Neighbors Say Florida Car Dealer Took Over Their Sidewalks — Then the Cameras Showed Up

Neighbors in northwest Miami-Dade had gotten used to seeing cars outside a nearby auto business. What they say they could not get used to was where some of those cars ended up.

Residents complained that vehicles associated with the Mio Y Tuyo lot were spilling beyond the business, covering sidewalks and appearing in front of nearby homes. One neighbor said traffic around the corner could also become harder to navigate.

CBS News Miami cameras found vehicles sitting across a sidewalk two houses away from the business. The station also recorded cars near a fire hydrant, while residents described taking their own steps to keep vehicles away from their property.

Then the television crew started asking questions.

The Cars Move

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A neighbor identified only as Zach told CBS News Miami that cars sometimes extend into the street as well.

Two houses away, the station recorded vehicles blocking a sidewalk outside a home. The owner of the auto business declined an on-camera interview but acknowledged storing additional cars there.

Another resident, Phillip Davis, provided the station with photos he said showed a tractor-trailer unloading cars in front of his house. Davis said the activity interfered with access to his driveway.

Other neighbors had gone further. According to CBS, some nailed logs into the ground outside their homes to prevent vehicles from being parked there.

The station brought the complaints to the business owner, who said he would move the vehicles. Within minutes, the sidewalk outside the nearby home had been cleared and cars were also being moved away from the front of the shop.

The business’s own website identifies Mio y Tuyo BodyShop at 5900 NW 22 Ave. and advertises both automotive repair services and cars for sale.

County Rules

Miami-Dade County’s parking rules give the neighbors’ complaints a more concrete backdrop.

County code prohibits stopping, standing or parking a vehicle on a sidewalk. It also prohibits parking or stopping within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, except for a momentary passenger pickup or drop-off.

That does not establish that the business committed a code violation in this case. By the time Miami-Dade responded to CBS’s inquiry and sent a code compliance officer to the location, the vehicles near the neighboring house had already been removed.

The officer photographed the lot, but the county had not told CBS whether any violation was found as of the station’s Sept. 24 report.

Zach remained skeptical that the cleanup would last.

“They moved them because the press was here,” he told the station.