Of note: A county transportation spokesperson tells Axios no zoning impacts are anticipated for the city.

Both residents and commissioners have expressed concerns about the potential that the county imposes higher-density zoning along the transit line.

'The county needs to look at all options here, which it has failed to do,' Carr said.īetween the lines: Some Miami Beach commissioners also seem hesitant to support the project at this time, saying they need more information about the solicitation for proposals and renderings.

He and other residents created a website that proposes relocating the Baylink to span the Julia Tuttle Causeway and 41st Street.

Carr tells Axios he fears the Baylink proposal, which would extend across Fifth Street to Washington Avenue, would create an eyesore at the entrance to South Beach.

Yes, but: Some residents like Tim Carr, president of the Bentley Bay Condominium Association in South Beach, want the county to consider other routes.

The project is expected to be put out for bid this year, ahead of a County Commission vote set for 2024, the Miami Herald reported.

It replaced a more expensive monorail project that would have followed a similar route.

Higgins and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the estimated $1 billion Baylink proposal to extend the county-run Metromover to South Beach in November.

But some residents living along the proposed line - including on Fisher Island and the South of Fifth neighborhood - worry the project is being rushed and that it may attract crime.Ĭatch up fast: For decades, county studies have envisioned linking the mainland to the Beach with mass transit across the MacArthur Causeway.

There is no place to build more roads, the only solution is public transportation,' County Commissioner Eileen Higgins tells Axios.

'It's very obvious, we live in a traffic nightmare.Why it matters: Traffic in and around Miami Beach is a headache for motorists, and especially those who rely on county buses that regularly hit capacity during rush hour and skip stops. The proposed Metromover extension connecting downtown Miami and South Beach has been hailed by supporters as a fix for the gridlock along the MacArthur Causeway, but some residents are pushing back on the project.

Miami public transit