MANAGING POPULATION GROWTH IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

We hit a milestone yesterday. According to the Census Bureau, the U.S. population reached 300 million. As our population increases, housing becomes a concern. In the past, cities like Miami have dealt with this problem by expanding its suburban areas. Now, it is allowing the building of high-rises in the city. Both approaches are causing tremendous traffic problems. The need for public officials to use good judgment in controlling growth has never been greater.

For many years now, the order of the day has been “Build to the West! Build to the West!” Lobbyists for developers have found ways to convince our public officials this is the way to go. Obtaining zoning changes and building permits has not been a problem. Unfortunately, none of those public officials had the foresight to plan for the transportation infrastructure necessary to support all those new developments. The result is tremendous traffic congestions. In Miami, we do not have a rush hour, we have rush hours (in plural), because that is how long it takes most people to get to work and to come home from work. It is like a part-time job, crawling slowly bumper to bumper. What a waste of time and gasoline, not to speak of the accompanying stress.

In cities like New York and London, the subway system can take you almost anywhere. Here in Miami, the Metro Rail lines cover only a small portion of the city. If you want to go anywhere else without a car, you have to use the bus service. When time is of the essence, taking a bus is not a viable option. You have to wait for the bus. Then, there are all those stops the bus has to make. Finally, the bus driver still has to deal with the traffic.

It is not up to the average citizen to come up with the solutions. That is the reason we elect people to office. The least we can expect is that our representatives stop pandering to developers and act with our interests at heart. Stop further urban sprawl and encroachment into the Everglades. Do not allow the building of high-rises in already congested city areas. Come up with innovative ways of improving our highway, parking and transportation systems.

Money should be no object. I estimate Miami-Dade County can save 30% from the 6.86 billion it collects. Just eliminate corruption, waste, mismanagement, unnecessary projects and positions, unproductive employees, and whatever other excesses those in charge detect. The number of employees working for the county is almost 30,000, wow! Sensible people know the county could easily shave a sizable chunk off that budget and eliminate a good number of positions, without cutting on services.

Excessively high salaries and benefits is one area of concern. Funny how salary surveys keep coming up with higher figures every time there is an inquiry. Is there ever a plateau where our nation reaches comparability in salaries for a position? NO! This is what I suspect happens. The county doing the survey picks the highest salary of another county in the country as “at least what we have to pay to be competitive.” They add a chunk of money to that figure “in order to attract the best candidates possible.” Now, that becomes the highest salary for that position in the whole country. The next county doing a salary survey follows the same formula. That is how I think the salaries and benefits of government workers keep going up to exorbitant levels.

Private industry should pay that well. The average worker does not come close. No wonder people have lost faith in government. Some do not even want to exercise their right to vote. What is the use, they figure? You elect them, but there is no change. The system keeps always asking for more and more. When is the scale going to shift the other way? Please surprise us.

Recommended Reading: Ercian Testament - Part III, chapter 26 “Matters of Concern.”