Police group attacks Pinecrest vote

Dividing Dade | Occasional Series

A week before Pinecrest residents vote on incorporation, opponents have come out of hiding to sway the election against forming a city.

One opponent is the Police Benevolent Association, the largest police union in the county, which counts Metro-Dade police officers among its members.

Seven areas in Dade County have begun the process of incorporation, including Pinecrest, Destiny, East Kendall and West Kendall. About 489 Metro police officers may be laid off if all seven communities form cities and take away tax money from the county, police officials said.

“From our perspective, we’re concerned about the number of police officers being laid off, but we also want to inform the community that just because they incorporate it doesn’t mean they’ll have more police, better police or more resources for law enforcement,” PBA President John Rivera said.

He said small cities might not be able to afford crime lab technicians and equipment for crime scenes.

Gary Matzner, a leader of the Pinecrest incorporation campaign, says those services won’t go away.

“Items like SWAT and the crime lab are specifically paid for with countywide taxes,” he said.

Police say they’re tired of being criticized by incorporation advocates. To counteract the critics, the PBA has written a six-page pamphlet and will mail it to Pinecrest homeowners.

“We’re just going to try to inform the people of Pinecrest that incorporation is not necessarily what it has been made out to be,” Rivera said. “We just want them to be informed before they make a final decision.”

The PBA pamphlet maintains that crime is decreasing, police response time has improved, a storefront Metro police station has been added in Pinecrest to increase presence, and a large police department has a vast amount of resources.

The literature also touches other issues, such as zoning. It says small zoning boards are easier for special interests to control, more government can result in higher taxes, and a small city code enforcement board may not get the results residents hope for.

Matzner said his group has not badmouthed the quality of police work or of the officers. The problem, he said, is not enough police presence in the area - even with the addition of the storefront station.

“We have never said police don’t do a good job,” he said. “We never had a bone to pick with them. The problem is that they’re not there.”

Matzner said Metro police are responding now because Pinecrest has cried out. “It’s the ultimate squeaky-wheel syndrome.”

He dismissed the pamphlet’s arguments on zoning boards.

“There is no better accountability than having people of the area control zoning,” Matzner said. “If he’s suggesting people who are elected by fellow neighbors are going to allow higher density, I think that’s ridiculous. He’s a policeman; he shouldn’t be commenting on zoning.”

Taxes don’t need to increase, Matzner said, because there is plenty of money already. But it is being spent on bureaucrats, he said.

As for code enforcement, Matzner said Key Biscayne has increased its code enforcement since its incorporation and the area shows it.

“I don’t believe incorporation will lose jobs because it will put more police on the streets,” Matzner said. “If he’s truly representing the Police Benevolent Association, the goal is to get more police hired and more police for his association.”

The PBA isn’t the only opponent to Pinecrest incorporation.

Kendall attorney Richard Friedman has written a five-page letter to business owners on U.S. 1 that includes fliers against incorporation.

Friedman’s literature says property taxes would increase, Metro police protection is good and start-up costs of a city would be too high.

Friedman, whose letter says he has lived 24 years in Pinecrest, could not be reached for comment last week because he was out of town, his secretary said Thursday.

Decision Day

Pinecrest residents will vote Sept. 19 on whether to form their own city. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. No one is allowed to campaign within 50 feet of a poll site.

The boundaries of Pinecrest are: Snapper Creek Canal and North Kendall Drive to Southwest 136th Street and from Red Road and Old Cutler Road (except for Coral Gables) to the east side of U.S. 1.

Documentary Page Labels

• Opening: PLEASE SEE PINECREST, 21.
• Continuation: PINECREST, FROM 3.

Editorial Checks

Preserve the opponents’ criticism and Gary’s responses with dated attribution. Projected layoffs, policing resources, taxes and zoning outcomes are campaign claims, not established effects. Obtain the PBA pamphlet, county service/tax records, referendum notice and official boundary map before using those claims as historical facts. The sidebar is historical voting information, not current election guidance. The opening’s “a week before” is retained as printed; do not silently alter it to reconcile the September10/19 dates. This is pre-vote reporting, not proof of approval or incorporation completion.