Black Grove Split In Final Miami Redistricting Vote

By Joseph Hawk, Staff Reporter, the Miami Times

Mar 24, 2022

In a last-minute reversal, the Miami City Commission voted to adopt the base map presented by De Grandy and Cody back in February, with one inclusion that returned Wharf Miami to Chairwoman Chrisitine King’s district, on a 3-2 vote. Commissioners Joe Carollo and Alex Diaz de la Portilla, joined King in voting for the plan, with Commissioners Manolo Reyes and Ken Russell voting against.

With this plan, the historically Black West Grove will end up divided between districts two and four. This vote came after a motion, which would have adopted changes suggested last meeting to keep the Grove whole, return Wharf Miami to district five and move portions of West Brickell into district 3, failed on a 1-4 vote, with only Russell voting for it.

The meeting began at 2:30 PM. Miguel De Grandy and Steve Cody presented the changes that individual commissioners had requested in private meetings with the consultants. According to the consultants, this plan would have satisfied all criteria. However before the first vote, Commissioners Diaz de la Portilla and Joe Carollo expressed concern over the future demographics of district three with the inclusion of the West Brickell area. With fears of the district possibly not being represented by a Hispanic commissioner, the vote was called for and eventually failed.

The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.