In Latest Contribution to Miami-Dade Police Department, Milton Family Creates a Stable Home For Mounted Patrol Unit

For 14 years, a section of stables at Tropical Park’s Ronald Reagan Equestrian Center went unused, except as a storage space for landscaping tools, broken cabinets, dusty boxes stuffed with papers, and other assorted detritus jam-packed to the ceiling.

The center was the home of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit until 2009, when the U.S. financial crisis forced deep budget cuts, and the unit was slashed. There were several attempts in subsequent years to bring it back but each one fell short. By the time the Department finally did get approval, in 2022, the stables had fallen into disrepair.

The Department did not have to look far to find a local family company capable of pumping new life into the 20 stalls. It is the same firm that first partnered with the Department more than 30 years ago and has continued to contribute through monetary donations, fundraising events, sponsorships, and restoration projects.

“This was really a labor of love for our family, we love horses, we love our police, and we think that the marriage of horses and police and community policing, is perfect,” said Mrs. Ana VeigaMilton, president of the José Milton Foundation, the philanthropic arm of José Milton & Associates, one of South Florida’s leading developers and managers of rental communities and other commercial properties. The company was established in 1965 by the late José Milton, who, along with blueprints and shovels, brought to work a philosophy of giving back to the community.

It took several weeks for two Mounted Patrol Unit officers to clear out the stalls, revealing crumbling and uneven floors, cracked woodwork, and rusted ironwork. After months of work, the stalls had undergone a dramatic transformation, thanks to the José Milton Foundation. Eight of the stalls were converted into utility rooms and a tack room for storage and maintenance of saddles, bridles, and other riding equipment. The unit’s on-site workspace was updated to include air conditioning and a new floor. The roof and doors of the entire section were restructured, sanded, primed, and repainted. The gravel floors were excavated and leveled for proper drainage. Misting systems were attached to the stalls to cool down the horses and to dispense mosquito repellent when necessary.

Ms. Maria Nardi, the Director of the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, said during the Grand Reveal press conference on August 30, 2023, “This is just one great example, that with partnerships and donations like we are seeing here today, from the Milton family, we can see extraordinary improvements that will be long-lasting, and will contribute greatly to the common goals and mission and vision that we have to build an extraordinary community.”

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during that event that the Milton family has a “special spot in their heart for law enforcement” and that the family was not content to just restore the site, but that it wanted to create a facility that would serve as a model for other equestrian centers across the country. “What we have here today, is not just a restored stables, but a whole new standard for care for our horses and the mounted patrol,” Mayor Levine Cava said.

The family’s support of the Department began in the early 90’s with sponsorship of several fundraising golf tournaments organized by the Police Officer Assistance Trust, which raises money for the families of officers killed in the line of duty, and for officers who have experienced debilitating injuries of sickness that prevents them from working. The foundation also sponsored several 5K races that raise money for POAT. The support has since grown beyond Donations and fundraising events.

When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit in 2020, the family donated 5,000 specially designed masks to the department, along with a $25,000 check to POAT. On that same day, June 9, 2020, Ms. VeigaMilton learned of another way the family could help the Department. As she was leaving headquarters, she got a call from a longtime family friend, Miami-Dade Police Department Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Hernandez. Over the years, Mr. Hernandez had served as a liaison between the Department and the family, acting as a facilitator. Mrs. VeigaMilton returned to headquarters that day for a tour, and after seeing the worn-out condition of three breakrooms, she resolved to give them a makeover. The rooms were heavily used. Staff ate lunch there, personnel took breaks to recharge, and officers and victim advocates occasionally met with families. On September 13, 2021, the newly remodeled rooms were unveiled, with new granite counters and cabinetry provided by Legacy Cabinets, operated by brothers Alec and Eric Milton, Junior Board members of the José Milton Foundation, new appliances and furniture, domino tables, and flat-screen televisions. The family again presented a $25,000 check to POAT.

The family also sponsors a military appreciation luncheon to recognize members of the Armed Forces prior to Veterans Day. The Department has many officers who have served in the military or continue to serve as reserves. The luncheon has become an annual event. During last year’s luncheon, Mr. Hernandez brought another project to the attention of the family. He told Mr. Cecil Milton, the President of United Property Management, about the Mounted Patrol Unit and how the stables needed a lot of work. Mr. Milton did not hesitate to pledge his support.

“It was almost fifteen years of abandonment, overgrown weeds, things falling apart, the walls, the ceiling, everything needed to be completely redone,” Mr. Milton said during the Grand Reveal. He and his wife, Mrs. VeigaMilton, visited one of the transformed offices. The temperatures outside were sweltering, but the air-conditioned room was pleasant. The company also converted two rooms into office space for POAT.

“We jumped right on it, we’re developers, so rehabbing stables was really easy for us; it’s been a pleasure,” Mr. Milton said.

 

By Brian Ballou