Written by Miami Today on April 29, 2026
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BOND SHIFT SAVINGS: Miami-Dade’s Aviation Department will save about $82 million by issuing $725 million in new bonds to replace older, more expensive bonds that the airport issued earlier. County commissioners approved the new bond issue last week. By replacing those older bonds now, the present value of the savings to the county is about $59 million, a memo to commissioners from county Chief Administrative Officer Carladenise Edwards said. The new bonds will replace $9.8 million in bonds issued in 2012, $410.6 million in one bond issue from 2015 and $35.1 million in other bonds issued that same year, as well as $279 million in bonds issued in 2016. Aviation bonds are repaid from airport revenues, not the county’s general fund.
ELEVATORS RISING: Two new elevators being added to the parking garage in the Dadeland North Metrorail station are scheduled to be in use by 2028, the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust was told last week. “The existing elevators will not be refurbished until the new elevators are placed into service,” Alex Barrios, assistant director for construction for the Department of Transportation and Public Works, told the trust. “We’re building new elevators within the parking garage at Dadeland North to handle the additional traffic flow. Once those come online, then the existing elevators will be taken offline for refurbishment.”
RAPID RESPONSE: The chairman of the Freight Transportation Advisory Committee, John Dohm, had a plea that the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization board quickly answered last week: “We need more members.” The advisory group, created 21 years ago by the planning organization, advises on freight movement and truck traffic needs that might impact safety and efficiency. “That includes truck parking and inland port work,” Mr. Dohn said, both of which are active projects in the county. But as to members, “we only have five now,” he said. “We could really use somebody from MIA, we could use somebody from PortMiami, we could use somebody from Hialeah, City of Miami, Miami Gardens, Homestead, Miami Beach.” He had lots of qualified candidates, he said, who could be appointed. By the meeting’s end, the planning organization had appointed two more and he had seven members.
WILSON LIBRARY: County commissioners last week suspend two rules and named the North Dade Regional Library for U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson. Rep. Wilson, 83, earlier served as both a Florida senator and a Florida representative, as well as a member of the county school board.
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