Big Trouble Little City
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2/22/2008
I have been a resident of Biscayne Park since early 2002. The city has 1200 properties most of which are single family homes followed by duplexes and I believe only 2 low unit apartment buildings. I would say the median cost of a home is about $350,000.00. I can only say great things about the residents. In a city like Miami, it is really an oasis where people actually know and like their neighbors. Having said that, the City is so poorly run by the current council and money that is suppose to be our surplus disappears every year into an ever growing budget. This is especially disturbing given that the city never changes in size. Most of the homes were built in the 40's and 50's and if one is torn down usually another goes up in it's place. The city has one of the highest millage tax rates in all of Miami-Dade County. I'll give you an example, the market value on my home is $590,000 but the assessed vaule or what I pay tax on is $350,000 and my taxes are about $8,000 / year. Thats a lot of money. Don't get me wrong, Miami real estate taxes are out of control in general but a city that really never changes should not need a budget that grows disprortionatly every year. Couple all of this with the amount of insurance we pay both in home owners and auto and I'm leaving the state very soon. The other down side is although we have very few criminals that live in the Park, we are affected by neighboring communitie's criminals. Again, in Miami, this is not that uncommon. Overall, great place to live in Miami. Great for families and singles alike but if I hadn't been born in Miami I would never have chosen to live here.
Michelle | North Miami, FL