Omni Mall, located in the center of Miami has long been an area affected by poverty. Throughout the past few decades, Omni and its surrounding area have received targeted tax assistance. Each year, the property tax that was collected in the Omni area was kept separate from other Florida funds. The money collected was used solely for the development of the poverty stricken area.
The separation of funds was meant to help the blighted area recover by transforming rundown buildings into prospering businesses and homes. Anyone currently living in, or working near, Omni Mall would say the program has been a success. There are now new condos, upscale restaurants, and well maintained parks in areas that were once known for high levels of drug use and homelessness.
Major retailers have announced plans to build new department stores and grocery stores in the area further assisting the areas economic growth. The latest triumph for the Omni redevelopment project is the addition of a casino to be built by the world renowned Genting Resorts World Miami. This latest triumph has also lead to a dispute among members of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency.
The Committee chair Commissioner Marc Sarnoff believes it is time to dismantle the committee. He feels that the millions of dollars in property taxes the casino will generate should be shared with the entire state. However, other committee members are concerned that the money generated will not be enough to offset the added burden of paying for the Omni area’s financial obligations.
Commissioner Francis Suarez has suggested an alternative to completely dismantling the agency. Instead of completely ending the redevelopment project, he suggests making it smaller and allowing the property tax revenue generated by new businesses (including the casino) to be placed in the general Miami city fund.
Some commissioners, and other Omni area residents, feel the redevelopment project is not complete. Though there have been many positive changes in the area, there are still parts of the project zone that do continue to need assistance.