Pro cityhood mailers paid by developers have already arrived
The process to see if Westchester homeowners want to incorporate has just started — and it’s been very bumpy and very fast at the same time.
Some residents are upset that the Miami-Dade Commission in November, at the request of District 10 Commissioner Javier Souto, waived the required approval from 20% of the homeowners to establish the Westchester Municipal Advisory Committee, a group of residents who will meet to consider the pros and cons of cityhood.
Critics were met with insults when from Souto, who is termed out after three decades and has championed incorporation for years.
“Calladito te ves mas bonito,” he told them at a community meeting last week. It’s a Cuban saying that translates literally to, “You’re better looking when you’re quiet,” and figuratively to, “Shut up.” And it is caught and posted in a video on a new Facebook page called Save Westchester.
Residents asked Souto to dissolve the MAC and withdraw the waiver. If 20 percent of the residents want to incorporate, they can sign petitions like they’re supposed to. But Souto didn’t want to hear that.
“I don’t give a shit about what people here might think,” he says, clearly defiant and combative to the opposition.
Many think Souto wants to be the mayor of Westchester, but he’s already 112 years old and losing his train of thought on the commission on the regular, so that seems doubtful. The mayor is going to be former Sen. Anitere Flores. What Souto wants is a future statue of himself at Tropical Park as the father of Westchester. This is his dream, his legacy.
Ladra tried but was unable to reach Souto or his chief of staff, Aldo Gonzalez. But the commissioner sent residents a letter on Jan. 31 to tell them about the MAC.
“The moment of making a very important decision for residents of our beloved area of Westchester, where I have been a resident with my family for the last 53 years and an elected official (Representative, Senator and Commissioner) for 39 years,” he said, invoking God and quality of life.
Then he warned them that the alternative to incorporation is to get sucked up by Doral or — ¡Dios nos libre! — Sweetwater. Not by name, of course.
“If we don’t become a city, a town, a village, Westchester will start disappearing over the years by the legal process called ‘Annexation’ used today in Miami-Dade County by which small cities that are poor try to swallow up areas around them,” Souto wrote to residents in a letter that is obviously meant to scare them into cityhood. In some cases, he added, rich cities also try to “absorb” donor areas such as Westchester, which he says contributes $5.5 billion in taxes to the county’s general budget.
Read related: Sweetwater’s annexation adds to tax rolls as Jose “Pepe” Diaz eyes mayor’s seat
“This is exactly our case today. We are unincorporated. We are surrounded by small poor cities. There is a fairly powerful rich city near us,” Souto wrote, inferring that Sweetwater and Doral will fight over the neighborhood, like they did over the Dolphin Mall area.
But there were less than 250 residents in that industrial park area so it didn’t go to a vote. There are more than 80,000 voters in the Westchester MAC general boundaries — Southwest 8th to 56th streets and East State Road 826, or the Palmetto Expressway, to the Florida Turnpike — except for the area west of 107th and north of Coral Way, which is where Florida International University and the county’s Tamiami Park are. More than 50% would have to approve incorporation.
Earlier this month, someone formed the Save Westchester — No New Taxes Facebook page. Description: “A group to oppose new taxes related to the misguided incorporation effort by Commissioner Javier Souto and his cronies to extend his political career. Incorporation is being forced through with little citizen involvement and misinformation with a goal of confusing voters and imposing another layer of burdensome government on the hard working people of Westchester.”
Several critics of incorporation and/or the process have already posted their concerns. They include Jose Garrido, who came in second in 2018 in a five-way with 14% of the vote — hey, it was more than one-time mayoral wannabe Alfred Santamaria — and operations manager Anthony Garcia, who was at the Feb. 10 meeting to kill the MAC.
“It’s illegitimate,” Garcia told Ladra, adding that he’s concerned because almost every municipality pays a higher tax rate than the Unincorporated Miami-Dade Service Area. But he’s also mad that he has to take time off work and his busy schedule to fight something that is not resident driven.
“It’s grotesque. We don’t even feel like we have a representative. I’m having to call other commissioners because Souto’s office is not interested in hearing about it,” Garcia said.
Read related: Joe Martinez moves to kill West End — and incorporation
The last successful incorporation was Cutler Bay in 2005 and no city has succeeded since. Efforts to incorporate East Kendall, West Kendall and the Perrine/Goulds effort have not even gotten off the ground. Last November, an effort to incorporate Biscayne Gardens failed miserably with 82% of the residents voting no.
But Ladra doesn’t know how much of a pro-incorporation campaign there was there. And it looks like there’s going to be some money spent on getting out the yes vote in Westchester.
Already voters got their first campaign flier in the mail earlier this week. Paid for by Friends of Tropical Park, which was formed in 2020 but just started getting donations in recently — $25,000 in December and $15K in January.
The funds have all come from development interests with items before the county commission in recent months, including $5,000 each from Magnum Construction Management (read: the Munillas), another $5,000 from the developers who want to build 550 homes on the abandoned Calusa Golf Course, and $10,000 from various entities owned by Ralph Garcia-Toledo and Jesse Manzano-Plaza, who are involved in that controversial Monorail project to connect downtown Miami with the beaches (more on that later).
