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During the recent hearing to move the Urban Development Boundary for the South Dade Logistics and Technology District (SDLTD), the popular Environmental Endangered Lands (EEL) program took center stage. The applicant, responding to a request by Commissioner Raquel Regalado for this project to do more for the environment, proposed a voluntary purchase and donation of 622 acres of sensitive lands on the EEL priority “A” list, a list of land determined by the County as being the most important to preserve and protect. In addition to donating EEL land, the applicant agreed to set up a funding mechanism that will generate millions of dollars for the long-term maintenance of these lands. Many of the opposition speakers described this as inappropriate “deal making” and even stated that the wetlands weren’t worth much due to limited development potential. Unfortunately, this argument seemed to be heavily based on the emotional politics of moving the Urban Development Boundary.
As a former Miami-Dade County land manager, I was partially responsible for restoring and maintaining those exact EEL lands. The environmental benefits of owning these lands are real. Ownership and management money allows for prescribed burning, removing exotics and improving hydrology, which benefits all of the adjacent EEL lands and the overall environment. There is no question about that.
According to the SDLTD application, the developers will be required to clean-up their property before they build on it, which will address arsenic contamination that is three times above acceptable levels on some portions of the property. They will also have to install a proper drainage system to limit runoff of sediment and nutrients to the nearby canals that empty into Biscayne Bay. The donation of EEL lands is in addition to these improvements.
In terms of “making a deal” to donate the EEL land, which some speakers criticized, let’s not forget the County has been “making deals” to benefit our environment for decades. As the Natural Resource Division Director of the County Environmental Department (DERM) for over 5 years, I helped administer the County Wetland Trust Fund, the Tree Trust Fund and participated in regional programs such as the Special Area Management Plan. These programs were all set up to collect money from the development of lower quality wetlands, so the County could add to, and improve, large conservation tracts in order to protect our natural resources. The EEL program has received millions of dollars over the years from these mitigation sources. The concept is not new. The only difference in this case is that this development is not offsetting a loss of valuable wetlands or forest land. The donation is truly over and above anything required.
The 622 acres that will be donated equate to almost a full square mile of land that will support wading birds, fish, panthers, otters and hundreds of other native plants and animals without the fear of development. The fact that the land is being donated to the County EEL program means it will be preserved forever. The lands will hold hundreds of acre-feet of fresh water and allow sheet flow to the downstream estuaries, supporting seagrass, manatees, and fisheries. These 622 acres will not have owners who complain if the water levels are raised, or if beneficial fire management is conducted. In addition, the County can use the funds that might have otherwise gone towards buying and managing these lands, and instead protect what’s left of the globally imperiled Dade County pine rocklands, which are also on the EEL acquisition lists. This is an undeniable benefit to conservation in Miami-Dade County.
Every development application must follow the rules and be approved by the County Commission. Commissioners ultimately have the difficult job of balancing between the need for economic growth and making sure our natural resources are protected. If the precedent set by this project and this Commission vote is to donate 2 acres of EEL land for every 1 acre of developable land that comes into the Urban Development Boundary, that is a great precedent for our environment and should be applauded.
Matthew Davis worked on multiple aspects of natural resource management in South Florida with over 15 years in government service. Mr. Davis’ environmental career began with the South Florida Water Management (SFWMD) as the Everglades Regional Land Manager. In 2004, he joined Miami-Dade County Department of Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) first as a section manager, then as the Natural Resources Division Director from 2008 -2013. More recently, Mr. Davis has been working in the private sector, developing cleaner energy alternatives while remaining active in the environmental field with Davis Environmental Solutions.
Any deals between government and developers is NEVER GOOD. Lies, bribes, payoffs. No concern for the environment and the residents and the creatures that you doom because their homes are destroyed. These ‘deals’ won’t stop until our once liveable communities are covered with concrete, traffic, and overcrowding.
It’s disgusting. It’s a shame: we vote you in because you sweared to do good for the community. Alas, once you get the power, your actions betray our trust. You ALWAYS disappoint us!
HOLD THE LINE, no exceptions! It exists for a reason! Now more than ever we need to protect our environmentally endangered lands. None of the actual residents of South Dade want this! Developers are pillaging our land and our community with no benefit to us and all benefit to themselves and the commissioners’ pockets they line!
What is your answer to the following questions?
The land was up-zoned last week. So it went from $45K an acre to the upper $280’s per acre. What would keep the developers from selling the property now for a huge profit? Where would the jobs be then? Most of the promises made by the developers had escape clause or not enforceable.
The EEL land that was “traded” was already owned and protected by private individuals or entities. Most of that land could not be developed anyway. How was that a win?
Usually EEL land is traded 20 – 50 to 1 not 2 to 1. Didn’t the residents get ripped off? Remember, EEL land is acquired for 20 to 50 cents on the dollar.
