Naranja Lakes CRA Board Meeting: Transition, Leadership, and Infrastructure Resolutions - May 5, 2026
Naranja Lakes CRA Board Meeting: Transition, Leadership, and Infrastructure Resolutions - May 5, 2026
The Board of County Commissioners, acting as the Naranja Lakes Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), held its first meeting on May5,2026 to address the transition of CRA governance from a citizen board to the BCC, establish operating proceedures, and pass resolutioins to combat sum and blight. Key discussions centere d on leadership struggle, comunication failures, and the need for resident engagement.
Key Discussions
- CRA Status Update (Special Item1): Chairman Anthony Rodriguez ex pressed frustration that nether administration nor the CRA executive director had contacted him in three months since the BCC took over in February. The executive director stated she had been in contact with the county attorney's office but was unclear on direction. Commission Hardeman emphasized disting uishing between the BCC role and CRA role, advocating for meetinsg in Naranja Lakes at times accessible to residents.
- Leadership & Quorum: After ex tended debate, the board passed a motio n by Commissioner Gilbert to set the quorum at5, meet every other month in Naranja Lakes, and establish co- chairs from Districts 8(Danielle Cohen Higgins) and9(Vice Chair Kionne McGee ) who will set the agenda jointly. The motion passed; Commissioner Hardeman voted against the quorum reduction.
- Public Input: Lieutenant Ferguson of the Miam-i Dade Sheriff's Office expressed full support for the community policing innovation item.
Key Outcomes
- Special Item2(Potholes & Infrastructure): Adopted as amended. The resolution requests the county mayor identify and repair potholes on all roadways within the CRA area, using CRA funds. An amendment by Vice Chair McGee added: lighting, tree trimming, pavement, septic-to-sewer for low-income seniors, dedicated bike lanes, and sidewalks. An additional amendment by Commissioner Regalado added an assessment of water /sewer/stormwater infrastructure. The board extended the implementation timeline to90-120 days for the assessment.
- Special Item3(Community Policing Innovation): Adopted as amended. Requests a policy with MDSO; an amendment added installation of additional shot spotter gunfire detection systems, increased neighborhood resource officers, and illegal dumping response teams.
- Special Item4(Roadside Cleanup & Landscaping): Adopted as amended. Requests the county mayor utilize Greater Miami Services Corps for the work, with a savings clause allowing county employees/contracts if needed.
- Adjournment: The CRA meeting was adjourned, and the regular BCC meeting resumed.
All votes on the resolutions were unanimous after amendments, except the quorum vote which saw one dissent.
Meeting Transcript
Agency status update. Yes, and this is my item. I added this item to the agenda, and I uh I just and and I had a had a discussion with the administration yesterday, and I I mentioned to them that I'd be bringing this up. There's so yes, Commissioner. Okay, I mean I guess we could you could call her up on a specific item if anything. So look, I've uh I'll I'll recognize those colleagues of mine that wish to speak, especially the two, I think two, maybe three, but the two commissioners that that have a uh more of an interest. We all have a vested interest, but more of more of an interest uh as they represent some of these districts uh here in a in a minute, I'm sure they both may want to opine. But my concerns are more we did this, we we we took over the CRA as the board of county commissioners back in February. To date, really till yesterday, no one has reached out to me as the chair of the board. So I had a conversation with the administration, they had been doing they they said to me they have been doing what they were asked to do per the item or the motion that uh that reverted the item that reverted the CRA uh back to this board uh of county commissioners. Uh but I'm just in awe that as a chair of the board up until just last week that you guys saw an item on the agenda is when you all finally reached out to my team to brief us. It's been three months. I find issue with that. My question to the director if you can approach the well is and I may have a few, but I I I may hold back just to allow the the district commissioners to air out their concerns. My my question is I have I have concerns with the fact that two different entities have not reached out to me in three months. One is the administration, but we spoke about that, and I won't get back into it today more than what I've just said. The other one is is there still an executive director, or is that now has that been taken over automatically by the administration? Sure. Good morning, Mr. Chair, Ray Baker, director, office of management and budget. Uh to your one of the questions, there is still an executive director for the former Naranja Lake CRA that is still under contract. The former, what do you mean by the former Naranja Lakes? Isn't it the same CRA? It's the Naranja Lake CRA now being governed by this board of county commissioners, previously governed by a citizen director. Yeah. Simplify it for me. Or is there not? Yes, there's currently an executive director under contract. Okay. And I I forget her name. I know it's the young lady or lady that has come here before. I don't know if she's in the room today. Is she here today? She is. I I don't know if you I mean my answer is the same that I just asked the administration. And I won't I won't uh you know dive deep into it. Just you know, for three months, I have been the chair of this CRA, and as the executive director, you've not reached out to me, you've not informed me of I mean you report up to this body now, you report up to me as the chair of the board. Is there a reason you haven't reached out? I mean, isn't it kind of your job to keep us informed with the day-to-day operations or anything that we need to know? Yeah, absolutely. And I'm speaking to the executive director now of this of the CRA. Because you said there's still an executive director. And I and I won't like this isn't going to be a line of questioning for you. I'm not looking, I I just I want to know like is it that you just thought the administration was handling it, like what I mean, whatever it is. I just I don't understand how as a new chair of the board of the CRA board, uh, for three months, no one has reached out to me to inform me as to what is going on with the CRA, not the director of OMB, not you as the executive director of the CRA. So what what what is going on? I mean Mr. Chairman, important information. Uh I I yes, you you may, yes. I don't think we have a chair of the CRA board currently.
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