"And then, once we close it out, then by next year we start talking about the connection." Delroy Peters, the Miami Shores Public Works Director, said that to the Biscayne Times this summer. He expected the Shores Estates sewer project to be finished by December 2026.
That one sentence sets the order of events for anyone selling or buying one of the 99 homes in Shores Estates. The neighborhood sits roughly between the Miami Shores Country Club, NE 107th and 108th streets, Biscayne Boulevard and the Biscayne Canal. The pipes are in the ground. The pump station on the former Miami Shores Motel site at 10500 Biscayne Boulevard passed its testing in September. But no home can connect yet, and the assessment that pays for the system is already running. A house that sells this fall carries a sewer obligation that has started in some parts and not in others. A buyer walks into all of those moving parts, including the ones nobody has written down yet.
The Part That Started First: The Assessment
The project cost about $3 million and broke ground in June 2025. It is the first residential septic-to-sewer conversion in the Village's history. At a special meeting on September 15, 2025, the Village Council held a public hearing on a non-ad valorem wastewater assessment for Shores Estates. Citizen Portal's coverage of that meeting reported that the Council approved the assessment along with a 20-year financing plan. Staff said grants cover much of the construction, and residents carry roughly 25% of the total cost.
In August 2026, the Biscayne Times reported that homeowners were already being charged $1,163 a year per home for the new sewer lines, even though the system hadn't been switched on.
For a sale, this is the easiest piece to see and the easiest to misread. A charge financed over 20 years and adopted in 2025 has most of its term still ahead. A seller has been paying for a system they may never use. A buyer is stepping into the remaining years of payments for a system they will use. Who pays what, and how the payments are collected and split at closing, belongs in the contract. Confirm those mechanics with the Village and your closing agent. Don't assume them.
The Part That Hasn't Started: The Connection Clock
Florida law sets the deadline. Under Section 381.00655 of the Florida Statutes, the owner of a properly working septic system has to connect within 365 days of written notice that a public sewer is available. The utility also has to send notice of anticipated availability at least a year ahead. The Village's own project page says the same thing for Shores Estates. Residents will have one year to connect after the system is fully completed and placed into service, and the Village will tell everyone when that period begins.
That notice hasn't gone out. The Village's September update said plainly that the system is not yet open for residential connections. It also told residents not to start a connection or septic abandonment until the Village gives formal notice.
The written notice is what starts the one-year count. When it arrives compared with a closing date is a question for the buyer's and seller's attorneys to raise early, because the statute ties the deadline to the notice and not to the sale. North Miami will run the system once it's live, and the Village says North Miami's Sewer Department will set the connection timelines.
The Part Nobody Has Seen Yet: What Connecting Costs
Cost is the least settled piece of the conversion. The table shows where each part stood heading into the end of October 2026.
| Piece of the connection | Status in late October 2026 | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| North Miami utility connection charge | Homeowners won't be charged one, according to North Miami Assistant City Manager Katia M. Philippeaux | Biscayne Times, August 2026 |
| Leftover project money | Village Manager Esmond Scott said $1 million left over from the project would offset those costs | Biscayne Times, August 2026 |
| Assistance for connection and septic abandonment | State-sourced funds; how they're distributed is still being worked out with FDEP and needs Council approval | Village project page, September update |
| How the program works | Under consideration: a Village-managed program, or homeowners hiring their own licensed professionals | Village project page, September update |
| Program details | Still a draft as of October; Village said it planned to share details by the end of the month | Village project page, October update |
The first row is easy to read too broadly. "No connection charge" refers to the utility's fee. It doesn't cover the plumbing on the homeowner's side of the property line or closing out the old tank. The Village's own updates describe the available money as offsetting "a portion" of connection costs. As a reference point, Miami-Dade County's District 1 septic-to-sewer program page puts a typical homeowner's private-side connection at about $10,000 to $15,000. That estimate includes plumbing, septic abandonment, permits and fees. It's a countywide estimate, not a Shores Estates quote. It does show the size of the cost that the unfinished assistance program is meant to cover in part.
The work itself involves several agencies. The Village advises using a licensed contractor for septic abandonment. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection oversees it statewide, and the Miami-Dade office of the Department of Health handles permits and inspections. Building and plumbing permits for Shores Estates will go through Miami Shores, which is why the Village plans to publish its own process instead of pointing residents to North Miami's.
The Street Out Front Is Also Mid-Change
Buyers touring in late October will see unfinished work, and the reason is a scheduling change. The October update put milling and paving from NE 11th Court through NE 10th Court on the calendar for October 19 through 23. On NE 105th Street, the plan has narrowed. Crews will fix the sewer trench, potholes and other damage from the project, but the broader road and swale restoration is being left for a stormwater improvement project the Village describes as imminent. The temporary opening in the wall at the east end of NE 105th Street won't be rebuilt until that drainage work is done. The Village plans to propose a temporary barrier for now.
That adds a second project to the house's future. The Village hasn't given a start date, so it's one more thing a buyer should ask about directly.
Questions to Settle Before the Contract Is Signed
Because each piece of the conversion is on a different schedule, the useful questions are about dates and documents:
- Assessment. What is the current annual amount on this parcel, how many years remain under the 20-year plan, and how will the contract handle it at closing?
- Notice. Has the Village or North Miami sent written notice of availability? If so, on what date did the one-year period begin?
- Program. Has the Council approved the connection program? Has the seller signed up for the Village-managed option or told the Village they'll handle the work themselves? The September update asked residents to share that preference.
- Tank. When was the septic system last serviced? The house will rely on it until the connection is made.
- Street. Is this lot on NE 105th Street or near the east-end wall, where restoration has been put off until the drainage project?
Why This Matters Beyond 99 Homes
More than 90% of properties in Miami Shores still run on septic, according to the Village's 2022 strategic plan as reported by the Biscayne Times. Esmond Scott told the paper the next project would cover 240 homes in southeastern Miami Shores. At a meeting in June 2026, Citizen Portal reported that the Council discussed candidate boundaries including 12th Avenue to the bay and a corridor from 91st Terrace to 96th Street. Members asked for engineering and cost comparisons before choosing one. The Village's FY2026 proposed budget sets aside $5 million of $7 million in Clean Water Grants to start funding the second identified area.
Whichever area comes next, it will probably move through the same stages Shores Estates did: an assessment hearing, construction, a gap before connections open, a one-year connection deadline, and an assistance program decided along the way. How Shores Estates handles each stage is the clearest preview available.
FAQ
Can a Shores Estates homeowner connect to the sewer now? No. As of the Village's fall updates, the system wasn't open for residential connections, and residents were told to wait for formal notice before starting any connection or septic abandonment work.
Who runs the system once it opens? North Miami. Homes will connect to its wastewater infrastructure.
Where does the Village post project updates? On its Shores Estates Septic to Sewer Conversion page, which carries dated construction updates from Public Works. The department can be reached at 305.795.2210.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Assessments, deadlines and assistance terms can apply differently to each parcel, so please confirm your own situation with the Village, your attorney or your closing professional.
If you own in Shores Estates and want to know how the assessment, the connection timing and the street work might affect your sale price this season, Team Citron will go through each piece with you, one date at a time. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll build those details into the number.
