Why We Incorporated

Tim Meerbott's Story

Mayor Tim Meerbott has lived in Cutler Bay since he was a baby. He was part of the first Town Council when Cutler Bay incorporated, serving as a Council Member from 2006 until 2010. He is currently the Town’s 5th Mayor since being elected in 2018.

The Cutler Ridge that I grew up in was a strong, working-class community. In 1965, my dad was transferred to work as a manager at Baker’s Shoe Store in Dadeland Mall. Like many others, my parents settled in Cutler Ridge for its affordable prices and the pleasant, warm community. Neighbors looked out for one another and it was a great place to raise a family.

Growing up in Cutler Ridge, my childhood consisted of getting on a bike and exploring the open woods that surrounded us, playing kickball until the sun went down, and countless baseball seasons that cultivated friendships that continue to this day.

Most folks living in Cutler Ridge were involved in the community somehow, whether it was through sports, church or a local organization. This involvement created deep bonds among residents and developed a strong sense of pride in our community.

When the time came for me to raise my own family, it was an easy decision on where my wife and I wanted our children to grow up in. I wanted my children to experience the same wholesome and positive childhood that I had.

But as Cutler Ridge grew, so did the needs of our Town. The County was not responding to the needs of our growing community. Many decisions, or lack thereof, were being made that would negatively impact our residents. Those in charge did not have to deal with the consequences and negative impacts of their decisions, but residents did. And, as a result, the idea to incorporate was born.

When we made the decision to incorporate, it was about putting people in charge that live in and care about our community. It was about having a government within reach that is responsive to the needs of its residents. It was about preserving the wonderful community that we all knew and loved.

From the very first Council since the Town’s incorporation, every Town elected official has done a wonderful job at maintaining the interests of our community at the forefront. The remarkable Council that I am currently part of continues to identify the needs of our community and put those first, just as our predecessors did. Even when we differ in opinion, we respect one another and recognize that we each bring a unique perspective and strength to the table and we are all working toward the same goal: to make Cutler Bay a great place to live, work and play.

Since incorporation, our streets and services have improved, our police presence has grown, and our community has been at the helm of our destiny.

We still have a lot more work to do as we face some of the biggest challenges that require multiple, creative solutions—such as recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding ways around traffic congestion, and bringing more jobs closer to home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world on a very bumpy ride for the last several months. But, as the proverb goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and we’ve been working on that. We’re finding new ways to continue our everyday lives. We’ve temporarily permitted businesses to expand their dining areas to their exteriors to compensate for the reduced seating capacity they must follow, and we’re looking at all the ways we can continue our municipal services through virtual and contactless methods. There’s still lots more to work to do, but we are continuously looking at innovative ways to keep our community going strong.

The Town Council and I are actively recruiting businesses, we’re not just waiting for them to find us. We know that we have a strong and diverse workforce that can meet the needs of making Cutler Bay the business hub of the south. We also know that by bringing jobs south, it would reduce the amount of cars heading north every morning… residents who would gladly give up their hour-long commute to work for a job closer to home. We are working with the County and with our neighboring municipalities to find creative solutions for traffic congestion. Traffic is a county-wide problem that requires all parties involved to find a solution together.

We are also in the midst of an exciting time for our community. Since incorporation, every Council has looked for ways to preserve the few green spaces still vacant within Town borders, as well as to locate and create a central community gathering place.

In January of this year we completed the “land swap” deal, swapping the land and building our Town Hall currently sits on along with the adjacent property, for the 16-acre parcel located along Old Cutler Road and SW 212 Street. The vision for this land is to combine both ideas aforementioned—to preserve green space AND to make it a gathering point of our community or, what I like to call, our “Central Park,” that will be the crown jewel of South Miami-Dade.

This November marks 15 years since the incorporation of Cutler Bay—15 years since we decided to shape our own community, instead of letting it be shaped through decisions made at a distant County level. We made the right decision in 2005.

I welcome you to explore the history of this Town through this special 15-year anniversary publication, to join us in recognizing all that we’ve accomplished so far, and to celebrate all the exciting projects we will soon be taking on!