that can be overcome when the right project comes along.
A Loophole Miami-Dade Voted to Use, Then Voted to Close
On September 1, commissioners in Miami-Dade County voted 9-3 to allow Kelly Tractor, a heavy-equipment company, to develop on 140-plus acres of environmentally fragile wetlands, outside the Urban Development Boundary, an area designated to protect wetlands and agricultural lands from sprawling development, located near Northwest 137th Avenue and the Dolphin Expressway in west Miami-Dade County. The development was already deferred for the eighth time. Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, one of the three dissenters, described her colleagues as voting to get to the necessary number. While the issue here is clearly the wetlands, what really matters about the vote is the way that this approval got to the commissioners in the first place: through the process of "text amendment," a procedure designed for technical changes to county code, not the decision of whether a company should be allowed to build outside of the boundary designed to contain growth within the county. A request for moving the boundary would go through a much more stringent review process than a text amendment does. Kelly Tractor's owner claims that the county's planning department directed him to use this loophole three years ago. Here's the primary issue, and why I believe people should care about how this affects our county: Two months prior to this vote, the very same commission unanimously voted legislation to close this loophole to future developers. Raquel Regalado, the commissioner who favored the closure and voted yes on Kelly Tractor, thought the solution was a necessity. A necessity moving forward, seemingly, but this vote didn’t reflect that. They voted to close the loophole, then let one more project through it before the closure takes effect. The justification for the yes votes isn't without merit. Kelly Tractor agreed to protect and fund restoration of over 80 acres of wetlands indefinitely and even gave land to the county in the past. Deputy Mayor Roy Coley said the firm showed economic need, labeling it as an international competitor in the machinery industry as well as an emergency assistance provider to all of South Florida. Coley also claimed that the mayor's office made sure the applicant met almost the same criteria as a boundary expansion application would have required. But a legitimate outcome does not justify a flawed process, as the outcome is totally dependent on which company shows up at the hearing and the strength of its legal representation. The next applicant does won't necessarily offer an additional eighty acres worth of preservation funding. As Cohen Higgins points out, this approval provides an incentive for the rest of the development community to do the same thing before the new rule is enacted. If the commissioners had already decided, by unanimous vote, that such a loophole should not exist going forward, then they should not have done a one last dance sort of move before the door closed.
It’s a Road, not a Racetrack: Miami-Dade's Drivers are Costing Lives
Miami-Dade county has one of the worst accident rates in the entire country, and it’s not hard to see why. Simply going to the grocery store will have you tailgated, cut off, and honked at for no reason all within ten minutes. It is extremely easy to be a bad driver in Miami because the police cars that are supposed to be patrolling have been replaced with stationary cars with no driver in it in “hopes” of scaring people into slowing down. Unfortunately, the police cars are not enough. People are still going twenty over the limit, weaving in and out of lanes, not using their turn signals, and using their hazards to park on the road and block a busy lane. There's not enough traffic law enforcement and it shows. Miami-Dade county is obviously very heavily populated so the only way to keep the roads running smoothly is to keep them regulated. The large population of Miami-Dade can't be fully to blame for it's dangerous roads, for example, New York City is much more densely populated and yet has much safer roads. Despite NYC being a walkable city they still have much stricter traffic law enforcement than Miami-Dade and thus, safer roads. This isn't something that Miami-Dade should be lax about, according to data collected by Steinger, Greene and Feiner in 2025 Miami-Dade had 55,530 crashes which included 255 fatal crashes. In addition, Miami-Dade has been granted the title of the worst city to drive in across the US by the Law Office of Alexander Alvarez. Our roads are deadly and very little is being done about it. People know that they will probably not get caught driving recklessly and are getting themselves and others hurt. The only way people will not fear for their lives every day going to work is to actually crack down on reckless driving, to actually crack down on speeding, and to have real police around to regulate the roads. If people are actually punished for putting people's lives in danger, fewer people will put people's lives in danger.
