Thousands of water customers in north Miami-Dade County are waiting to see if their water bills go up, down or remain flat.
The Norwood Water Treatment Plant is located in Miami Gardens, but oddly enough, has been owned for more than 60 years by the City of North Miami Beach.
That municipality has been charging Miami Gardens water customers, and other nearby cities, a 25% surcharge for water services.
And it’s much needed, says the city’s mayor, Michael Joseph.
“When you guys look at the pipes…we don’t need all of that equipment just to service us, North Miami Beach, we need all of that equipment to serve this entire network,” he said.
Miami Gardens has been fighting the surcharge for years, arguing their water customers should pay the same rate as North Miami Beach residents, not the hiked up 25% rate.
State Sen. Shevrin Jones, who represents both cities, says Miami Gardens residents are looking for fairness.
“When it comes to how the surcharge has been imposed on them, you’re charging them a 25% surcharge and the water plant actually sits within the City of Miami Gardens,” he said.
Joseph says it costs billions of dollars to maintain and upgrade the facility, adding there’s no way his small city of North Miami Beach could afford to do that without imposing a surcharge.
The Norwood plant serves communities like Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach and Golden Beach.
“The backstop for these upgrades, or the continuing functions of this great water plant, is the backs and the blood sweat and tears of North Miami Beach Residents,” Joseph said.
Jones and other critics of the surcharge also knock North Miami Beach for not earmarking the dollars to be spent only on the water facility.
The money goes into the city’s general fund, which Joseph says is spent on the water facility.
“The employees, the pension, that’s paid through the general fund, the legal costs, that is us, we are the backstop at the end of the day,” he said. “We are the 3 a.m. call, we are the ones that take care of it, of course we are going to recoup some of our costs and expenses that go to it.”
Jones says surcharge dollars should be isolated and set aside in a separate account.
“Even if you earmark the dollars, for this 25% surcharge for the water, to be for the pensions, and to be for the water, well then you should absolutely do that, there should be a separate account,” he said.
Jones took this matter to Tallahassee and had legislation written and passed to specifically deal with his issue – the elimination of the 25% surcharge for Miami Gardens water customers.
The bill is waiting for Gov. Ron DeSantis’s signature.
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