A new pump station stands at 10500 Biscayne Boulevard, on the site of the former Miami Shores Motel. A force main runs from it across Biscayne Boulevard into the Village of North Miami's wastewater system. A gravity sewer line runs under the center of each street in Shores Estates, with a lateral already stubbed out toward every lot. As of the Village's October 2026 update, none of those houses had been connected yet.
The owners there are paying for the system anyway. In August, Biscayne Times reported that Shores Estates residents were being charged $1,163 a year per home for the new sewer lines, even though the system had not been switched on.
Miami Shores' first residential septic-to-sewer conversion shows how the move away from septic actually reaches a household. It comes as several costs, each due at a different time. A buyer looking at two similar Miami Shores houses at similar prices may be looking at two different future cost schedules, depending on where each house sits in that sequence.
The assessment comes before the hookup
Shores Estates covers 99 homes and two vacant parcels. It sits roughly between the Miami Shores Country Club, NE 107th and 108th streets, a shopping plaza anchored by Ross Dress for Less, Biscayne Boulevard and the Biscayne Canal. Construction started in June 2025, and Biscayne Times put the cost of the project at $3 million.
The money was arranged before any trench was dug. The Village Council scheduled a public hearing for September 15, 2025, on a non-ad valorem wastewater assessment for Shores Estates. The title of the resolution covers how the charge is calculated and divided among parcels, and it also provides for liens. Citizen Portal reported that the Council approved the assessment with a 20-year financing plan. Staff said grants cover much of the construction and residents will pay roughly 25% of the total cost, including the Village's match and the home hookups. A separate Citizen Portal report said staff told the Council that owners would get a one-time chance to prepay before the financing begins.
A 20-year schedule outlasts most ownership periods, so Florida law on these charges matters to buyers. Under Florida Statutes section 197.3632, a non-ad valorem assessment collected through the uniform method appears on the same combined notice as the property tax. If it goes unpaid, it is subject to the same tax certificate and tax deed procedures. Section 170.08 says special assessments confirmed under that chapter remain first liens on the assessed property until they are paid. In practice, an annual line item like this one goes with the parcel, not with the owner who was living there when the Council voted.
Then a 365-day clock starts
The second cost comes when the system goes into service. The Village has told Shores Estates residents they will have one year to connect once the system is complete and in service. The Village will tell residents when that period begins. That follows Florida Statutes section 381.00655. It requires a properly functioning onsite system to connect within 365 days of written notice that public sewer is available, and it requires at least one year's advance notice of when sewer service is expected.
The system is close. In September, the Village reported that the pump station had passed testing and that commissioning was in its final stages. It also told residents the system was not yet open for home connections and that they should not start connecting or abandoning their septic tanks until the Village gives formal notice. Public Works Director Delroy Peters told Biscayne Times the project should be finished by December 2026: "And then, once we close it out, then by next year we start talking about the connection."
So someone buying in Shores Estates this winter may close just before that notice goes out. In that case, the one-year connection window opens within weeks of closing, and the whole cost of connecting lands on the new owner.
Who pays for the connection is still being decided
In November 2025, the Village said it had secured public funding to offset the cost of connecting homes. Because the money is public, the Village said it would hire a single contractor for all connection work and run the program on an opt-out basis, so every eligible home is included unless the owner formally declines. By September 2026, the Village was considering a hybrid version. Residents could join a Village-managed program or hire their own licensed contractor, and the Village was still working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on how to use the funds.
In its August story, Biscayne Times reported that homeowners would not pay a connection charge, citing North Miami Assistant City Manager Katia M. Philippeaux. Village Manager Esmond Scott told the paper that staff could use $1 million left over from the project to cover those costs. The Village's own October 2026 update said the details of the connection program were still a draft and that the Village Manager and the Council would have to approve them before they are shared with residents. On October 19, Citizen Portal reported that residents asked the Council for a firm restoration schedule and for clarity on who pays for hookups. The work had originally been expected to finish in July 2026.
