What began as an effort to honor a local statesman quickly turned into a heated debate over memory, legacy and community ownership with a Miami Gardens community park at its center.
The Miami Gardens City Council recently voted unanimously to rename Rolling Oaks Park to 鈥淪enator Oscar Braynon II at Rolling Oaks Park鈥� despite opposition from longtime residents who said they were left out of the process.
The vote followed a contentious May 14 council meeting where emotional objections and calls for compromise met an initial proposal to rename the park 鈥淪enator Oscar Braynon II Park.鈥�
Honoring Braynon
Councilwoman Linda Julien, who sponsored the resolution, said it was important to honor Black leaders who shaped Miami Gardens.
鈥淚t behooves us to acknowledge those people who have paved the way for us to have a seat at the table in this community up to Tallahassee and beyond,鈥� Julien said. 鈥淏ecause of Oscar Braynon鈥檚 record as an effective policymaker and public servant, every resident in this city is reaping the benefits.鈥�
Braynon, a Miami Gardens native who still lives in Rolling Oaks, began a career in public service in 2003, when he was elected to the city council at age 26. He later served as vice mayor and eventually as a state representative and senator.
鈥淚t's such an honor because I grew up in that park,鈥� Braynon told The Miami Times. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 anything I asked about or thought about. My service wasn鈥檛 about these types of things. It wasn鈥檛 about the promotions. It was about making my community better.鈥�
Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, who preceded Braynon in city leadership, credited him with securing critical funding for the park's renovation and stormwater mitigation.
鈥淭he very park, Rolling Oaks Park 鈥� the money that was used to renovate it was a general obligation bond that very few people supported,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淚 went to him as mayor and said, 鈥楬ey, I need help with this.鈥� He helped raise the money for the park he played basketball at.鈥�
The park was renovated and reopened in October 2024 with updated amenities. Gilbert urged residents to value Braynon鈥檚 contributions over nostalgia.
鈥淲e鈥檙e holding on to a tradition because it鈥檚 something we鈥檝e always known, but that doesn鈥檛 mean it was right or good. Those trees are beautiful, sure, but they are things. He actually served this community,鈥� Gilbert said.
Braynon鈥檚 name already appears on the Hard Rock Stadium pedestrian bridges alongside Gilbert鈥檚.
鈥淭his is a man who for his entire adult life up until four years ago served Miami Gardens,鈥� said Katia Saint Fleur, a former Miami Shores councilwoman and Braynon鈥檚 employee. 鈥淗e gave up time with family and economic opportunities to serve the community. I think that is befitting.鈥�
Residents push back
Despite praise from city leaders, dozens of residents opposed the change, urging the council to preserve the original name of 鈥淩olling Oaks.鈥� They made a , gathering more than 600 signatures, and criticized the lack of community input.
鈥淲e took it upon ourselves in the homes in Rolling Oaks to sit down and plan to fill that land that you see now as Rolling Oaks,鈥� said Gale Cunningham, a longtime resident, during public comment. 鈥淚t was not Miami Gardens. We were North Dade.鈥�
Rolling Oaks Park, located in a historically Black neighborhood of the same name, was established in 1978 through a $300,000 federal grant to Miami-Dade County. According to residents, it was developed by Louis P. Fletcher and Carl J. Lunetta as a tribute to the community and later transferred to Miami Gardens after the city was incorporated in 2004.
鈥淩emember, twenty-something years had passed where we were already experiencing the goodness of the park,鈥� Cunningham said. 鈥淭he park belongs to everyone, but don鈥檛 forget the history. We're the ones that made that first plan.鈥�
Charles George, another longtime resident, recalled how the late Judge Wilkie Ferguson encouraged him to move to the neighborhood, describing it as a haven for Black middle-class families.
鈥淚t was everything he said it would be, and our children grew up in this area, in this park,鈥� George told The Miami Times. 鈥淎ll you can see [are] oak trees in this community, and it was named for Rolling Oaks, the community. So that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e used to.鈥�
Others, like Malcolm Jones, said the renaming felt dismissive.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 ask for that,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚 grew up before that park was even built. Don鈥檛 tell me about 鈥榓 thing鈥� 鈥� oak trees can鈥檛 be cut without permission. Oak trees need to be there, so the Rolling Oaks Park needs to be there.鈥�
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Kevin Williams urged officials to remember who they serve.
