<\/p>\n
An artistic rendering shows, at center, a street crossing redesigned for increased safety for people on foot and on bikes at the intersection with the planned Ludlam Trail, which runs top to bottom in this image.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade County Parks<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade taxpayers have spent $42 million on the Ludlam Trail<\/a> and have virtually nothing to show for it. Nearly a decade after the county approved the project, the trail can\u2019t be used by residents and there isn\u2019t even a final design. But even more frustrating is the silence from the county about when construction will begin.<\/p>\n More than 10 years have passed since the project was approved. Taxpayers deserve a clear accounting of where the money has gone, who will finish the project and when residents will finally be able to use it.<\/p>\n The plan to convert the six-mile abandoned rail corridor into a landscaped trail for runners and cyclists has enjoyed bipartisan support since commissioners approved it in 2015. Funding followed, and the county even held a groundbreaking ceremony in 2021.<\/p>\n Five years later, that groundbreaking ceremony looks more like a photo opportunity than the beginning of a public works project.<\/p>\n County officials say they can\u2019t publicly comment, telling the Miami Herald<\/a>, it\u2019s because of a \u201ccone of silence\u201d rule about pending contract awards. But that explanation falls short. The rules don\u2019t prevent officials from explaining how $42 million has been spent or announcing a completion date.<\/p>\n To make matters worse, the county selected a winning bidder to design the trail a year ago, but according to the Herald, no contract has been signed and nothing has been sent to the county commission for approval. That\u2019s a year of apparent inaction.<\/p>\n The issue is bigger than the Ludlam Trail alone. It\u2019s a test of whether Miami-Dade can deliver on a significant promise to taxpayers.<\/p>\n The Underline offers a clear contrast. It was a longer, more complex and more expensive park project, approved around the same time as the Ludlam Trail. It\u2019s expected to be completed later this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Managed by the county\u2019s Department of Transportation and Public Works, the Underline transformed nearly 10 miles beneath Metrorail into parks, gardens, athletic spaces and public gathering areas. Miami-Dade has already proven it can successfully deliver an ambitious trail project when it\u2019s properly managed.<\/p>\n Along the Ludlam corridor, private developers have already finished their assigned segments of the trail; it is the county\u2019s own portion that remains stalled.<\/p>\n The Ludlam Trail deserves the same level of competence and accountability as the Underline.<\/p>\n The county should release a comprehensive public plan that includes a realistic construction schedule with key project milestones, an explanation for the prolonged delay and regular public progress reports. Taxpayers shouldn\u2019t have to file public records requests or corner officials at commission meetings to learn the status of a project they\u2019ve already funded.<\/p>\n As former South Miami mayor and former state legislator Julio Robaina told the Herald, \u201cIt\u2019s not brain surgery.\u201d The county has the money, the public support and a proven model for success with the Underline. What it lacks is accountability and urgency.<\/p>\n Residents have waited long enough for Ludlam Trail to be built. They deserve more than a fenced-off rail corridor and a ceremonial groundbreaking. They deserve a finished trail \u2014 and answers about why it still doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n BEHIND THE STORY MORE <\/a> What’s an editorial? <\/p>\n Editorials<\/a> are opinion pieces that reflect the views of the Miami Herald Editorial Board, a group of opinion journalists that operates separately from the Miami Herald newsroom. Miami Herald Editorial Board<\/a> members are: opinion editor Amy Driscoll and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.<\/p>\n What’s the difference between an op-ed and a column? <\/p>\n Op-Eds<\/a>, short for \u201copposite the editorial page,\u201d are opinion pieces written by contributors who are not affiliated with our Editorial Board. <\/p>\n Columns<\/a> are recurring opinion pieces that represent the views of staff columnists that regularly appear on the op-ed page. <\/p>\n How does the Miami Herald Editorial Board decide what to write about? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board, made up of experienced opinion journalists, primarily addresses local and state issues that affect South Florida residents. Each board member has an area of focus, such as education, COVID or local government policy. Board members meet daily and bring up an array of topics for discussion. Once a topic is fully discussed, board members will further report the issue, interviewing stakeholders and others involved and affected, so that the board can present the most informed opinion possible. We strive to provide our community with thought leadership that advocates for policies and priorities that strengthen our communities. Our editorials promote social justice, fairness in economic, educational and social opportunities and an end to systemic racism and inequality. The Editorial Board is separate from the reporters and editors of the Miami Herald newsroom.<\/p>\n How can I contribute to the Miami Herald Opinion section? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board accepts op-ed submissions of 650-700 words from community members who want to argue a specific viewpoint or idea that is relevant to our area. You can email an op-ed submission to oped@miamiherald.com. We also accept 150-word letters to the editor from readers who want to offer their points of view on current issues. For more information on how to submit a letter, go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An artistic rendering shows, at center, a street crossing redesigned for increased safety for people on foot and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334957,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-334956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}