Jose Toledo, the chairman of the PAC, didn’t think it was too early to be sending mailers. He says they just want to inform the public.
Toledo is concerned because there’s been talk in the past about making Miami-Dade more like Broward — a regional government, with municipalities covering police, fire, trash, code enforcement and other local services.
The 44-year-old operations manager with three school-age kids was born in Westchester and, but for a few years, lived there his entire life. He went to Banyan Elementary School, Rockway Middle and Belen Jesuit. He played baseball at Tamiami Park and has eaten at Frankie’s Pizza and Arbetter’s.
And, he says, he wants to protect what he has.
“We want to make sure that the services that are due to us, come to us,” Toledo said.
Javier Souto doesn’t ‘give a shit’ as he pushes for Westchester incorporation added by Ladra on
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[…] of the Palmetto Expressway, south of the Tamiami Trail, and north of Bird Road. But Souto’s proposed borders for the City of Westchester had the boundaries stretching further south to SW 56th Street, enveloping portions of […]
[…] of the Palmetto Expressway, south of the Tamiami Trail, and north of Bird Road. But Souto’s proposed borders for the City of Westchester had the boundaries stretching further south to SW 56th Street, enveloping portions of […]
[…] of the Palmetto Expressway, south of the Tamiami Trail, and north of Bird Road. But Souto’s proposed borders for the City of Westchester had the boundaries stretching further south to SW 56th Street, enveloping portions of […]
[…] of the Palmetto Expressway, south of the Tamiami Trail, and north of Bird Road. But Souto’s proposed borders for the City of Westchester will stretch further south to SW 56th Street, enveloping portions of unincorporated Olympia […]
[…] of the Palmetto Expressway, south of the Tamiami Trail, and north of Bird Road. But Souto’s proposed borders for the City of Westchester will stretch further south to SW 56th Street, enveloping portions of unincorporated Olympia […]
[…] of the Palmetto Expressway, south of the Tamiami Trail, and north of Bird Road. But Souto’s proposed borders for the City of Westchester will stretch further south to SW 56th Street, enveloping portions of unincorporated Olympia […]
[…] west of the Palmetto Expressway, south of the Tamiami Trail, and north of Bird Road. But Souto’s proposed borders for the City of Westchester will stretch further south to SW 56th Street, enveloping portions of unincorporated Olympia […]
” It’s. Disgrace that Souto and his self interest group are hurting the residents of Westchester!”
Agree and you see these pictures and sad , sickening how these walking leaches suck the blood out of the elderly they scare .
Many of these people are retired and the last thing they need is higher property taxes , higher surcharges / fee’s for city services , etc .
They pay more then enough as is .
What type of parasite attacks the elderly in Miami – dade ?
Miami Commissioner .
” Commissioner Souto did not sent all the residents the letter that supposedly he mailed in January”
My family lives there and same thing as of Fri no one got anything nor their immediate neighbors .
IMO the Miami Commissioners are organized crime , completely self serving , pocket lining office in Miami which ONLY hurts home owners and truly mean ONLY HURT HOME OWNERS .
Nothing good comes from any of them, this office is lethal for Miami . It is like taking a giant leach and attaching it to your neck.
Only winners are developers and few other special interest groups .
Do not rule out that Souto or any of these other career politics parasites claim that they got enough replies and 20% of the homeowners want this .
Wonder if any way of checking this as the corruption ENABLING DA is certainly not going to.
As a homeowner in Westchester I will say, Commissioner Souto did not sent all the residents the letter that supposedly he mailed in January. I never received the letter, I already went down my block asking neighbors if they received it AND NOone of my neighbors did. Residents of Westchester were not properly informed. We don’t want Westchester incorporated!
The only thing this people want is power and we cannot accept this! We need to come together and do something before it is too late. They cannot bypass the petition process. We have our voice and they have to hear us even if we have to shout loudly. I would like to receive information on how to stop this outrageous proposal that comes from politicians who, knowing that they can no longer continue for another term, intend to perpetuate themselves in power at all costs regardless of the well-being of the citizens. I have lived in this community for 30 years and I do not approve of this proposal.
” This is all driven by developers, they know they can buy local officials and get whatever they want in a small municipality”
There are two types of politicians in Miami .
Those already owned by developers and those about to be owned by developers .
” Look what increasing population density has done to Doral where traffic is a nightmare. ”
Live in Doral and that is not an under statement .
It has only and will continue to get worse as more and houses / apartments have 2x the amount of people designed for and add roaming brown outs all summer long because FPL says way more people then zoned to have.
I work at night so no big deal but I kid not when I say what takes me 15 minutes to leave Doral at night has taken me an hour the 2 weeks a year fill in for someone and work during day .
Not bad at all on weekends but M-F after 4 pm it is a parking lot .
Doral is called by real estate ” Transient City ” as the turn over in these gated communities is staggering .
Why aren’t there many house break ins in Doral ?
Because the wealth is sitting in the driveway .
