Message by Mayor Joseph M. Corradino

Published on May 18, 2022

Hello Pinecrest. As your mayor, I would like to introduce to you a serious topic that would alter the way Village decisions are made, much to the detriment of residents and businesses in Pinecrest. A petition that proposes a change to the Village’s Charter to require that all future zoning code changes be done by a referendum vote of registered voters in Pinecrest will be circulated soon throughout the Village.

Sounds good on the surface - participatory democracy - let everyone vote on every issue. In practice, putting every decision to a referendum would be inefficient, costly and cause the Village’s code to quickly become outdated. Moreover, it would prevent Council from taking steps to protect the Village from extremely costly inverse condemnation and takings lawsuits. One of the principles for which Pinecrest residents voted to incorporate -- local control over land use and zoning -- would be transformed. Rather than having elected officials working with professional staff to adjust the code in response to the community’s needs, every decision would be bogged down in a months-long process. Ballot initiatives and special elections will cost Pinecrest residents untold amounts of money and bring governance to a halt.

To run Pinecrest by referendum would have a devastating impact on our community’s ability to adapt over time as situations change. To overly restrict future elected bodies and potentially stifle change and modernization would have very negative consequences to residents' property values, the Village’s economic well-being and everyone’s quality of life - ultimately causing dysfunction, large unnecessary expenditures and potential tax increases.

Such a system likely also will lead to an increase in variance requests from residents wanting to build to contemporary standards, such as higher roof lines to accommodate taller ceilings, but unable to spend the time and the money for a referendum campaign. Applying zoning through a variance process leads to inconsistent redevelopment over time, which ultimately will degrade the functional and aesthetic value of the Village. A variance approach to development would result in haphazard execution with no assurance of consistency in the implementation of rules that ultimately shape the form and function of the Village.

In keeping with its commitment to the residents, the Village Council has amended the Land Development Regulations over the years for such things as construction of energy efficient homes, to address massing, to regulate vacation rental properties, to protect from flooding, to improve the quality of commercial redevelopment and to improve the quality of required landscaping in the Village. The system works.

If approached for a signature in support of the petition, I strongly urge you to take the time to understand the repercussions of the proposed Charter change. I encourage you to reach out to me at 305.606.2364 or to any one of the four elected Council members, or by visiting the Village’s website.

Let me be clear… Village Councils have always been and continue to be 100% committed to protecting Pinecrest’s character and our way of life. As your mayor, I and the current members of the Village Council, are steadfastly dedicated to preserving the Village’s character and enhancing our quality of life. We understand, that Pinecrest’s character is what makes the Village unique from all other municipalities in Miami-Dade County – directly correlating with our ever-increasing property values and low tax rate.

We are volunteer residents here to serve and do what we were elected to do – to make informed decisions on behalf of the 18,500 residents after much deliberation and public input.

The incorporation of Pinecrest has been an undeniable success. The results of excellent local government are clear… your investment in your home has gained tremendous value since incorporation, crime is at an all-time low, the Village’s tax rate continues to be one of the lowest in the county, the schools are the best in the county, the parks and tree canopy are unmatched. Let’s maintain this ongoing success.