Update on the Parking Waiver story
As I passed by the BID office today, a few of them came running out to inform me that there were two sides to each story, and there are. Regarding the Parking Waver story below, all facts are correct, but there is one slight difference -- the rates were not raised. Apparently there are some scofflaws in town who have not paid their parking tax for quite a long time and they felt all the fees being billed were excessive.
I had forgotten what a new and different place the BID is these days, it is actually pleasant to walk in and interact with everyone there, from Manny on down, everyone is a pleasure.
Anyway, the BID is going to send me the whole reasoning behind the Parking Waiver and it seems to have been a good reason at the beginning, in 1992.
As for the businesses crying fowl, they are being billed for past amounts which were not paid, the City is quite strict, but the BID is intervening and working with the Grove businesses. In at least one case, they are only asking for payment from October 2012 and waiving all past amounts before that.
I'll let you know more when I know more, but I just wanted to clear that up. The Waiver is still around, but the complaining businesses have not been paying it. Now they have to.
I had forgotten what a new and different place the BID is these days, it is actually pleasant to walk in and interact with everyone there, from Manny on down, everyone is a pleasure.
Anyway, the BID is going to send me the whole reasoning behind the Parking Waiver and it seems to have been a good reason at the beginning, in 1992.
As for the businesses crying fowl, they are being billed for past amounts which were not paid, the City is quite strict, but the BID is intervening and working with the Grove businesses. In at least one case, they are only asking for payment from October 2012 and waiving all past amounts before that.
I'll let you know more when I know more, but I just wanted to clear that up. The Waiver is still around, but the complaining businesses have not been paying it. Now they have to.
posted by Tom Falco at 2:53 PM
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10 Comments:
Tom, so if this is a non-story where are the parking garages?
I am in the process of getting info from the MPA. I feel that they are double dipping in the Grove illegally. Just because the payments are delinquent does not make them legal.
it is, was, and has been an illegal tax to do business. Part of the grove, and why the gables, S. Miami, Midtown, Downtown, everywhere else has so many new businesses opening, and yet, the grove businesses die.
This growth is measurable. it's definite, and it's not happening in the grove. One must ask why.
I will have the MPA's response about this in the next day or so.
I think it's ridiculous that after 21 years of imposing this tax we have yet to see any parking garages in the Grove.
No wonder businesses have not been paying.
Thanks for posting this Tom. Maybe business owner's should work together and seek legal advice because this doesn't smell right.
@ 4:53 - Midtown businesses pay this tax.
The Grove's problems can't be traced back to one cause.
No wonder they don't want the trolley's here. Drove to UM med campus the other day and saw 6 trolleys in that area 1 after the other following the Miami Dade County bus! They have been killing the Grove for years and so it continues. Lies and BS. Time to succeed from The City of Miami!
I think the word you were looking for is secede, and it won't ever happen. However, the grove needs to demand equal treatment for its businesses.
@8:28 - I agree there are many causes to the collapse of the grove business community, but that doesn't mean that each cause shouldn't be addressed. Also, you may want to take a closer look at the application of these fees to the different areas, and the parking actually available in them.
One of the great tricks of government big and small is to avoid calling taxes taxes. This is a business tax, that the government takes and puts toward whatever it pleases. I believe it is a violation of Florida law to have it so illusorily labeled.
Tom - 3 days later. Any response from the MPA? I doubt you will get one, and I'll bet if you do it will be trite and non-responsive.
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