How could the commission lie to the public and blame agriculture for polluting the land with naturally occurring arsenic? How come I cannot find and active or closed pollution case in that area? Why can’t DERM supply us with the data that proves the soil or water in the canal was polluted by agriculture? How about the State? Aren’t they in charge of fertilizer and pesticide application? That stuff is expensive! Are you implying that farmers just jump excessive amounts of fertilizer onto the ground? No they use as little as possible! The cost adds up! Same with irrigation.
The developers agreed to save the county millions by “cleaning up the pollution from the land”
The solution is to “cap” the existing land with clean fill. The land is low so they will have to bring up the grade anyway and add fill. Basically they have to raise the land so it won’t flood. There is no extra cost in capping the existing soil because it was “polluted”. Where is the sacrifice? Once the land has been raised, won’t that change drainage patterns and flood out the neighboring properties? Remember what happened to Saga Bay this summer? That never happened before. Had nothing to do with the new surrounding neighborhoods, right?
The City of Homestead has plenty of industrial land that already has infrastructure in place. Why not use that land for the Logistic district? Mayor Losner appeared to welcome the idea. The one issue is that he was worried about employees leaving existing jobs to fill the new positions. There is a huge labor shortage in South Dade. So if there are no available workers and businesses are closing because they can’t find employees, how is adding more positions a good idea?
That farmland made a Cuban immigrant a millionaire several times over. Now his kids don’t seem interested in farming the land. Saltwater intrusion? How come the trees aren’t dead? So why not up zone the land and sell for maximum profit? There is nothing wrong or unethical about that. This is America. Dangling good paying jobs in front of the people of South Dade that are tired of commuting to Downtown Miami or Doral to get to work seems unethical to me. Especially, when in fact, might not be any good paying jobs – or any jobs at all!
But hey, we all can enjoy a little more traffic. The developers promised to fix that too, or at least, to the best of their ability. Good attorneys always have an escape clause in place incase things don’t go as promised, right?
What is your answer to the following questions?
The land was up-zoned last week. So it went from $45K an acre to the upper $280’s per acre. What would keep the developers from selling the property now for a huge profit? Where would the jobs be then?
The EEL land that was “traded” was already owned and protected by private individuals or entities. Most of that land could not be developed anyway. How was that a win?
Usually EEL land is traded 20 – 50 to 1 not 2 to 1. Didn’t the residents get ripped off? Remember, EEL land is acquired for 20 to 50 cents on the dollar.
How could the commission lie to the public and blame agriculture for polluting the land with naturally occurring arsenic? How come I cannot find and active or closed pollution case in that area? Why can’t DERM supply us with the data that proves the soil or water in the canal was polluted by agriculture? How about the State? Aren’t they in charge of fertilizer and pesticide application? That stuff is expensive! Are you implying that farmers just jump excessive amounts of fertilizer onto the ground? No they use as little as possible! The cost adds up! Same with irrigation.
The developers agreed to save the county millions by “cleaning up the pollution from the land”
The solution is to “cap” the existing land with clean fill. The land is low so they will have to bring up the grade anyway and add fill. Basically they have to raise the land so it won’t flood. There is no extra cost in capping the existing soil because it was “polluted”. Where is the sacrifice? Once the land has been raised, won’t that change drainage patterns and flood out the neighboring properties? Remember what happened to Saga Bay this summer? That never happened before. Had nothing to do with the new surrounding neighborhoods, right?
The City of Homestead has plenty of industrial land that already has infrastructure in place. Why not use that land for the Logistic district? Mayor Losner appeared to welcome the idea. The one issue is that he was worried about employees leaving existing jobs to fill the new positions. There is a huge labor shortage in South Dade. So if there are no available workers and businesses are closing because they can’t find employees, how is adding more positions a good idea?
That farmland made a Cuban immigrant a millionaire several times over. Now his kids don’t seem interested in farming the land. Saltwater intrusion? How come the trees aren’t dead? So why not up zone the land and sell for maximum profit? There is nothing wrong or unethical about that. This is America. Dangling good paying jobs in front of the people of South Dade that are tired of commuting to Downtown Miami or Doral to get to work seems unethical to me. Especially, when in fact, might not be any good paying jobs – or any jobs at all!
But hey, we all can enjoy a little more traffic, I am sure they promised to fix that too, or at least, to the best of their ability. Good attorneys always an escape clause in place incase things don’t go as promised, right?
Excellent explanation of the application and deal.
GET THE MESSAGE! THOSE WHO LIVE NEAR THIS AREA DO NOT WANT AN INDUSTRIAL PARK!
THE LANDS ARE PROTECTED! TRADING THEM FOR OTHER PROTECTED LANDS IS NOT FAIR!
WE BELIEVE YOU ARE BEING PAID OFF!
STOP MEDDLING AND TRYING TO PULL OFF SOMETHING ( SO YOU CAN GET YOUR “PAY-OFF.)
WE ARE AGAINST THE INDUSTRIAL PARK.
END OF STORY. YOU NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED, AND WE HAVE ALREADY CONTACTED LAWYERS.
STOP MEDDLING IN OTHER RESIDENTS’ LIVES. THE INDUSTRIAL PARK HAS BEEN VOTED DOWN.