A gas station on a main thoroughfare in Richmond Heights has sat in limbo for more than three years, fenced off and overgrown while neighbors wonder when, or if, it will ever reopen. The old Mobil station is owned by 7-Eleven and has been undergoing renovation that community members and at least one county official say has dragged on far too long.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kionne McGhee said the company had been renovating the location for more than three years with little progress to show for it. McGhee said the property has become a community eyesore, and he directly questioned 7-Eleven leadership, asking whether they would allow those same conditions to persist in their own community.
During a visit in late September, the station was marked by tall grass, a fenced-in parking lot, and graffiti scrawled across the building walls, the outlet reported. By the time NBC 6 Responds checked back, the graffiti had been removed from the building and the old fuel pumps had also been taken out, though the site remained closed and the lot still fenced.
Violations, Liens and Unanswered Questions
County records cited by the station show the gas station property has racked up building and unsafe-structure violations. Those same county records, per the report, indicate 7-Eleven failed to obtain proper building recertifications and failed to pay more than $15,000 in property charges, with liens placed on the property this year.
Miami-Dade County outlines how structures end up flagged in the first place: according to the county's Unsafe Structures guidance, properties can be identified through county inspectors, municipal building officials, or public complaints, after which owners are formally notified and required to make corrective repairs. Building recertification inspections, meanwhile, are meant to flag damage or structural deterioration and determine whether a property meets safety standards under the Florida Building Code, according to the county's own recertification inspection materials.
Unpaid charges like those reported at the Richmond Heights site typically route through the county's enforcement process. The Regulatory and Economic Resources Lien Section exists specifically to recover civil penalties and costs tied to code violations, with the stated goal of pushing noncompliant properties toward compliance, per the county's Lien Services page.
Neighbors Weigh In on the Stalled Site
Carlos Malone, who owns a restaurant down the street from the gas station, told the outlet the condition of the site hurts the community. Malone said he would rather see the station demolished entirely and replaced with a parking lot than continue to look the way it does now.
Jessica Garrett Modkins, a property owner in the area, offered a similar complaint, saying visitors do not hold the community in high esteem when they see the site in its current state. McGhee echoed that frustration, saying community notification and communication with local leaders are normally expected during a renovation of this length, and he wants a clear timeline for when the gas station will actually be functional again.
NBC 6 Responds said it reached out to 7-Eleven and received no response, and separately requested a completion timeline from 7-Eleven, Inc. and Corporate Creations Network while asking about the recent code violations and property liens. As of the report, the station said it was still waiting on a response from both companies.
