A Miami-Dade water and sewer project now budgeted at roughly $12.66 million, about 75 percent more than its original estimate, is at the center of a call for financial relief from businesses along Northwest 22nd Avenue. The Black Collective is holding a rally and demonstration Thursday, Oct. 22, at Famous Car Wash, 8255 NW 22nd Ave., where owner Eddie Young says daily sales have fallen from $400 to $700 down to about $75 to $130.
That change represents a decline of roughly 70% to 90%, depending on which figures are compared. Using the midpoint of each range, sales are down about 81%.
The group’s “Save Our Black Businesses” campaign is demanding immediate financial assistance, restored customer access and accountability for merchants affected by the prolonged construction. The roadwork is part of a Miami-Dade County water and sewer project along NW 22nd Avenue between NW 79th and NW 90th streets.
A $7.25 million project becomes a $12.66 million project
The project was originally budgeted at $7.25 million and scheduled for completion in June 2024. WLRN reported that unforeseen underground conditions and utility conflicts contributed to delays.
This year, the county approved an additional $5.41 million and a 1,000-day extension. The revised project budget is about $12.66 million, and the estimated completion date is March 17, 2027-nearly three years beyond the original target.
The increase is about 74.6% over the initial budget: $5.41 million in additional funding divided by the original $7.25 million. The revised schedule and funding appear in the county’s project memorandum.
The corridor work is part of a broader county septic-to-sewer program. The Miami Times reported that the $126 million initiative is intended to connect more than 1,000 businesses to the county sewer network. On NW 22nd Avenue, the work includes sewer connections and water-line upgrades.
The business math: lower sales, fewer workers
Famous Car Wash has operated along the corridor since 2016. Young’s reported daily sales range, as cited by WLRN and The Miami Times, fell from $400–$700 to $75–$130.
Comparing the midpoints, $550 before and $102.50 after, puts the daily sales decline at about $448. This is a comparison of reported sales, not a calculation of lost profit; it does not account for operating expenses or establish how much revenue the construction alone caused the business to lose.
Staffing also fell. Young said he reduced the workforce from 10 employees to four, a cut of six positions. The Miami Times reported that the business also faces ongoing expenses including rent, utilities and payroll.
Famous Car Wash received a $20,000 grant through the Northwest 79th Street Corridor Community Redevelopment Agency’s Business Interruption Relief Grant Program. Measured against the midpoint daily sales gap, that grant is equivalent to roughly 45 days of the difference, before expenses and without accounting for when the money arrived or how it was used. Advocates say one-time assistance does not bridge the losses businesses face during a construction delay lasting years.
Advocates want an independent loss analysis
The Black Collective is asking county leaders to create a commission that would complete an independent economic-loss analysis within 30 days. The group says the review should document projected losses across all affected businesses on the corridor, followed by compensation tied to revenue declines.
“Protecting Black-owned businesses must be a priority, and relief cannot wait while these businesses continue to struggle to survive,” the group said in a statement, according to WLRN.
The demand raises a practical question about how construction-related business interruption is measured and what assistance is available when access problems persist beyond the original construction schedule. The $20,000 grant to Famous Car Wash is a documented example of aid, but the available reports do not establish a countywide loss assessment or a compensation formula for businesses affected by this project.
Miami-Dade approved the additional funding and 1,000-day extension this year. As of WLRN’s Oct. 22 report, the county had not publicly responded to the Black Collective’s specific demand for compensation or its proposed independent analysis.
Completion is now estimated for March 2027
The next stated project milestone is the county’s estimated completion date: March 17, 2027. That date remains months away, leaving businesses on the corridor to navigate the construction period while the debate over relief continues.
For Famous Car Wash and its neighbors, the central issue is not only how much the public project costs or when the work will finish. It is how the effects of a prolonged schedule are measured, and who bears them while customers struggle to reach local businesses.
