Mayor's State of the Village Address - 2006

April 20, 2006. Mayor Bob Oldakowski.

School reference only. See complete message below.

"As some of you know, I am a CPA -- and one of the things that I learned in accounting school is that when you spend money, you must get something of value in return. Each year, the people who live here pay about $80 million in property taxes.  Of that, more than 80 percent – or $64 million -- goes across the bridge –half of which goes to Miami-Dade Public Schools. It is a privilege to be a donor community.  We are people who take seriously our responsibility to the other people in our county and our state. But, we also believe in fairness. And fairness is a high school on Virginia Key. A high school close to home. As I have said many times, our teenagers have to go to Coral Gables High – which is 11 miles away.

Well, it looks as though we are well on our way. There is a growing enthusiasm as serious negotiations are picking up steam with Superintendent Rudy Crew and the Miami-Dade school board … as well as City and County officials. Equally as important, Village officials and I are participating in the development of the Virginia Key Master Plan. Understand that a new high school will not happen while I am your mayor. But I intend to leave a foundation upon which my successors will build this monument to future generations."

Read complete message here.