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RESOLUTION RENAMING THOSE PORTIONS OF OLD DIXIE HIGHWAY FROM SOUTHWEST 304TH STREET TO SOUTHWEST 146TH COURT, SOUTHWEST 232ND STREET TO SOUTHWEST 218TH STREET, AND SOUTHWEST 98TH STREET TO DATRAN BOULEVARD AS �HARRIET TUBMAN HIGHWAY�; RENAMING THAT PORTION OF WEST DIXIE HIGHWAY FROM NORTHEAST 163RD STREET TO NORTHEAST 215TH STREET AS �HARRIET TUBMAN HIGHWAY�; URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO RENAME THAT PORTION OF WEST DIXIE HIGHWAY/STATE ROAD 909 FROM NORTHEAST 119TH STREET TO NORTHEAST 163RD STREET AS �HARRIET TUBMAN HIGHWAY�; URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO RENAME THAT PORTION OF SOUTH DIXIE HIGHWAY/U.S. ROUTE 1/STATE ROAD 5 FROM THE MIAMI-DADE/MONROE COUNTY LINE TO STATE ROAD 9A/I-95 NORTHBOUND AS �HARRIET TUBMAN HIGHWAY[MJ(1][CN(2]�; URGING THE CITY OF HOMESTEAD TO RENAME THAT PORTION OF OLD DIXIE HIGHWAY FROM SOUTHWEST 312TH STREET TO SW 304TH STREET AS �HARRIET TUBMAN HIGHWAY�; APPROVING THESE RENAMINGS; AND URGING APPLICABLE MUNICIPALITIES TO JOIN IN APPROVAL OF THESE RENAMINGS

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WHEREAS, the unconquerable American hero, Harriet Ross Tubman, was an abolitionist and political activist who dedicated her life to the universal plight for freedom for all; and
WHEREAS, born enslaved as Arminta �Minty� Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland around March of 1822, Ms. Tubman would go on to change both her name and caste as she unapologetically proclaimed her right to liberty by successfully escaping the bonds of slavery; and
WHEREAS, for Ms. Tubman, freedom for oneself was insufficient when others remained in bondage; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Tubman exemplified the importance and reach of the �power of one� by risking her life to return to the horrors of bondage over 13 times during an 11-year period, in order to lead countless others to freedom in spirit and in truth; and
WHEREAS, known as the Moses of her people, Ms. Tubman helped to establish and mobilize the Underground Railroad, comprised of a network of abolitionists and safe houses that provided enslaved individuals with a passage to freedom; and
WHEREAS, for the Underground Railroad, Ms. Tubman was the Conductor who is said to have never �lost a passenger�; and
WHEREAS, it is undeniable that Ms. Tubman was a Renaissance woman in every sense of the phrase; and
WHEREAS, her bravery extended beyond the perils of the Underground Railroad, as she was the first documented woman to lead an armed assault during the Civil War, where she also served as a nurse, and intelligence operative for the Union Army; and
WHEREAS, she also solidified her place on the frontlines of the Women�s Suffrage Movement, where she boldly advocated for women�s right to vote; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of her immeasurable contributions to the fabric of this nation,
this Board would like to honor the memory, legacy, and tenacity of Ms. Harriet Ross Tubman, who died on March 10, 1913, as well as take a staunch proactive stance on the necessary eradication of the lingering markers within Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida which continue to celebrate a painful history of systemic racism including Old Dixie Highway, West Dixie Highway, and South Dixie Highway by:
1. Renaming that portion of Old Dixie Highway from Southwest 304th Street to Southwest 146th Street, Southwest 232nd Street to Southwest 218th Street, and Southwest 98th Street to Datran Boulevard as �Harriet Tubman Highway�;
2. Renaming that portion of West Dixie Highway from Northeast 163rd Street to Northeast 215th Street as �Harriet Tubman Highway�;
3. Urging the Florida Legislature to rename that portion of West Dixie Highway/State Road 909 from Northeast 119th Street to Northeast 163rd Street as �Harriet Tubman Highway�/[MJ(3]State Road 909;
4. Urging the Florida Legislature to rename that portion of South Dixie Highway/U.S. Route 1/State Road 5 from the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line to State Road 9A/Interstate 95 Northbound as �Harriet Tubman Highway�/U.S. Route 1/State Road 5; and
5. Urging the City of Homestead to rename that portion of Old Dixie Highway from Southwest 312th Street to Southwest 304th Street as �Harriet Tubman Highway�; and
WHEREAS, under its present moniker, Dixie represents a troubling time in our nation�s past, marred by the inhumane celebration and unconscionable profit of the perils of racism, segregation, and the atrocities of slavery; and
WHEREAS, it is unquestionable that �Dixie�s� toxic history runs deeply through the veins of this country, as its racist roots date back to the 19th century and the deplorable comedic movement of blackface minstrelsy and would become the rallying cry and unofficial anthem of the Confederacy during the Civil War as they fought to uphold an institution that enslaved and tortured countless African Americans; and
