Miami, FL—The nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and 1000 Friends of Florida yesterday filed to intervene on behalf of the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to support the state’s petition to stop the Miami-Dade County Commission from allowing two unnecessary development proposals to be built outside the Urban Development Boundary (UDB).
The DCA recently concurred with environmental advocates, civic activists, and local residents in opposing expansion of this important boundary that protects national parks and open spaces. The two permits for a Lowe’s home improvement store and a shopping plaza would compromise the water supply, economy, and quality of life for Miami-Dade residents. DCA determined that the two proposed developments violate a number of county and state growth management policies, and called for the county commission to rescind its previous decision to allow the unpopular development proposals from moving forward.
NPCA’s legal counsel, Robert Hartsell of the Everglades Law Center, Inc., praised the state for its formal opposition to the UDB amendments. Hartsell said, "the type of smart growth we’ve needed for years in south Florida will never happen until we start saying no to old fashioned urban sprawl. Under Secretary Pelham’s leadership, the state has begun to say ‘no,’ and deserves the support of local citizens in its effort to reverse the slow march of development towards America’s Everglades."
Charles Pattison, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Florida, agrees. "If the amendments are allowed to stand, the UDB is meaningless," said Pattison. "We see this case as having statewide implications for not just Everglades protection, but the implementation of local plans consistent with adopted policies and smart growth principles."
Moving forward with the development proposals would place a heavy burden on taxpayers to shoulder the bill of infrastructure costs. If the county disregards the DCA’s recommendations, it could jeopardize vital state and federal funding to the county. Furthermore, it would be very costly for the county commission to spend taxpayers’ valuable dollars to legally defend these two development proposals, especially since the county Department of Planning and Zoning staff recommended denying these developments before they went before the commission for approval in April.
"We hope that the County Commission will take the appropriate steps to repeal these developments before formal legal proceedings begin to avoid draining the already limited county budget in this legal process," said NPCA Biscayne Restoration Program Analyst Kahlil Kettering. "This would not only exhibit good governance of public funds, but also ensure commitment to the viability of our local economy, environmental sustainability, and preservation of America’s national parks."
NPCA and 1000 Friends have consistently advocated against unnecessary expansion of the UDB.
Since 1919, the nonpartisan NPCA has been the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhancing our National Park System. 1000 Friends is the only statewide non-profit organization focused on enforcing the state’s growth management laws and promoting sustainable development in the public interest. For more information about NPCA and 1000 Friends of Florida, visit www.npca.org/southflorida and www.1000friendsofflorida.org.
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