Miami-Dade County Trashes Its Urban Development Boundary
Tell Daniella Levine Cava and the county commissioners who stood with her: "Thank you for standing up and holding the line."
NOVEMBER 15: The Miami-Dade County Commission voted 8-4 to override Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's veto, clearing the way for the county to sell more than 300 acres of sensitive land and move the Urban Development Boundary.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, along with countless other state and local officials, including US Senator Marco Rubio, has spoken out for months against this deal, calling it a bad trade, and a bad precedent for future generations.
Tell Daniella Levine Cava and the county commissioners who stood with her: "Thank you for standing up and holding the line." And then sign our second letter to the county commissioners who voted for this bad deal, letting them know we expect them to uphold the same boundaries they upheld as recently as 2015.
What is the UDB?
Protecting Clean Water | Spurring Investment in Jobs | Affordable Housing | Smart Growth
Miami-Dade County's urban development boundary has served as a line to protect fragile ecosystems, farmland and water outside of Miami-Dade County's urban core. Simultaneously, it has served as a catalyst to spur smart growth, smart development, better mass transit, and more investment in jobs and affordable housing in Miami's urban core.
On November 10, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioner's vote to move the county’s Urban Development Boundary (UDB). After four deferrals, the board voted 8-4 to approve the sale of sensitive land outside the UDB.
Her statement explains perfectly why this vote was a misguided decision and why she made the veto.
“The future of our community depends on smart, sustainable development that strengthens our economy and protects our precious natural resources. 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.
“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." Read her full veto statement here.
Tell Daniella Levine Cava and the county commissioners who stood with her: "Thank you for standing up and holding the line." And then sign our second letter to the county commissioners who voted for this bad deal, letting them know we expect them to uphold the same boundaries they upheld as recently as 2015.