Conversations on potentially incorporating a group of historically Black neighborhoods in north central Miami-Dade County are gaining urgency, as residents and community leaders push for Brownsville to be included in an ongoing feasibility study on the matter.
At a meeting hosted last week by the North Central Dade Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC), discussions centered on a major hurdle: whether Brownsville must collect signatures from 20% of its residents to be included in the study area.
While the MAC鈥檚 lifetime has been several times over the past decades to allow for further exploration on how incorporation could help shape the future of local governance, most of Brownsville remains outside its current boundaries. Only a small portion 鈥� between Northwest 54th and 62nd streets, from Northwest 27th Avenue to the Hialeah border 鈥� is included in the study.
According to Kenneth Kilpatrick, chair of the committee and president of the Brownsville Civic Neighborhood Association (BCNA), redistricting split the neighborhood between Districts 2 and 3, leaving portions excluded from the study. Leaders are now pushing to expand the boundaries to include the remaining sections of Brownsville.
Push for inclusion
Kilpatrick said the issue is not about automatic incorporation but about access to the information other communities have.
鈥淲e are hoping that the commissioners will add Brownsville to the study area without having to implement a physical door-to-door petition, as we have been advised is mandatory in order to get our area included,鈥� Kilpatrick said. 鈥淲e sorely disagree.鈥�
Kilpatrick argues that the county code allows commissioners to initiate the process themselves.
鈥淲hat the municipal advisory committee section code basically says is that if the commissioners initiate an action, that they are the petition,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e prefer that they do that because that saves us time, that saves us money that we don鈥檛 have.鈥�
An is currently circulating to raise awareness, but Kilpatrick emphasized that the ultimate responsibility lies with the Board of County Commissioners to amend the existing MAC ordinance.
"It just gives us an opportunity to be in the mix of the probabilities and all the statistics," Kilpatrick explained. "Adding Brownsville, I think, enhances the overall forecast and overall health of the potential city."
Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Dennis C. Moss echoed that point.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a process where you can go through, and you can basically seek to get signatures of 20% of the area in order to bring that petition before the county commissioners,鈥� Moss said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 never been done. All of the incorporation campaigns were basically spearheaded by the champion commissioners for those particular areas.鈥�
Yvette McLeod, BCNA鈥檚 second vice president, expressed frustration over the perceived lack of cooperation from local leadership.
鈥淥ur commissioners won鈥檛 even allow us to be included in the study, and that鈥檚 all we鈥檙e asking for right now,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen it鈥檚 time for votes, they come to us, but when it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 going to benefit our community, we can鈥檛 get any cooperation, and that鈥檚 a shame.鈥�
Kilpatrick also raised concerns about fairness, citing a 2023 to annex Brownsville鈥檚 western edge.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see a petition from anybody from Hialeah,鈥� he noted. 鈥淢y thing is: give us the same opportunity.鈥�
Why now?
Two main factors are driving the interest in incorporation: the 2023 annexation attempt and the changing structure of county government. Kilpatrick pointed to rising costs, projected budget gaps and the expansion of constitutional offices as reasons to seek more localized control.
鈥淭here was a last year, and there are similar projections that are going to happen, and at some point, somebody鈥檚 going to have to pay the bill,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t just makes more sense now than ever to explore incorporation to make that burden a little less on the folks in our area.鈥�
That uncertainty, he added, has made residents more open to exploring the idea.
鈥淭he community has been a lot more responsive lately, simply wanting to know the costs and implications of incorporation,鈥� Kilpatrick said.
He also noted that Brownsville鈥檚 earlier exclusion was shaped by political and historical factors, including split commission districts and residents being satisfied with county services at the time.
鈥淭he folks in Brownsville at the time were very happy with the services,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey were very happy with everything, so they didn鈥檛 see the need for it at the time. But again, times have changed.鈥�
Moss, who served for more than two decades on the commission, added that his own views evolved as he realized the county's limitations.
鈥淚 finally came to the conclusion that the county can鈥檛 provide the same kinds of city services that good cities provide,鈥� Moss said. 鈥淎nd I say that not because the county is bad. It鈥檚 just that the county has so many responsibilities.鈥�
The cost of independence
The April 1 meeting included a presentation from the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) detailing the responsibilities of a new municipality.
A city would manage neighborhood-level infrastructure, including local road maintenance, drainage and street lighting, while the county would retain control over traffic signals and major county roads.
Kilpatrick highlighted the frustration of competing for resources.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get a street paved in your own neighborhood with taxes in your own neighborhood, because there鈥檚 a regional priority for unincorporated Dade,鈥� Kilpatrick said. 鈥淭o me, that鈥檚 enough motivation.鈥�
However, independence comes with a price tag. A budget comparison report showed that Unincorporated Miami-Dade鈥檚 municipal service area (UMSA) costs about $566 per resident, whereas Miami Gardens costs $983 and North Miami鈥檚 $1,499.
The report concluded that incorporation 鈥渄oes not appear to be a low-cost option,鈥� as residents would still pay county taxes on top of new municipal costs. At the same time, the report highlighted potential benefits, including more local decision-making, greater accountability and the ability to focus on neighborhood needs, such as code enforcement, beautification and economic development.
MAC member Miguel 鈥淪kip鈥� Quintero, who worked on the analysis, said the comparison was based on a multi-hour review of similar cities and that the proposed area most closely resembled Miami Gardens in population.
Still, supporters argue that the decision should ultimately rest with residents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about your independence,鈥� Kilpatrick said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about preserving the integrity of the neighborhood. It鈥檚 about preserving all that our pioneers before us have worked and built.鈥�
Identity, legacy and control
For many, the debate is about more than just tax brackets. Alfred McCullough, a resident since 1963, described the effort as essential to preserving the community.
鈥淥ver the years, there鈥檚 been a lot of cities that have been erased, and we鈥檙e trying to uphold that city to make sure that it doesn鈥檛 go away,鈥� he said.
His daughter, A.J. McCullough, added, 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 just like protecting our legacy, protecting our history. We have a lot of seniors in our neighborhood now that they fought longer and harder. Right now, they鈥檙e just at the age where they can鈥檛 fight anymore, and they鈥檙e at the risk of losing everything.鈥�
Her mother, Shirley McCullough, questioned the double standard regarding the petition requirement.
鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 have to fight for something that we really want,鈥� she said, adding that incorporation would ensure residents have more control over the dollars spent.
鈥淲e would have our own say in what is done, how the money is being distributed, because we would take care of our neighborhood,鈥� Shirley said. 鈥淪ome people are getting a whole lot while others are getting little or nothing, or getting the crumbs from the loaf.鈥�
Resident Samuel Williams noted that the Hialeah annexation attempt was a wake-up call.
鈥淚t helped us realize how much of a voice we want in our own neighborhood,鈥� he said.
Commissioner Marleine Bastien鈥檚 office will host a town hall meeting on April 9 at the Arcola Lakes Senior Center at 6 p.m. to listen to north central Dade residents' concerns. The next MAC meeting will take place on May 6, 2026.
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 .
