MIAMI LAKES — Mayor Josh Dieguez delivered the Town of Miami Lakes’ 2025 State of the Town on Dec. 5, emphasizing restored parks funding, expanded public-safety investments and several infrastructure wins secured with state and federal partners.

Dieguez opened the address by noting the town’s 25th anniversary and thanking volunteers, staff and visiting officials including State Senator Renee Garcia. He said the council voted this year to restore parks funding to “nearly pre‑COVID levels” and that a midyear budget amendment he sponsored and colleagues approved fully funded phases 1 and 2 of the town’s parks capital improvements program to upgrade furniture, signage and equipment.

Why it matters: Dieguez framed parks as a core municipal amenity and said restoring those expenditures follows several years of austerity; he said the investments are intended to maintain green spaces, playgrounds and smaller pocket parks used by families across Miami Lakes.

On public safety, the mayor credited coordinated efforts between town leadership and the Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office for what he described as the town’s lowest crime rate in at least 11 years. "We are now spending about $12,000,000 in public safety," Dieguez said, calling it the highest public‑safety allocation in town history and pointing to expanded visible patrols, holiday enforcement operations and specialized burglary and speeding details.

Dieguez also reviewed transportation and drainage projects. He said the town secured more than $1.6 million for roads and drainage and that Congressman Mario Diaz‑Balart committed $1 million toward drainage improvements on Big Cypress Drive. On the long‑running Northwest 59th Avenue project, the mayor said demolition of an acquired building will begin within weeks; he reported the project is about 60% through engineering design with structural drawings at roughly 30% and said the road will shorten emergency response times and improve access to businesses in the northeast quadrant of town.

The mayor said he and staff are restarting discussions with the Greater Miami Expressway Authority about study funding to explore an additional expressway connection from NW 67th Avenue to relieve traffic on the Palmetto Expressway and local avenues.

Other items Dieguez announced included a council vote to study creating a municipal tree farm to supply replacement trees for the town’s swales and streetscapes and a renewed push in Washington for a dedicated Miami Lakes ZIP code; Dieguez said the measure passed the U.S. House and is awaiting committee work in the U.S. Senate.

Awards and recognition were part of the evening. The Gonzales family was named Volunteer Family of the Year; town manager Edward Peterman presented the Employee of the Year award to Gabriela Escobar for work in accounts payable and liaison roles; and Major Gonzales was honored on his retirement with a key to the town for his years leading public‑safety initiatives.

What’s next: Dieguez said residents should expect additional legislation related to parks programming, proposals to bring passport services to town hall and a budgetary focus on finding alternative revenue sources to reduce reliance on property taxes. He closed by urging continued civic participation as the town seeks to build on its 25 years of self‑governance.

Attribution: Direct quotes and program details are from the mayor’s Dec. 5 State of the Town address, as recorded in the town event transcript.