The amount of vehicles stolen in these gated communities is surprising thus so much for the gated nonsense but the police do not put it under Doral but under Miami-dade crime report which though misleading is not incorrect and that is if they even do that .
=======================
” Good Luck to everyone in Westchester. I have family there and it’s managed to maintain good quality of life.”
Yes it is nice , my Uncle / Aunt / Grandmother and cousins all live through out Westchester . Lots of green .
The real estate has jumped there , in fact plenty in Doral who can look to buy there .
Vote NO to sac Tropical Park. Developers have tried for years to get their hands in some of that land and the County has not allowed’ it. If incorporated true decision will be down to mayor Souto or his pick. And you know it will happen due to PAC developer money behind it.
Further the only way your taxes will not go up is to replace a few houses with many condo units which is what developers want. Look what increasing population density has done to Doral where traffic is a nightmare. If developers are successful in purchasing several houses in a block they can use imminent domain to take ove turs. This is more likely to happen in city that controls its own zoning than in the couru where there are more interests to balance. Do not be fooled.
Lastly there are parts of Broward that relain unincorporated – not all are part of cities. So don’t let fear drive your decision. Kendall remains unincorporated after many attempts. Say NO
The residents of Westchester need to go to the polls and determine their own future before someone else does, but it is somewhat true that the county wants to rid itself of unincorporated areas, and it might also be true that upscale Doral or land-hungry Sweetwater may want to grab Westchester. Another issue is that the county approved to sell public land; some municipalities have also done this. Even the public school here is doing it. And, is is very true that these politicians appease developers (of course, they fund their political campaigns). The voters living in an area would still need to go to the polls to decide on staying unincorporated, annexing or becoming its own city (please correct me if I’m wrong).
Souto has been a commission for almost 30 years uninterrupted and he’s just too old, so I don’t think he would be mayor by the time this battle is over, but becomming a city may not be such a bad idea if citizens who live there can take office and look after themselves. Of course, honesty is a must (hard to find these days).
Good Luck to everyone in Westchester. I have family there and it’s managed to maintain good quality of life.
This is all driven by developers, they know they can buy local officials and get whatever they want in a small municipality. Soto got large donations to his PAC and he’s doing as he’s told. The only way to stop this is to organize your neighbors and go door to door against it. Vote against any politician who supports incorporation.
I remember my 2018 Campaign for Souto’s Commission Seat 10 and am proud that I ran a great grassroots campaign, with only $12K, garnishing 4,000 votes and 14% total. Now we have a battle to fight, nothing that cannot be done as long as we remain informed and involved. I question the timing, even though I know the reason, which is actually not important now. Fellow Commissioner’s of other districts usually do not get involved negatively once a MAC has been approved. I’d be very amazed if they did…Been involved and informed for many years in these matters to know how it all works. “Como trabaja el muñequito de cuerdas.” The Mac is done, and I actually feel it a climbing task to even try to repeal this Reso. Having said this, yes, “Raising Taxes” is the first sign of housing problems in a community, as we struggle already with increased inflation, loss of jobs, and within a community of high percentage of elderly residents, some living in subsidies and those who have always been able to care for their homestead must count to meet their annual taxes, without now, if the MAC numbers detail, creating another burden in households pockets. I’ll be involved and informed and put my 2 cents worth in the process. I commend all the residents for their effort, their views and concerns, and the usage of their individual constitutional rights to express their opinion on the matter. Thanks, for posting on your informative community news feeder/blog, informing the residents on the issue. Always follow you, read your articles, and staying informed while at the same time, trying to remain sane.
For a man his age , to have his health , is enough; never mind tributes! .
In my opinion, definitely we need to participate much more, be more vigilant of our representatives in local government and be very careful who we vote for in the future. There is No reason why we kept voting for Mr. Souto for sooo many years.
NO for incorporation, yes to be more involved in our community.
Souto has mental problems. Can’t County doctors get him removed from his commission seat?
Here is the link to the video on Facebook referred to above for anyone interested: https://www.facebook.com/groups/351600250166687/permalink/354594943200551/
Nice story, but I find it hard to believe Souto’s $5.5,billion claim when the total county budget is $9 billion. I live within the bounds of the proposed new city. Who knew our mere 11 square miles contributes more than half the funds for our 2400+ square mile county?
I am offended that the Commission voted to approve Souto’s shenanigans—they deliberately bypassed the petition process requiring 20% of voters to approve proceeding (oddly enough, defined in County Ordinance 20-20 https://library.municode.com/fl/miami_-_dade_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIICOOR_CH20MU_ARTIIINPR_S20-20PEINININGRCRMUADCOREPE ) and they approved shortening the time required between a public notice and a meeting to discuss bypassing the petitions.
It’s. Disgrace that Souto and his self interest group are hurting the residents of Westchester! As it is now many many original owners have to leave homes due to unaffordable taxes!
Souto tactics of being a BULLY to the residents that opposes his betrayal to our community! Is completely unacceptable! The Westchester majority opposition saying NO NO NO to souto and NO NO NO to INCORPORATED