FYI Miami: May 11, 2023

Bellow are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

JOB INCENTIVES GO ON: Miami-Dade commissioners last week voted 13-0 without discussion to keep paying incentives for business capital development and hiring in target industries that pay above-average wages. The program, created in 2000, had capped incentives to only companies that applied to the Beacon Council, the county’s economic development organization, before Sept. 30, 2020. The legislation from Commissioner Eileen Higgins said the county wanted to “strengthen and enhance the program beyond providing incentives” for businesses that applied before then. To get incentives, businesses must make a capital investment of at least $3 million and create at least 10 new jobs. Awards in the Targeted Jobs Incentive Fund program can be up to 2.14% of total real property capital investment and 1.44% of tangible personal property capital investment. For every added 50 jobs, 0.15% of the total capital investment is added as a surplus job bonus.

TWO JOBS AT ONCE: Miami-Dade commissioners last week agreed to coordinate utility work projects with the Village of Key Biscayne so that roadways won’t be ripped up twice, once for village work and once for county work. The county will do its sewer and water projects when the village does roadway and resurfacing work. The county owns the sewer and wastewater systems in the village and will fund each of the specific projects of the utility work. A county memo said the county, the village and residents will benefit “leveraging efficiencies and reducing waste and inconvenience.”

CHANGE OF COMMAND: A 2022 reorganization of Miami-Dade’s Military Affairs Board and Goodwill Ambassador Program orchestrated by a former county commission chairman was reversed last week. Current Chairman Oliver Gilbert III’s ordinance altered the structure created last year by Jose “Pepe” Diaz that transferred the two organizations from the Office of Community Advocacy to be under his office. The commission voted 13-0 for an ordinance by Mr. Gilbert placing the military board back under the Office of Community Advocacy and back to its original purpose: to recommend actions concerning branches of service in the county and the concerns of military personnel.

GAS PRICES FALL: Average gasoline prices in Miami fell 5.1 cents per gallon last week to $3.59, according to GasBuddy, 2.5 cents higher than a month ago but 66.3 cents lower than a year ago. The national average fell 7.5 cents per gallon in the past week to $3.50, down 7.5 cents from a month ago and 80.7 cents lower than a year ago.