WHEREAS, it is only fitting that Dixie�s current nomenclature be replaced by the matchless legacy of a warrior whose heroic and selfless fight for freedom and justice has served the best interests of Miami-Dade County, the state of Florida, and the nation, and has undoubtedly provided a direct and significant impact on Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, because portions of Old Dixie Highway and West Dixie Highway encompass Miami-Dade County roadways, this Board has the authority to rename those roads; and
WHEREAS, because portions of West Dixie Highway/State Road 909 and South Dixie Highway/U.S. Route 1/State Road 5 are state roads, the Florida Legislature would be required to rename those roads; and
WHEREAS, section 334.071, Florida Statutes, provides that the erection of markers for state road designations shall be contingent upon the appropriate city or county commission passing a resolution in support of the particular honorary designation; and
WHEREAS, those portions of West Dixie Highway/State Road 909 from Northeast 119th Street to Northeast 163rd Street and South Dixie Highway/U.S. Route 1/State Road 5 from the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line to State Road 9A/Interstate 95 Northbound are state roads located within unincorporated Miami-Dade County, the City of North Miami Beach, Florida City, the City of Homestead, the Town of Cutler Bay, the Village of Palmetto Bay, the Village of Pinecrest, the City of South Miami, the City of Coral Gables, and the City of Miami; and
WHEREAS, these renamings are located in County Commission Districts 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9[MJ(4],
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. After a public hearing, renames those portions of Old Dixie Highway from Southwest 304th Street to Southwest 146th Street, Southwest 232nd Street to Southwest 218th Street, and Southwest 98th Street to Datran Boulevard as �Harriet Tubman Highway�.
Section 2. After a public hearing, renames West Dixie Highway from Northeast 163rd Street to Northeast 215th Street as �Harriet Tubman Highway�.
Section 3. Urges the Florida Legislature to rename that portion of West Dixie Highway/State Road 909 from Northeast 119th Street to Northeast 163rd Street as �Harriet Tubman Highway�, and approves such renaming.
Section 4. Urges the Florida Legislature to rename that portion of South Dixie Highway/U.S. Route 1/State Road 5 from the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line to State Road 9A/ Interstate 95 Northbound as �Harriet Tubman Highway�/U.S. Route 1/State Road 5 and approves such renaming.
Section 5. Urges the City of Homestead to rename that portion of Old Dixie Highway from Southwest 312th Street to Southwest 304th Street as �Harriet Tubman Highway� and approves such renaming.
Section 6. Urges the City of Florida City, City of Homestead, Town of Cutler Bay, Village of Palmetto Bay, Village of Pinecrest, City of South Miami, City of Coral Gables, and the City of Miami to join in these renamings.
Section 7. Directs the Clerk of the Board to send certified copies of this Resolution to the Governor, the Senate President, the House Speaker, the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Florida City,
the Mayor and City Council of the City of Homestead, the Mayor and Town Council of the Town of Cutler Bay, the Mayor and Council of the Village of Palmetto Bay, the Mayor and Village Council of the Village of Pinecrest, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of South Miami, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Coral Gables, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of South Miami, the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami, the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, the United States Postal Service, the Traffic Signals and Signs Division of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, the Development Services Division of the Regulatory and Economic Resources Department, the Florida City Police Department, the Homestead Police Department, the Palmetto Bay Village Police Department, the Pinecrest Police Department, the South Miami Police Department, the Coral Gables Police Department, the Coral Gables Fire Department, the City of [MJ(5]Miami Police Department, and the City of Miami Fire-Rescue Department.
Section 8. Directs the County�s state lobbyists to advocate for the legislative action set forth in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2020 State Legislative Package to include this item and, if applicable, to include this item in the 2021 State Legislative Package when it is presented to the Board.