Leaky roofs, flooded storage and outdated electrical systems — Miami's police and fire stations are in a state of disrepair, and city leaders want to replace all of it. The price tag? More than Miami raised for infrastructure improvements citywide.
A resolution on Thursday's City Commission agenda proposes a new $450 million bond to create a new public safety headquarters and repair or replace various fire stations "in deteriorating condition due to years of deferred maintenance."
" Without this bond, there is no ability to replace the police headquarters and build a new public safety facility. It's simply too costly," Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins told WLRN.
"We have the ability to issue the bonds at our current bond rating to repair all of our fire stations and build a modern police headquarters, fire headquarters, emergency operation center, and 9-1-1 center all in one building," she said.
If City Commissioners approve the resolution on Thursday, a question will go to voters on the Aug. 18 primary election ballot asking for their approval to take on $450 million in debt to pay for these public safety improvements.
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The proposed bond, basically a government loan, is a full $50 million higher than the Miami Forever Bond passed in 2017 that was meant to improve citywide infrastructure, prevent flooding and create affordable housing.
Current and former mayors of the city have said projects funded by the Miami Forever Bond have been delayed for too long, and the city's spending needs to be investigated.
Replacing existing Miami police headquarters
The majority of the proposed bond funds — $300 million — is earmarked to create a public safety headquarters at Miami Freedom Park to replace the existing Miami Police Department (MPD) HQ in downtown Miami.
On a tour through the existing HQ, MPD Chief Manuel Morales pointed out water intrusion and flooding damage in various parts of the facility, including the generator and evidence rooms.
" It's coming through the pipes, it's coming through all the places at the station. That's why we're at a critical time right now where we need to make some drastic changes," Morales said.
In the department's homicide unit, above a bank of desks and computers, a yellow plastic bag hangs from the ceiling to funnel water into a garbage can when it rains. The building's evidence room is partially underground, and the department has had to move evidence off of bottom shelves to avoid getting damaged during frequent flooding.
The police headquarters building is about 50 years old, and Mayor Higgins claims it has outlived its usefulness. The plan is to build a joint public safety building to house police, fire and 9-1-1 operations using funds from the $450 million bond.
The existing police HQ will be sold, and proceeds from the sale will go toward buying new solid waste trucks to replace the aging fleet, according to Higgins.
Miami fire rescue projects
The remaining $150 million in bond funding is slated for Miami's fire rescue department. The city identified seven projects to build new fire stations or perform major renovations at existing ones, plus an additional 12 projects to repair or modernize fire stations citywide. The total cost is estimated at $145 million.
At Fire Station 5 in Allapattah, Miami Fire Rescue Chief Robert Hevia points to the station's outdated electrical system. He said the breaker box is so old, that station personnel have to search for pieces online that are no longer made whenever something breaks.
The air conditioning also broke at the station, so department has had to rig a makeshift HVAC system using a diesel generator to provide cooling to the quarters where firefighters cook and rest while on call.
Fire engines and ambulance trucks are packed in back-to-back at the station, as Hevia said it wasn't built for the number of vehicles the area now requires.
" The station was built 50 years ago. Miami looks much different than 50 years ago. Fire trucks are much larger now, the call volume in the territory has increased so much. You see so many trucks like packed into this station and the stations are now undersized," Hevia said.
The city claims similar issues exist at fire stations all over Miami, and there isn't funding set aside yet to take on so many repairs without the bond.