The table shows where each cost stood as of the Village's October 2026 update.
| Stage |
When it lands |
Status, October 2026 |
| Construction assessment |
Annually, already billing |
Reported at $1,163 per home on a 20-year plan |
| Notice of availability |
After commissioning and closeout |
Not yet issued |
| Connection deadline |
365 days after notice |
Clock not started |
| Connection and septic abandonment |
Within that year |
Program in draft, awaiting Council approval |
| Street and swale restoration |
Ongoing |
Scope reduced on NE 105th Street |
The last row has its own story. In October, the Village said a long-delayed stormwater project for Shores Estates had come close enough that it changed the restoration plan. On NE 105th Street, crews will repair only damage caused by the sewer work and will skip the broader road and swale restoration. The Village will also hold off on rebuilding the opening in the wall at the east end of the street and plans to propose a temporary barrier in the meantime. Milling and paving were scheduled for October 19 through 23, running from NE 11th Court to NE 10th Court.
What the work on the house involves
Some of the connection cost depends on the house itself. The Village's FAQ says the cost to abandon a septic system and connect depends on the property, including how far the house is from the sewer main and what plumbing changes are needed. Some homes have two septic systems. The Florida Department of Health's Miami-Dade septic tank office handles septic abandonment permits and inspections. Building and plumbing permits for Shores Estates will go through Miami Shores, and the City of North Miami will run the system.
For a general benchmark, Miami-Dade County's District 1 septic-to-sewer program estimates private-side work at about $10,000 to $15,000, covering plumbing, septic abandonment, permits and fees. It estimates another $15,000 to $20,000 for public infrastructure when a property is next to a sewer line but has no lateral. These are countywide figures, not a quote for Shores Estates. Shores Estates already has its laterals, and the Village has said a lateral cannot be moved once the main is built in front of a home. Where the lateral sits relative to a home's existing plumbing affects how long the private-side pipe has to be.
The rest of the Village is at the start of the same process
Shores Estates is a small part of Miami Shores. Biscayne Times, citing the Village's 2022 strategic plan, reported that more than 90% of properties in the 3.5-square-mile Village are on septic. Scott told the paper that the next conversion would cover 240 homes in southeastern Miami Shores.
That project is already in the budget. The FY27 adopted budget includes "Southeast Shores Septic to Sewer Design (Basin 11, Phase 1 - FDEP Grant Match)" at $725,000. That money pays for design, not construction. The Wastewater Fund shows $725,000 in DEP funding and a matching $725,000 transfer from the General Fund. The Village's FY26 budget message said $5 million of $7 million in Clean Water grants would start funding a second high-priority area. According to the September 8, 2026, budget message, the Septic-to-Sewer Master Plan was in quality review and expected to reach the Council by year-end.
That puts Miami Shores houses at three different stages. A house in Shores Estates carries a known assessment and a connection deadline that is coming soon. A house in the southeast design area has a project in the budget but no construction schedule yet. Most other houses in the Village have not started the process at all. Each of those houses comes with a different set of questions.
Questions to ask about a Miami Shores house
- Is the property in Shores Estates, in the southeast design area, or somewhere else in the Village?
- Does the most recent tax bill include a non-ad valorem wastewater assessment, and how many years are left on it?
- Has the Village sent written notice that sewer is available, and on what date?
- How many septic systems are on the property, and where is the sewer lateral relative to the house's plumbing?
- Has the seller enrolled in the Village's connection program or opted out?
FAQ
Can a Shores Estates owner connect now?
No. As of the Village's October 2026 update, the system was not open for home connections, and the Village had told residents to wait for formal notice before starting work.
Will the sewer project fix flooding in Shores Estates?
The Village describes it as a sanitary sewer project, not a stormwater project. Its FAQ says the project will reduce sewer backups during flood events but will not change the neighborhood's overall flooding conditions. A separate drainage project is planned.
Who can answer questions about the project?
The Miami Shores Public Works Department, at 305-795-2210, handles questions about the project.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Before acting, confirm the assessments, deadlines and obligations for a specific property with a real estate attorney, a tax professional or the Village.
If you are buying or selling in Miami Shores, CASA Collection Group can pull the assessment history and septic status on a specific property and build both into pricing and contract terms before you commit. Schedule a free consultation.
