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80 RVs found in one area as Miramar weighs housing crackdown. Here’s what to know

By Produced using AI, based on original work by Luisa Yanez
The city of Miramar is planning to pass an ordinance to stop RV rentals in residential neighborhoods.
The city of Miramar is planning to pass an ordinance to stop RV rentals in residential neighborhoods. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com

As Miramar city commissioners prepare for a final vote on an ordinance aimed at cracking down on recreational vehicles being used as homes in residential neighborhoods, the full scope of the problem is coming into focus.

In preparation for the May 20 vote, Miramar police have been identifying hotspots across the city, including one neighborhood where cops say 80 RVs are parked outside homes.

“RVs have been identified as rental housing and they are popping up almost all across the city,” according to Miramar Police Commander Ricardo Collings, who is assigned to bring them into compliance once the ordinance passes.

FULL STORY: Miramar eyes crackdown on RVs being used as homes in residential neighborhoods

The neighborhoods most impacted, Collings recently told commissioners, are within the eastern part of the city in Historic Miramar, known as Zone 4, which is bounded on the north by Pembroke Road, on the south by County Line Road, on the east by Florida’s Turnpike and on the west by University Drive.

Fed-up residents had strong words about the growing RV problem during a recent Miramar City Commission meeting. Rodents attracted by makeshift sewer lines, blocked streets and a “truck-stop” feel to neighborhoods were among the complaints commissioners heard.

A map showing where RVs are parked in residential neighborhoods in Miramar.
A map showing where RVs are parked in residential neighborhoods in Miramar.

Officials say the spread of RV living is no longer isolated, and many believe it is already reshaping neighborhoods.

“People have turned their residential lot into a multi-family parcel when it was designed as a single-family use,” Collings told commissioners.

He also underscored how widespread the issue has become: “What I’m showing you is just a small cross section of one zone. There’s a plethora.”

Mayor Wayne M. Messam said he understands that current economic conditions have led to this, but it must be stopped.

Miramar resident Charlene Cooper, who lives on South Hampton Road, said she was in strong support of the ordinance cracking down on RVs.

“Across the city, homes are starting to look less like homes and more like truck stop parking lots or storage yards. ... There is a decline in our quality of life,” she told commissioners.

Here are key takeaways:

  • The proposed ordinance: Sponsored by Commissioner Yvette Colbourne, the measure would amend Miramar’s parking and zoning code to bar RVs from being used as homes in residential areas and create a formal RV registration process.
  • Why now: City officials say property owners have been bypassing rules by placing RVs on residential lots and renting them out, driven in part by South Florida’s high cost of living.
  • Police concerns: Miramar police said the existing code is being circumvented and misused by RV rental housing, straining utilities, parking and calls for service.
  • What changes: The amendment would require the registration of RVs and allow the city to inspect and regulate unauthorized additions to deter neighborhood deterioration. It implements a fine of $300 for violators, plus an additional daily fine until in compliance.
  • Next steps: Commissioners approved the measure 5-0 on its first reading on April 22. The measure now returns for final approval at the May 20 City Commission meeting.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.