46 years later...How the Utility Service Fee still serves Miami-Dade
Proposed by Commissioner Raquel A. Regalado (September 10th), Item 1G1 aims to improve your environment by establishing a loan program using Utility Service Fee (USF) money to finance "qualifying properties" There are several ways to be considered an eligible property: two of them requiring the property to be 10 acres or longer, or for the property to protect drinking-water supply. Most importantly, this legislation does not intend on creating a new USF, but using the existing one. At this committee, Commissioner Keon Hardemon argued the use of USF has been underutilized and the implementation of this program can promote environmental remediation, leading to the bigger question of, "Should existing utility-fee money be used as a financing tool for environmental remediation on qualifying properties, including properties involving private parties?" Yes. The USF was introduced in 1979 and was intended to protect MDC's drinking-water supply and ground-water quality. By implementing a program that reutilizes this bill to protect more than just our drinking water, we can effectively reshape the environment in Miami-Dade. The program aims to provide more than just ground-water and drinking supply protection; it aims to increase environmental monitoring, landfill closure, and acquire more land in order to access more water for a thriving population in MDC. The USF has 181 million dollars to allocate to existing projects and closure and long-term care to former waste-to-energy sites. Only 158 million is used, the surplus of 33 million dollars serves as a buttress to Commissioner Hardemon's earlier argument that the USF has been underutilized. If we can use the remaining 33 million or even a portion of that money to aid the prosperity of Miami-Dade's environment, we will effectively not just make the environment for us better, but for the future generations to come. Despite its potential benefits, there are disagreements on how it will be implemented. Originally, the proposal created a 0% interest loan program that did not place a dollar cap on property. This initial proposal led to concerns about loan size, existing projects, how much of the available USF could be allocated, and the length of such a program. Although not stated in the original proposal, the committee essentially wants a loan cap, interest rate, and sunset program - set date for it to expire unless renewed. The committee did come to the same conclusion, though, to defer this item to October 15th. Indifferent to the committees concerns, I believe the implementation of this program would not only benefit the environment of our county, but reallocate millions of dollars that seems to be sitting around every year. When concerns are raised about the length of this program, I will remind you of the implementation of the sunset program. The USF may have been implemented over forty-years ago, but it still finds its way to positively impact Miami-Dade.
Overdeveloped and Overlooked: What Aventura's Growth Is Costing Quality of Life
Drive down any urban or suburban street in Aventura, and depending on your area, you may see an extremely modern, developed, and futuristic looking area that is developed well and gives an amazing look towards people, however, you could also see a very overpopulated, congested, and underdeveloped area that just needs help in almost every aspect, with extreme bipolarity in its infrastructure and architecture, and the government is halting its progressions with these areas while just adding more and more in it's already developed areas, causing instability in the area while the government sits back and does nothing for the underdeveloped. Aventura's rapid vertical growth has sparked a local debate regarding overdevelopment versus sustainable urban planning, with residents and city officials frequently clashing over the high-rise construction places on local infrastructure, drainage, and open space. Critics argue that adding more high-density towers (than the already huge amount that there is) and that it would worsen the already terrible traffic that is notorious around the Miami Dade County area, which would bottleneck around major corridors and threaten to erode the very infrastructure that supports the city. Despite the friction caused by intensive development, Aventura's quality of life in areas remains exceptionally high, largely driven by its world-class level amenities and unmatched convenience, as everything is within the span of a few miles. Residents enjoy places such as Lomen's Plaza, Aventura Mall, and Founder's Park, which are all completely free to visit and a great time for everyone. The one two punch of cleanliness and lifestyle appeal makes it a primary family destination, as well as retirees. Nevertheless, the city's dense layout and upscale reputation introduce significant trade-offs, most notably a high cost of living and persistent congestion during the highest travel and tourist seasons. Navigating the roads can take a lot of patience, as it can take 20 minutes to go just around a mile in peak traffic time. As well as the vertical, metropolitan environment lacking the quiet serenity found in traditional suburban neighborhoods, a key issue that could be fixed by developing in more suburban areas, making living much easier and more compatible towards different people. Ultimately, Aventura offers a rewarding, high-end urban lifestyle for those who prioritize convenience, lifestyle, and ease, provided they are able to accept the traffic density and underdevelopment of infrastructure in some areas. But, with the help of the aventura government, this problem can be put to sleep and make aventura better to visit and live all in one.
