Pembroke Pines forges ahead with public projects spending

The city of Pembroke Pines isn’t backing away from its planned upgrades to parks and municipal buildings and a slew of public construction projects, despite the recession. Among the sites that will see improvements are Flanagan High School’s locker rooms, Paul J. Maxwell Park at 1200 SW 72nd Avenue and building facades in the eastern portion of the city. Mayor Frank Ortis’ strategy is to create construction jobs, but some residents, whose property taxes have increased in the face of declining revenues for the city, are not on board. “The property tax increase has made things more difficult. The common guy is getting nickle-and-dimed,” said resident Dennis Donohue. The city is using the remaining $21.5 million from a $100 million bond measure approved by voters in 2005 to pay for some of the projects, and is hoping that its City Center project will generate additional tax revenue. Pas Media and the Studios of the Americas are currently in talks to redevelop a 58-acre portion of the site into a $600 million entertainment complex with movie studios and two hotels. [Miami Herald]

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