As city officials debate changes to Miami’s tree-protection laws, they may want to consider the case of an oak tree — by some estimates approaching three centuries old — that was removed without a permit from a property slated for development.
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David Villano
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How Does Miami’s $1 Billion Personnel Tab Stack Up? We Did the Math
As they prepare for a final vote on Miami’s budget for the coming fiscal year, commissioners wanted to know how the city’s employee costs stack up against other big Florida cities. And the winner is…
Miami’s $3.7 Billion Budget: 5 Numbers That Aren’t What They Seem
Firefighter overtime that looks like it’s falling but isn’t. Eighteen festival grants replaced by an unidentified $2 million pot. And a capital funding gap that’s much larger than it first appears. Here are a few numbers buried in Miami’s proposed budget ahead of Thursday’s final vote.
Where Miami’s Extra Millions Would Go: The Budget’s Biggest Winners
Police and Fire-Rescue would claim almost two-thirds of the nearly $73 million increase in Miami’s General Fund, while several other corners of City Hall are in line for sizable boosts.
Is Coconut Grove’s 27th Avenue a Glimpse of Miami’s Denser Future?
For years, Miami has encouraged more development around transit stations and corridors. Along one Coconut Grove gateway, the effects of those policies are beginning to come into view.
Miami’s Billion-Dollar Boom, Part 3: City Hall’s Growing Payroll
Miami’s annual bill for salaries and employee benefits has grown by nearly $500 million in a decade, while the number of budgeted positions increased only about 12%. Meanwhile, the city’s capital plan still carries a roughly $1.8 billion funding gap.
Miami’s Tree Permit Battles Reach City Commission
Four tree-removal appeals are headed to commissioners Thursday, marking a new stage in a surge of challenges that has strained the city’s review process for months.
Miami’s Billion-Dollar Boom, Part 2: The Rising Cost of Public Safety
Over the past decade, Miami’s real estate boom brought City Hall hundreds of millions in new spending power. Much of it went to police and fire, which more than doubled their annual budgets to nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars.
Inside City Hall: The Hidden Pay Fueling Miami’s Six-Figure Firefighter Pensions
Newly obtained pension records show Miami firefighters are credited with an average of $31,500 more in annual compensation than their published base salaries — and for some, the difference approaches $100,000.
Miami’s Billion-Dollar Boom, Part 1: Where Did All the Money Go?
As commissioners prepare to consider another record budget — and voters face a $450 million public-safety bond in November — an analysis of city financial records finds Miami’s property-tax collections have soared over the past decade, rising sharply even after accounting for inflation and population growth.
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