Construction and repairs of new and existing fire stations in the city of Miami will start as early as next year after voters this week approved a $450 million bond for public safety improvements.
At a press conference in City Hall Thursday, Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins outlined her plans for the “Safe & Ready Miami Bond” that passed with 60% of the vote. Her initial timeline has the city starting with the demolition of Fire Station 10 in Flagami to make way for a new one, and the construction of a brand new station in Allapattah.
“ The residents of Miami passed the Safe and Ready Miami bond by an overwhelming 21% margin. That means the City of Miami has a mandate, Higgins said. “They gave us a mandate to keep them safe. Facilities that don't fail during a hurricane, a 911 call center that doesn't flood on a regular basis and fire stations with ambulances in every neighborhood, not just some of the neighborhoods.”
The bond — which is like a loan for municipal projects — was crafted as a means to repair aging fire station infrastructure citywide, build new fire stations in areas with slower response times and build a new police and fire headquarters at Freedom Park to the tune of $300 million.
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The city released an online dashboard for the bond that will allow residents to track what projects are underway and when they are expected to be complete.
Higgins said that much of the design and planning for several of the major projects, including Station 10's demolition, are already done or in the works, meaning work can begin right away in the new year.
Beginning in 2027, when the city takes out the first round of bond debt, residents will begin to see a debt charge on their tax bill. Higgins' office estimates the first round of debt will cost taxpayers $2.38 per month to begin paying off the bond. That amount will go up as the city takes out larger portions of debt to construct more large-scale work like the new public safety building.
Miamians already pay a debt millage for projects part of the Miami Forever Bond, a $400 million bond voters agreed to in 2017. Debt payments on Miami Forever are expected to taper off in the coming years as those projects are completed.
When the $300 million public safety headquarters is built and operational, the city plans to move out of and sell the existing Miami Police HQ in downtown. Higgins' administration expects proceeds from that sale to be between $70-100 million. The Miami Commission voted to put those proceeds toward paying off the Safe & Ready bond debt to ease the burden on taxpayers.
Miami Fire Rescue Chief Robert Hevia said during the press conference that Miami has outgrown the 15 existing fire stations and needs to invest in expansion to meet the demand of new residents.
" There's a demand for new stations and newer response areas where development has occurred. So we're excited about our four new stations, the rebuilding of two stations that are not just [being rebuilt] because they're old, they're rebuilding and enhancing and increasing their capacity," Hevia said.
The Safe & Ready Bond was criticized by some of Higgins' colleagues in city hall, including City Commissioner Damian Pardo, who argued voters were not made aware that they would be paying off the debt in their tax bill.
Higgins responded to that criticism Thursday by noting that around 60% voters in every city district approved the bond, arguing it had overwhelming support.
When accounting for interest payments on the debt, the total bill for Safe & Ready is expected to come out to $700 million by the end of the bond's lifetime, according to Higgins. That number does not account for the city paying off a significant chunk of the loan with proceeds from the sale of the police headquarters.
