Residents Vote Against Making Biscayne Gardens A City

BISCAYNE GARDENS (CBSMiami) – Residents in unincorporated Biscayne Gardens voted against making the area its own municipality.

It wasn't particularly close, with nearly 83% of voters checking "no."

Had it been approved, Biscayne Gardens would've become Miami-Dade's 35th municipality.

As a city, it would've also stopped paying Miami-Dade's municipal services tax and instead form their own government with its own property taxes and budget.

Resident Bruce Lamberto didn't believe an increased tax bill would be worth any potential benefits.

"There's nothing that really can be gained by becoming a city other than a higher tax bill," he said. "It's not a really rich area and a lot of the people here can't afford higher taxes on their homes."

Biscayne Gardens is best described as a suburban bedroom community. It's located east of the I-95/Golden Glades interchange surrounded by Opa-locka, North Miami, Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach.

The average income is around $44,000 a year.