If you have
concerns about issues facing our town
or hear conflicting information, just email
mlcivic.org. We'll
remove the politics and get you just the
facts . Whether it's about Miami Lakes
public works projects, property tax concerns,
beautification projects or Opa-locka Airport
operations, we'll get you the straight answers you
need. Questions & answers will be posted on this
page monthly, so please check
back for just the facts!
Question:
For years our HOA hasn't been very effective and
doesn't enforce the rules. As a result, I
think our neighborhood's property values
are lower than other comparable neighborhoods in
town. What can be done about this?
Answer:
HOAs are usually eager for participation from
residents. Getting involved and then running
for the Board of Directors at your HOA's next
election would help. In the meantime, ask if
your president and officers attend the quarterly
meetings of the HOA Presidents & Officers
Committee of the MLCA. These meetings are
designed to help the HOA leaders become more
effective and deal with issues
specifically facing Boards of Directors. If any
issues relate to homeowners, the presidents
will pass the information along at
their individual HOA meetings. If you need to
find out when your association meets, please see
the Calendar of Events page on this site.
Additionally, you can contact ACC regarding deed
restriction violations (305-362-5569) or Town
Hall to enforce code violations (305-364-6100)
in your neighborhood.
Question:
Why hasn't the Town painted all the walls on NW
87th Avenue a consistent, neutral color? The
wide range of colors the walls are painted
is very unattractive and it seems easy and
inexpensive for the town to fix.
Answer: Unfortunately,
the Town does not have the authority to paint
the walls because they are private property
owned by the individual homeowners. This
differs from other areas where H.O.A.s help
maintain the walls. The various colors on 87th
avenue and other roadways are compliant with the
current Town code which is the Miami-Dade County
code the town adopted during transition.
Currently, the town's code is being re-written
and upgraded to better reflect the town's
standards. Town staff has been looking into a
code that would set up a color scheme
for continuous walls on major
roadways and require homeowners to paint the
part of the wall they own the designated color
and maintain its appearance. The code
re-write is an extensive project and may not be
completed until the Spring of 2004.
Question: Is the
town taking over the Architectural Control
Committee (ACC). If so, what will
happen to our deed restrictions?
Answer: Because ACC
is a contractual part Miami Lakes covenant
controlled communities, The Town of Miami
Lakes has no authority or influence over the
ACC. The committee is not a government
entity, but rather an integral part of the
Declaration of Restrictions (the binding
contract that homeowners accepted when
purchasing homes in these particular
neighborhoods with restrictions).
Therefore, the town cannot "take over" or
modify ACC. Additionally, municipal
governments cannot modify a neighborhood's
deed restrictions. The Town of Miami
Lakes is currently re-writing the building
code to better reflect the community. If
the Town Council adopts a code that mirrors
the Declaration of Restrictions then the
ACC and HOAs may chose to let the town's
enforcement of the new code
suffice. This would remove a layer of
bureaucracy for homeowners and make
approvals easier for residents. Certain
exceptions to the code (ie: boats, zero lot
lines, etc.) would have to be made for areas
that were not governed by deed restrictions
in the past. If the town council adopts a
weaker code, residents will still go through
the same approval and enforcement process as
they do presently.
