Wetlands vs. development: Miami-Dade’s battle for environmental integrity continues | Opinion

The development pressure on Miami-Dade County’s Urban Development Boundary is never-ending. It’s not hard to understand why: The county keeps growing, and the undeveloped land beyond the boundary, which has served as a buffer between urban sprawl and environmental and rural lands since it was established in 1983, is incredibly alluring to developers and business interests.

But allowing development past the UDB, as the line is known, will have lasting consequences for South Florida far beyond a single project. As the Editorial Board has repeatedly said, growth cannot come at the price of the Everglades — at least, no more than it already has in so much of South Florida.

The most recent evidence of the ongoing assault on the line is two-fold — it’s coming from the county commission and Tallahassee.

On Sunday, County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed a project approved by county commissioners on Jan. 22 that would mean a commercial complex could be built on county-protected wetlands just past the UDB. Kelly Tractor, a heavy machinery company based in Doral, wanted to build on the site because it was close to commercial uses and because part of the property is inside the UDB.

The mayor may be overridden: Commissioners voted 9-2 to allow the encroachment past the UDB. It would take nine votes of the whole 13-member commission for a two-thirds override.

But some things are worth saying out loud, anyway — like, protecting wetlands in South Florida is critically important. Exhibit One: the Everglades. If we bow to development pressure now, where will it stop? Levine Cava says she has a responsibility to protect wetlands and the fragile South Florida environment. She does. So do the commissioners.

The UDB, an imaginary line about 80 miles long on the western side of Miami-Dade, was set up as a growth management tool and to help encourage development within the boundary. The land beyond it is supposed to be mostly for farming and water conservation, with a few homes. It’s also a cushion between development and the Everglades.

Rep. David Borrero, a Republican from Hialeah, has proposed a bill in the Legislature, HB399, that would call for a study on moving the line and removing the requirement for a two-thirds vote to make changes. Barrero told CBS News Miami’s Jim Defede that he has no intention of trying to develop into the Everglades — which the state and federal government have spent billions of tax dollars to restore. OK, but are we supposed to simply trust that developers and lawmakers know best on this?

Elected officials need to do what’s best for the citizens of this community. Economic opportunity is one thing. But once we’ve lost wetlands, we will lose them forever. Wetlands help replenish our water supply. Their ecosystems offer natural flood protection — something we need to consider more and more. Allowing expansion past the line creates a car-dependent sprawl that would only worsen our traffic problems.

Also, aren’t the city and county trying to concentrate development around transit hubs rather than allowing sprawl?

The last time the commission approved a big project that breached the UDB was in 2022, with the South Dade Logistics and Technology District, an industrial center on land that could have reduced the county’s hurricane resilience, county staff members said.

It took five hearings before the project was approved, with the developers cutting the size of the project in half, but it ultimately became bogged down in court over missed deadlines. It would have to go back before the commission to move forward today.

Levine Cava said the Kelly Tractor proposal didn’t meet county standards for protecting our wetlands. She said she believes the county can still grow without compromising on something so important.

We understand the need for growth. Miami-Dade’s economy depends on it. But the UDB has to stand for something. We cannot keep allowing exceptions to the rule or letting Tallahassee decide what’s best. If we do, pretty soon there won’t be a line at all.