Public Money, Public Questions: A $42,000 Decision That Deserves a Closer Look.
When the people entrust our government with money to strengthen the community, we hope those funds go into projects that benefit us. Sometimes, playing things safely is not the answer to every decision we face. Taking risks and evaluating what is best for the community beyond what is dependable can yield greater results than we could plan for. Naranja Lakes CRA owns several commercial properties, and they hired NAI Miami to handle some of their responsibilities such as collecting rent and managing tenants. Their original contract was supposed to end July 11, 2026. The CRA Executive Director extended it for one more year so the property management would not stop, and they would not have to find someone else. The Board had been asked to officially approve that one-year extension, and the CRA will pay the property management company $42,000 for the year. Yet, the issue I find with this is that NAI has not proved itself as a better alternative to other companies. The public trusts the County to not use public funding lavishly, so if it must be used, the NAI should be the best of all the options. I acknowledge that there are efforts that NAI management has made to improve. They have created an online rent paying system to improve collections, and they have established a system so tenants can report problems. However, there is not enough evidence to say without a doubt that they are doing the best job. Continuing to extend the contract without reevaluating the results could eventually lead to an expectation of weaker performance. This is proof that there have been improvements, but sometimes that is not enough. There is not enough proof to say if NAI Miami is outperforming alternatives. The CRA should not rush into a deal involving so much money if they are not absolutely sure that this will be the best thing for the community. We need to keep trying until we get the best service possible. The CRA should require clearer evidence of its results and improvements before jumping to extend a $42,000 contract. If the CRA is to approve it, it should take more steps to improve its evaluation and stay on watch. This way, the CRA continues to look for what is best for the community.
The Cost of Delay Shown in the Delay of Miami's Mental Health Center
In 2004, voters of Miami-Dade County approved of the construction of a recovery facility meant to treat people with serious mental health illnesses rather than putting them into traditional county jails. This building was finally finished in 2004, yet it remained desolate until 2026, being fully built but the county had not approved the funds and agreements needed to operate it. However, after 22 years, commissioners this June have finally approved for funding to allow the center to open. 22 years is not a governmental hiccup, it's a full generation. People who were children when voters first said yes to this project are now adults who may have cycled through the very jail system the center was designed to divert them from. That gap should unsettle anyone who assumes that once a policy is "approved," it's actually happening. We can take away that this instance here is not really about mental health funding specifically, but it's about what happens between a government's promise and its actions it takes to follow through with that problem. A referendum passing, a commission voting yes, even a building getting constructed: none of that guarantees implementation. Somewhere between approval and execution, resolutions get stuck in legal review, priorities shift, and appointed officials come and go. The center only moved forward now because of sustained pressure from advocates as well as media pressure kept the issue in the county’s sight. And this matters far beyond this one case, rules for artificial intelligence are beginning to be rolled out. Cities and states are beginning to pass AI oversight commissions, algorithmic accountability boards, and "responsible AI" resolutions; often with fanfare and unanimous votes. But a commission created on paper is not the same as a commission that's funded, staffed, and actually reviewing systems. If a mental health center that voters approved by referendum could stall for two decades, there's little reason to assume AI governance bodies, usually created with far less public pressure behind them, will fare better once the press conference ends. The practical takeaway for those who care about how AI gets regulated is that the passage is not the finish. The real work is in tracking what happens after the vote, whether the funding shows up, whether the staff gets hired, and whether anyone keeps asking hard questions. Miami-Dade's mental health center finally opened because people refused to let it be forgotten. Future AI legislation will need the same kind of persistence, or it risks becoming another building with the lights off.
