Imagine a place where people of all ages come together to face their fears, discover their courage, and literally learn to fly — all in our own backyard.

For the past five years, my husband Miguel and I have poured our hearts into creating a unique community space in Miami where friends, neighbors, and newcomers experience the magic of flying trapeze. We’ve watched people conquer fears, build confidence, and find joy—alongside the 51 rescue cats we care for in this shared space.

But today, we are at risk of losing it all. Miami-Dade County has already entered citations against us for our trapeze rig (a safe, temporary structure) and our open treehouse play space. We contend no permit category exists for these structures and that they are permit-exempt under the County’s own framework. Yet we have been required to defend against citations and “permitting” demands that do not track any identified code provision. We’ve spent more than $150,000 trying to protect this space and our home.

Why This Petition Matters to Everyone

This is about restoring constitutional safeguards for all Miami-Dade homeowners and home-based businesses. Across the County, code-enforcement hearings can admit “any relevant evidence,” produce final orders that become recorded liens, and receive only limited certiorari review—a structure that functions like a trial without the full protections Floridians expect when their property and homes are on the line.

A Brief History—Why 1972 Still Matters

In 1972, Florida voters approved a major Article V judicial reform that abolished municipal (or “mayor’s”) courts and consolidated judicial power in Article V courts to ensure neutral judges, reliable evidence, and transparent decisions. Our concern is that today’s ordinance-driven code hearings are drifting back toward a model Florida voters abolished—acting like courts in everything but their constitutional pedigree.

What We’re Asking For:

A fair, transparent process with neutral decision-makers and reliable evidence when property rights—and homes—are at stake.
Clear, sensible rules for temporary/community-benefit structures so neighborhoods can innovate and thrive without fear of improvised requirements.
A reaffirmation that Article V courts—not quasi-courts by ordinance—decide dispositive legal questions affecting homeowners countywide.

How Your Signature Helps

It shows County leaders and the trial court that the public expects Article V–level fairness in code enforcement.
It supports a case now pending in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade) seeking to re-anchor these hearings to constitutional safeguards for everyone.
It tells Miami-Dade that community spaces, small/home-based businesses, and homeowners deserve clarity—not confusion, liens, and fear.

By signing and sharing, you’re standing up for due process and for a community space that brings joy, confidence, and togetherness to so many. Please add your name, share this widely, and help us keep the magic of flying—and fundamental fairness—alive in Miami-Dade.

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💛 Important Note:

Donations made through Change.org are used to promote this petition to more people — which helps us get more signatures — but that money does NOT come to us.

If you would like to support us directly with legal fees to save our home, trapeze, and 51 rescue cats, please donate here:

🔗 https://gofund.me/d49e9d1e6

Thank you for standing with us. Together, we can make sure that the spirit of this community — and the smiles of everyone who has ever taken that leap — will continue to soar.