The resolution, proposed by District 6 Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera, touts the once-and-future president's "many accomplishments" during his first term, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, "one of the largest tax cuts and tax reform bills in American history," and his work to "restore democracy and the rule of law across the world." It conveniently excluded President Trump's guilty verdicts on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial.
"President Trump exemplifies true public service, enduring immense scrutiny and relentless attacks — all in the name of serving the American people. He left behind a successful career as a businessman to serve our nation without asking for anything in return, tirelessly fighting for our families, livelihoods, and freedoms," Cabrera said in a press release.
"By naming Palm Avenue — a vital artery that runs through the heart of Hialeah and serves as a hub for local businesses and cultural identity — we are forever immortalizing President Trump's legacy," Cabrera went on to say. "Future generations who traverse this street will be reminded of his fight for the principles of freedom, prosperity, and opportunity."
In a story about the street renaming that was published on Monday, New Times suggested that the only speed bump to passage might come by way of District 2 Commissioner Marleine Bastien. Her district includes areas with large Haitian populations, including North Miami and North Miami Beach, where 72 percent of the electorate voted for Kamala Harris on November 5 — the most of the county's 13 districts.
At Tuesday's county commission meeting, the vote on the measure was a formality that would have gone by in seconds had it not been for Bastien, who stated for the record, "For the City of Hialeah's co-designation of Palm Avenue as President Donald Trump Avenue, I vote no."
With Bastien's "nay" on Item 3A11 registered as no vote, the resolution passed 9 to 1 as part of a consent agenda.
In response to a request for comment from New Times, Bastien's office sent the following statement regarding the newly minted co-designation:
"As a Haitian-born Miami-Dade County commissioner, I understand my responsibility as an elected official but also a symbol of what people can strive to be in this country. I believe we can be a community and a country that can treat each other with respect, despite any ideological differences. As someone wise would say, 'We can disagree without being disagreeable.' In recognition of the awesome responsibility I have to both my community and constituency, and the desire for greater civility in our politics, I could not in good conscience support this item."
Notably, no members of the public spoke in favor or against the resolution prior to passage.
A four-mile artery that terminates at Okeechobee Road to the south and Amelia Earhart Park to the north, Palm Avenue exists entirely within Hialeah's city limits, dividing the municipality's street-numbering system into its eastern and western halves. By the time the county commission took up the co-designation matter, city workers had already begun installing sidewalk-mounted blue signs to commemorate the renaming.
Now the street signs — the green kind, mounted over actual intersections — will reflect the change.
The Hialeah City Council member who sponsored renaming Palm Avenue after Trump at the city level monitored Tuesday's meeting with delight.
"I am very happy to hear that President Trump's street naming resolution was approved by the Board of County Commissioners," Councilman Jesús Tundidor tells New Times. "President Trump won about ten of the 13 commission districts [on November 5], illustrating broad support throughout Miami-Dade County. It was an honor to initiate this resolution in Hialeah, and we look forward to a great unveiling event in the future."
Resolutions for Miami-Dade County street co-designations often cruise through with a bipartisan green light.
A separate resolution at Tuesday's meeting co-designating a street naming for Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson Boulevard in Miami Gardens (NW 47th Avenue from 199th Street to 207th Drive), also passed as part of the consent agenda.
Miami-Dade County Trump Avenue Co-Designation Resolution