Cracks in the Foundation: Miami Dade’s Pothole Problem Needs More Than a Pilot Program.
Drive down almost any residential street in Miami Dade County and you will find the same thing: cracked asphalt, sunken patches, and potholes deep enough to rattle a car’s suspension or blow out a tire. From the side streets of Little Havana to the corridors of downtown Miami, deteriorating roads have become a routine hazard for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. The County has taken steps to address the problem, but those steps have not kept pace with how widespread and persistent it has become. Miami Dade’s Department of Transportation and Public Works runs a program called “Potholepalooza,” which rotates through commission districts, asking residents to report potholes so crews can patch them, generally within about a week of a report. Since it launched in 2023, the program has repaired well over a thousand potholes. That is real progress, and it reflects a model worth praising: a government that responds directly to the people who use the roads every day. But the program’s own structure reveals its limits. It moves district by district, meaning a resident’s street might get attention for a two or three month window and then wait years before crews return. Patches applied during that window often do not last, particularly once South Florida’s rainy season arrives and water works its way back into the same weak spots. Residents in the Redland area have raised exactly this concern, circulating a petition for the County to commit to dedicated, ongoing funding for road resurfacing rather than relying on a rotating pilot program to catch problems as they surface. Downtown Miami adds its own layer to this problem. Heavy truck and bus traffic, combined with near constant construction, puts more stress on pavement than a typical suburban street ever sees. A pothole downtown is not just a nuisance drivers swerve around, it is a hazard for cyclists sharing narrow lanes with cars and for pedestrians navigating crosswalks pockmarked by broken asphalt. As the County works to expand bike lanes and micromobility infrastructure, as covered elsewhere on this site, that effort will only matter if the pavement underneath is actually safe to ride on. The deeper issue is funding structure, not effort. Reactive, resident reported repair is useful, but it treats potholes as isolated incidents rather than as symptoms of aging infrastructure that needs systematic resurfacing. A road that gets patched five times in three years costs the County more, in labor and materials, than one that gets properly resurfaced once. It also costs residents more, in the form of vehicle damage, insurance claims, and, in the worst cases, accidents. Miami Dade County should build on Potholepalooza rather than treat it as the finished solution. That means dedicating consistent annual funding to road resurfacing, not just pothole patching, so that repairs address root causes instead of visible symptoms. It means tracking which roads get patched repeatedly and prioritizing them for full resurfacing rather than another temporary fix. And it means being transparent with residents about how long they can expect to wait for their street to see real repair, not just another rotation of the pilot program. None of this is about criticizing the crews doing the patching or the residents reporting the problems. Both are doing exactly what the current system asks of them. The responsibility lies with the Commission to fund infrastructure maintenance at a scale that matches the size and age of Miami Dade’s road network. Reporting a pothole should not be a resident’s only recourse for keeping the street in front of their home safe to drive, bike, or walk on.
From the military line of work to... where? Miami-Dade County might have an answer for Veterans.