鈥淛ust like when they made the rules that govern the world, it started with 鈥榃e the People.鈥� Not the judicial, not the president 鈥� the people,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y question is, all that you wanna do for Oscar Braynon, and I know him 鈥� I would commend him. But your service to God is not a service for your name.鈥�
In response to resident outcry at the May 14 meeting, Councilwoman Katrina Baskin, who has deep family ties to Rolling Oaks, proposed instead naming a structure within the park 鈥� like the basketball court 鈥� after Braynon instead. Julien rejected that suggestion.
鈥淔or me, it was not Oscar who played inside the structure. He played in the park. He grew up playing basketball in that park, and if you go to the park right now, you may find his two boys playing basketball in the park,鈥� Julien told The Miami Times.
Longtime neighbors filled the council chamber to defend Rolling Oaks Park鈥檚 original name with signs and shirts. (Amelia Orjuela Da Silva for The Miami Times)
Julien acknowledged the value of the debate but cautioned against what she described as a mindset that blocks progress.
鈥淭he not-in-my-backyard mentality is what continues to impede on the progression of Black communities nationwide,鈥� she said.
Differing priorities
In the end, the council unanimously approved a hybrid name: 鈥淪enator Oscar Braynon II at Rolling Oaks Park.鈥� For many, the gesture rang hollow.
鈥淭hey already had their minds made up. Our vote didn鈥檛 matter,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 so significant about renaming a park that already has a name? It shows the park doesn鈥檛 belong to the constituents 鈥� it belongs to the council members. That's what we learned today.鈥�
Though he says he empathized with residents鈥� emotional ties to the park, Braynon emphasized that 鈥淩olling Oaks鈥� remained part of the new name.
鈥淚 think Rolling Oaks is still in there,鈥� Braynon said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if everybody understood the confusion and understood that Rolling Oaks is still there.鈥�
Still, he views the renaming as a step toward preserving the city鈥檚 legacy.
鈥淧eople remember the founders of the City of Miami Gardens by the things named after them,鈥� Braynon said. 鈥淢iami Gardens' history is very important. It was hard to start, but we鈥檝e weathered the storm and are better for it.鈥�
Williams said the decision revealed a deeper disconnect between officials and working-class residents.
In the end, the council unanimously approved a hybrid name: 鈥淪enator Oscar Braynon II at Rolling Oaks Park.鈥� For many, the gesture rang hollow.
鈥淭hey already had their minds made up. Our vote didn鈥檛 matter,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 so significant about renaming a park that already has a name? It shows the park doesn鈥檛 belong to the constituents 鈥� it belongs to the council members. That's what we learned today.鈥�
Though he says he empathized with residents鈥� emotional ties to the park, Braynon emphasized that 鈥淩olling Oaks鈥� remained part of the new name.
鈥淚 think Rolling Oaks is still in there,鈥� Braynon said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if everybody understood the confusion and understood that Rolling Oaks is still there.鈥�
Still, he views the renaming as a step toward preserving the city鈥檚 legacy.
鈥淧eople remember the founders of the City of Miami Gardens by the things named after them,鈥� Braynon said. 鈥淢iami Gardens' history is very important. It was hard to start, but we鈥檝e weathered the storm and are better for it.鈥�
Williams said the decision revealed a deeper disconnect between officials and working-class residents.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to spend all that money to make a new sign,鈥� he added. 鈥淧ut that money toward somebody who鈥檚 crippled or sick.鈥�
In 2025 alone, the city has approved at least six street renamings.
Marjorie Cross said the council should prioritize emergency assistance, infrastructure and road repairs.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 like that they act like our voices don鈥檛 matter,鈥� Cross said. 鈥淭he third largest city, and you wanna tell me they don't have any hardship fund set aside for all your residents? But yet they have money to do all these other things they wanna do.鈥�
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the SA国际传谋 newsroom. Read more at .
