Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed on Thursday the Nov. 1 vote to move the Urban Development Boundary for a controversial 311-acre industrial park to be developed on flood-prone agricultural land.
After four deferrals gave the developers time to iron out details and make it more palatable to the commission, they were finally able to tweak it enough to convince a super majority, which is what was needed to move the UDB.
This even after the staff, every federal and state agency, environmental groups and even Sen. Marco Rubio urged the commission to reject the application. Each time it came before the commission, La Alcaldesa also urged them to vote against the proposal, which would turn undeveloped land near the Everglades into a bunch of warehouses.
Read related: On fourth try, Miami-Dade Commission approves huge project beyond the UDB
Basically, she says, it’s shortsighted.
“The future of our community depends on smart, sustainable development that strengthens our economy and protects our precious natural resources,” she said in a statement on the veto issued exactly 10 days after the vote, which is the deadline.
“Moving the Urban Development Boundary without the need to do so will have a detrimental impact on residents countywide for generations to come.
“This decision threatens our efforts to build a world-class, better connected, and more resilient community – undermining investments we are already making to expand transit and fortify neighborhoods against flooding and sea level rise. It jeopardizes our efforts to restore the Everglades and Biscayne Bay and protect our clean drinking water supply.
“It encourages development in areas at risk of storm surge, putting more properties at risk in the future, especially concerning in light of the devastation we just witnessed following Hurricane Ian. We clearly see in northern Biscayne Bay the impact that poorly-planned historic development has had on our ecosystem – threatening our vital tourism economy – as we clean up our third fish kill in as many years.
“This application prioritizes short-term financial gain – with no guarantee of job creation – at the expense of our shared economic prosperity and our precious natural environment. That’s why the proposal drew clear, bipartisan opposition from the residents and commissioner of district 8, county planning experts, advocates, and federal, state, local, and tribal leaders, including Senator Rubio and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and many others.
“Instead of looking beyond the UDB, we should be investing in smart development to build density along vibrant, growing corridors like the South Dade Transitway. Miami-Dade is ready for smart planning that looks into the future. I must veto this legislation so that we can continue building a strong, resilient foundation for future economic growth.”
“I’m very hopeful that the commission will understand the gravity of this vote and recognize the dangerous precedent it sets,” the mayor said after she issued the veto statement. “We do not need to move the line.”
Read related: Commissioners go out of their way to defend, promote moving the UDB
One of the main reasons staff recommended against it is because there is enough vacant land to create the same uses that the industrial park proposes. Perhaps not contiguously, but it doesn’t have to be contiguous to create jobs. Another reason was because developers exaggerated on the number of jobs they would produce.
The application was approved 8-4, which means that Levine Cava needs one of the yes votes to switch in order for the veto to stick. Those yes votes were Oliver Gilbert, Jean Monestime, Keon Hardemon, Rebeca Sosa, Raquel Regalado, Kionne McGhee, Javier Souto and Jose “Pepe” Diaz. Commissioner Regalado was the swing vote after the developers promised to purchase and gift the county 622 acres of environmentally endangered lands. Maybe she can rethink her switcheroo and switch back based on all the many arguments against it.
Monestime also voted against the application originally and he said it was because so many people were against it. The same amount of people or more are against it. He could possibly be convinced not to override the veto.
The mayor is likely going to be doing some lobbying — if she hasn’t already. So are community groups and others who want to see this land preserved. Not Diaz, who so obviously was working on behalf of the developers to make this happen. Not McGhee who wants to take credit for it.
Read related: Could mayoral veto of Miami-Dade commission’s ugly UDB vote survive?
“It was obvious a few commissioners were practically acting as counsel for the developers, asking questions only about the most favorable aspects of the proposal,” said Josh Sprout, the policy director at the Hold the Line Coalition. “They may be good lawyers, but they are bad actors.
“To support the mayor’s veto, we’ll provide the public with the truth, not a lobbyist narrative. We think commissioners will face consequences from voters if they change the rules for developers and lobbyists based on overstated job numbers for a nonexistent employer.”
Want to do your part? Here are the emails and numbers for the commissioner who voted yes. Only one of them needs to change her or his mind.
- Oliver Gilbert — 305-375-5694 | District1@miamidade.gov
- Jean Monestime — 305-375-4833 | district2@miamidade.gov
- Keon Hardemon — 305-375-5393 | district3@miamidade.gov
- Rebeca Sosa — 305-375-5696 | district6@miamidade.gov
- Raquel Regalado — 305-375-5680 | District7@miamidade.gov
- Kionne McGhee — 305-375-4832 | district9@miamidade.gov
- Javier Souto — 305-375-4835 | district10@miamidade.gov
- Jose “Pepe” Diaz — 305-375-4343 | district12@miamidade.gov
La Alcaldesa vetoes vote to move the UDB for industrial park, says ‘no need’ added by Ladra on
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