Town manager, council member say it won’t be 36%
The Miami Lakes Town Council has set a tentative property tax rate for next year — and brace yourself, Lakers, because it’s higher than anything you’ve seen in nearly a decade. The new ceiling? It’s 2.6372 mills, or $2.63 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. That’s before all the exemptions, of course.
That’s a whopping 36%  increase and, according to the Miami-Dade property appraiser, it’s the second highest tax rate hike after Pinecrest (more on that later).
But don’t freak out yet. Council members swear this is just a “placeholder” while they sharpen their pencils and poke around the $24.9 million proposed budget to see if they can trim a little fat or scare up some new revenue before the September hearings. And the administration has already found enough savings to cut the originally proposed tax rate.
That’s going to be the good news presented at a budget workshop Wednesday night. But Ladra bets it’s still gonna get hot.
Miami Lakes has been bragging about its “tax diet” for years, cutting the millage in 2017, 2018, 2019, and again in 2023, hitting a so-called “all-time low” in 2024 and then going flat this year. Town Manager Edward Pidermann says the belt’s so tight now, the town is choking.

“The multi-year reduction of millage has placed cumulative pressures on town revenues and its ability to provide a high standard of public services,” Pidermann wrote in a July 29 memo. Translation: The town just can’t keep delivering champagne services on a beer budget.
Back then, the manager had proposed a tax hike last that would take Miami Lakes back to the 2006-2007 rates — and would bring in $13.1 million, which is $2.8 million more than last year. Enough to cover everything, including that $500,000 legal settlement with former Mayor Michael Pizzi. Yes, that Pizzi. Because Miami Lakes just can’t get rid of him.
Read related: Miami Lakes votes to pay former Mayor Michael Pizzi $1.7 million for legal fees
For the average homeowner with a taxable value of $293,906, the jump would mean an extra $166 next year. Because everything costs more: contractors, insurance, retirement contributions, and of course, a 5% raise for town staff. And let’s not forget the elephant in the budget — police. Always police.
The biggest line item in the town’s ledger is the $12 million contract with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, sucking up almost half the general fund (48.5%). Next year that bill climbs another $836,194.
The council only capped the tax rate July 29. That means they can make it lower but not higher. And Councilman Bryan Morera told Political Cortadito on Tuesday that he never intended to move forward with the 37% increase, which was a worst case scenario. “Given the information in front of us at that last meeting, I did not have the math to support changing the recommendation,” Morera said. “But there’s plenty of room to come down.”
Property taxes only make up 53% of the town’s general fund — the pot that pays for crossing guards, code enforcement, community events, and yes, those little league parks. The rest comes from fines, permits, utility taxes (16.5%), FPL franchise fees (6%), and intergovernmental revenue (20%).
Morera said he was glad to hear that the town manager had already found ways to make the tax increase less painful.
Pidermann had warned that keeping the current flat rate instead of raising taxes would mean slashing police patrols, skipping a $300,000 infrastructure fund contribution, cutting back on tree trimming and park maintenance, and saying goodbye to new playground equipment. Also: no staff raises, fewer town events, and no council travel.
Some folks might not mind that last one. Electeds can travel on their own dime.
Read related: Critics say Miami-Dade 2025-26 budget could possibly put public safety at risk
But on Tuesday, the town manager told Political Cortadito that changes had already been made after last week’s council meeting, where he got direction for modifications. “Therefore, the most recent version of the General Fund budget that will used in the workshop tomorrow night as the starting point for discussion has some changes,” Pidermann said.
Those changes include:

Increasing the franchise fee agreement with FPL from 3% to 6% — which generates an additional $1,125,000 in FY 2025-2026 and an additional $1.5 million in subsequent years.
Suspend for one year a Miami Lakes ordinance that restricts surplus funds generated by the FPL franchise fee. Normally all funds generated by the FPL franchise fee over $1.27 million must be used for certain infrastructure categories.
Drop the proposed millage rate from 2.6372 presented in July to to 2.2459 — which is still higher than the current 2.0732.
All town committee budgets shall remain flat from current fiscal year.
The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for staff salaries shall be reduced from 5% to 3%.

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DEVELOPING STORY: In the first council meeting for a new council member, without any real public notice, the Miami Lakes Council narrowly voted Tuesday to offer former Mayor Michael Pizzi, who was arrested in 2013 on federal bribery charges in an FBI sting, a $1.7 million settlement for legal fees incurred during the criminal trial.

Las malas lenguas had told Ladra weeks ago after the runoff election that this would happen.

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The runoff in the special election to fill a vacancy on the Miami Lakes Town Council was won by attorney Bryan Morera, but one could say that three council members also won Tuesday.

Morera, who took 57 percent against Esther Colon‘s 43 percent, had been endorsed and/or supported by council members Marilyn Ruano, Luis Collazo and Josh Dieguez. Both he and Colon, the former manager of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea who beat the supposed mayoral’s favorite candidate to get into the runoff, are longtime town activists who have served on a bunch of committees and the all important Blasting Advisory Board, which addresses the issue of the quarry blasting, which is probably the biggest issue in Miami Lakes (maybe tied with the 170th Street bridge and the taxing districts).

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