Every year, Military Veterans return from their line of work after an exhaustive service to their Country. They put their heart and soul into ensuring that their country remains safe for civilians like us. But their return isn’t always with open arms, as job markets for civilians continue to be a rough struggle for Veterans to transition back into. And as Nathan Quang Le shares on a report from the Journal of Veteran Studies published on February 5, 2024: many Veterans move from the military into civilian work and face issues adapting to civlian priorities, discipline, teamwork, and work ethic, among other factors. The lack of a smooth transition for Veterans continues to be the hardest stressor for them throughout the whole experience of finishing their work. As a report from the General Services Administration shares, “Each year, approximately 200,000 Service members leave the military and must reorient their lives. This includes fundamentals like their employment and education, finances, housing, health, and even relationships.” As my father served in the military and has been a veteran for a few decades, I understand that he would be considered lucky to have landed a job within the school system, and that not every veteran who returns is given the same opportunity, especially in today’s day and age. So, it was an interesting shock when, on November 4th of 2025, Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzales and Co-Sponsor Chairman Anthony Rodriguez placed a resolution which had Mayor Daniella Levine Cava identify the number of jobs that would be suited for Veterans to work in, and explore the idea of allowing military experience to substitute College Degrees for certain job descriptions. As this is a step in the right direction, this is an item that I support, since it tells Veterans that Miami-Dade County acknowledges their struggles with finding jobs in today’s market. However, just saying that their current situation is known by Miami-Dade doesn’t help Veterans magically find a job position available for them, and further action needs to be taken in order to ensure that these words have meaning and purpose behind them. So, Miami-Dade needs to do two things to ensure a smooth transition for Veterans: First, Miami-Dade County needs to further explore jobs that could substitute college degrees with military experience. When Mayor Daniella Levine Cava reported back from the initial item in June 3 of 2026, she identified 485 jobs that match the current skillsets Veterans currently have. But to keep opening opportunities, the Mayor needs to work with the County and look at open more job options that could be suited for Veterans, but need college degrees. A future exploration and application of amending job descriptions to allow military work experience to substitute college degrees could significantly open certain job industries in technology or other fields. But just finding the right jobs isn’t enough. Miami-Dade County must also have a transition plan for Veterans to get into the Workforce again, so this would need a strong program with proper infrastructure, resources, and budget allotted to provide a program to help Veterans prepare themselves for civilian jobs. Think of it like a college class: Miami-Dade takes Veterans, prepares them for a job they’ve identified using proper soft skills and job training, and sends them out as capable and ready Co-workers. Will it be an easy feat? I don’t believe so, but if it was, then this issue wouldn’t be in our attention today. If Miami-Dade County wants to provide an opportunity for Veterans, then they need to be ready to help them at every step of the way. Afterall, if Veterans put their heart and soul into helping keep the country safe, it only makes sense that we welcome them back in with open arms, and don’t close the door on Veterans anymore.
Miami-Dade’s Housing Crisis: Give First-Time Buyers a Fair Chance
For young people living in Miami-Dade County owning a home feels like a dream that is out of reach. Higher home prices and high rents make it very hard for families and first-time buyers to find a place to live. Miami-Dade County knows this is a problem. Now Miami-Dade County is trying to fix one reason why housing's so expensive: big companies and institutional investors buying up all the residential homes. On March 3 2026 the Miami-Dade County Commission passed Resolution R-193-26. This Resolution R-193-26 asks Congress to pass H.R. 7221 Or other laws that would stop corporations and institutional investors from buying many single-family homes. The resolution also asks the Florida Legislature to look into making laws. I truly think Miami-Dade is doing the thing by asking for limits on these big investors. I feel that housing should be a place for people and families to live. It should not just be another way for companies with millions of dollars to make money. I know that institutional investors can help build housing and rental properties so we do not need to ban institutional investors completely.. When these companies buy up huge amounts of homes it is much harder for regular people to compete. This makes it very tough for first-time buyers, young adults to afford a home. This whole situation matters to students because the choices we make about housing today will change our lives later. Many young people who grow up in Miami-Dade County will want to go to college get jobs and start families here. If housing keeps getting more expensive those people might have to move from the community they love. Miami-Dade County should keep supporting limits on institutional investors while still letting good development happen. Everyone deserves a chance to find a place to live that they can afford. A home is much more, than an investment. A home is where families grow and where communities build a future. If Miami-Dade County wants young people to stay and build their lives here making housing affordable must come first.
