I never thought I would be asking for this kind of assistance because I’ve always tried to make sure that I was in a position to help others. But here I am. I need $30,000.00 to pay for a sewer line connection.

I have received a bill from Miami-Dade County, who has installed a water & sewer main line in the area and is charging a connection fee + interest. The letter allows only days to make the payment. If not paid, the amount due will grow to a point that we may eventually lose the property if we don’t act quickly. We are not without sewer services because we currently have a septic tank system. But the county is demanding that we pay the developer to connect to the sewer & water line.

WHO AM I? I am Pastor Dawn Carey, of The Holiness Church of Florida. I have always helped others. I lead a Church that is located in Goulds, FL. It is a small church in a very low-income area with some dedicated members. My husband and I saw the needs and felt we were being led to bring resources to the area. We prayed about it and were led to this small church building. The church came with many problems and needed a lot of refurbishing, physical labor and prayer. Like many other churches, the Covid-19 Pandemic caused us to close our doors and stop having services inside. So, we shifted gears and made it a base for food distributions, immunizations, open-air services, and many other services as we saw the needs arise. Our backyard is often the venue for many community events. We believe God has divinely positioned us to be in this community to help, and we do not hesitate to pitch in where there is a need.

THE PROBLEM: Developers have constructed housing developments all around the church property. It looks like they are trying to acquire the church property.

Fast-forward, Miami-Dade County upgraded the water & sewer services in this area. The county is allowed to demand that properties be required to connect to its water/sewer line and charge exorbitant fees plus interest at high rates that can force the owner out of the property, due to short deadlines for payment. This is the devastating situation we are dealing with.

It does not take a genius to understand that the county government is allowing these property developers to come in and take over properties and force the current owner(s) out of their property. Our greatest fear is that this is only the tip of a coming “iceberg,” wherein many other property owners will be forced out of their properties. Perhaps this is one of the reasons GOD has uniquely positioned us here. To make us aware of this issue, sound the alarm, and fight back with HIS help. Because of these deadlines, we are in need of immediate assistance. For our part, we are determined to do what we believe GOD is leading us to do.

We would be enormously grateful if you would help us raise $30,000.00, the needed amount, so we can retain control of our property (not allow it to fall in the hands of those who only want to profiteer, then leave) and fulfill our mission.

Thank you very much for whatever you can do