Miami-Dade commissioners overturn Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s veto and reapprove the boundary expansion
Miami Dade County commission overrode Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s veto and cleared the industrial park development project outside the UDB.
The UDB (Urban Development Boundary) has not been expanded in nine years.
Industrial developers win; UDB to be expanded
Industrial developers have been trying to pressure Miami-Dade commissioners to expand the UDB for a while now. The approval would enable them to build a new industrial park in an area that’s already floor and sea-rise prone.
On Tuesday, only three out of 12 commissioners took Levine Cava’s side in vetoing the expansion of UDB. This overturn has now allowed the construction of a new warehouse complex outside the Urban Development Boundary where farmland will be converted into a commercial complex. The federal government wanted this area to start a major Everglades restoration project.
The developers have pitched the complex to be a way of bringing economic stability to South Miami-Dade. They’ve said that it will bring over 7,000 jobs and provide numerous benefits to the environment. This will be done by donating 622 acres of sensitive wetlands to Environmentally Endangered Lands, a county preservation program.
The problem with the expansion of UDB
The mayor, along with some environmentalists, have been against the expansion of UDB from the beginning. According to Levine Cava, greenlighting this project will create a license to kill and destroy the environment.
The site the developers have been eyeing near Homestead is particularly vulnerable to flooding and storms.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s veto was a major hurdle that stood in the way of development. It’s expected that the environmental groups will still try legal challenges to stop the development.
Originally, the developers had proposed to build an industrial park spanning 793 acres of farmland. However, the Miami-Dade County rejected that proposal. Now, after several delayed votes, the plan has been changed. The developers now plan to build on 379 acres of land instead.
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