The Price of Paralysis: How Miami-Dade Paid Millions to Rescue Its Ports and Prisons
Two long-delayed decisions by the Miami-Dade County Commission highlight a fundamental truth of local governance: putting off necessary decisions does not save money, it just makes the eventual solutions harder and more expensive. 1. Mental Health Over Incarceration The 20-year saga of the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, Conceived by retired Judge Steven Leifman and approved by voters in 2004, illustrates the flaw of constructing infrastructure without securing operational governance. Though physically completed in 2024, the facility sat vacant during prolonged debates over service frameworks and long-term liabilities. As detailed by WLRN Public Media, Commission Chairman Anthony Rodriguez brokered the final unanimous vote by incorporating key policy additions: an outpatient tracking center, dual-diagnosis substance abuse treatment, and independent oversight by Jackson Health System. Awarding a $31 million contract to non-profits WestCare Foundation and The Advocate Program, which was funded partly through Florida's state opioid litigation settlements alongside $14 million in operating costs, establishes a sustainable model to divert chronically incarcerated individuals into healthcare rather than penal facilities. 2. Infrastructure Sovereignty Relationship With Real Estate Capital The conflict surrounding PortMiami’s fuel supply highlights a failure in municipal land-use foresight. When Chicago-based HRP Group acquired a 100-year-old Fisher Island fuel depot for $180 million to construct the luxury "One Fisher Island" residential towers, the county faced a critical threat to port operations. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s administration initiated eminent domain backed by Seaport Revenue Bonds rather than the general fund, triggering severe administrative friction that contributed to the resignations of multiple top seaport directors. The impending courtroom struggle centers on property valuation, where estimates range from $25 million (reflecting a restrictive land covenant limiting the parcel strictly to fuel storage) to $430 million. This $405 million valuation gap demonstrates the severe financial exposure local governments risk when failing to preemptively zone and protect key trade nodes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YbucfyzS0M This video provides local news coverage of the Miami-Dade County Commission's historic vote to fund the mental health diversion center, highlighting the legislative proceedings and community advocacy behind the decision.
A Lane in the Right Direction
As electric bicycles, scooters, and other micromobility devices become increasingly common across Miami-Dade County, local regulations need to keep pace. At its July 21 meeting, the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners considered an ordinance establishing regulations for the operation of micromobility devices, electric bicycles, and motorized scooters on public rights-of-way throughout incorporated and unincorporated areas of the County. I support the County’s decision to establish clearer rules for these devices. E-bikes and scooters can provide residents with convenient alternatives to cars, especially for shorter trips, however, their growing popularity has also created conflicts between riders, pedestrians, and drivers. Clear and enforceable regulations are necessary to ensure that micromobility remains a useful transportation option without creating unnecessary risks for others. Still, I believe the County should go further, particularly regarding where these devices can be operated. Where safe and accessible bicycle lanes exist, e-bikes and motorized scooters should generally be required to use them rather than sidewalks. As a resident of Miami Beach, I've witnessed many accidents occur because someone was recklessly riding their motorized scooter on the sidewalk, or because they did not follow traffic laws and caused harm to themselves. Sidewalks are primarily designed for pedestrians, and the difference in speed between someone walking and someone traveling on an electric bicycle or scooter can create dangerous situations. This is particularly concerning in dense and heavily walked areas of Miami-Dade. However, such a requirement would need to be paired with better infrastructure. Many streets throughout the County lack protected or continuous bike lanes, and forcing riders into automobile traffic without providing a safe alternative could create an even greater danger. Miami-Dade should therefore continue expanding protected bike lanes and infrastructure, like they have on Park Avenue and Ocean Drive, that can safely accommodate both traditional bicycles and newer micromobility devices The goal should not be to discourage e-bikes or scooters. They can be valuable parts of a transportation system that gives residents alternatives to driving. Instead, the County should create an environment where pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and micromobility users can coexist safely. The ordinance considered by the Commission is a positive step, but it should be viewed as a foundation. As micromobility continues to grow, Miami-Dade should continue adapting its regulations and infrastructure to make these new forms of transportation safer for everyone.