On December 2, long-time South Miami-Dade County resident Dr. Nita Lewis petitioned the state for a formal administrative hearing to review the Board of County Commissioner’s decision, over the veto of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, to approve a massive industrial center and expand the county’s Urban Development Boundary. The petition asks the State Division of Administrative Hearings to reject the county’s attempt to convert unique farmland in South Dade into a warehouse and commercial complex. Dr. Lewis is represented by the Everglades Law Center, Richard Grosso PA and Coffey Burlington. The Urban Development Boundary was established to ensure smart growth based on need and to ensure an ample supply of farmland and wetlands sufficient to support the growing population in Miami-Dade County. The Boundary also served as a demonstration of local support and an assurance to the State and Federal government that land needed to achieve full restoration of the Everglades would be protected so that the multi-billion dollar investment for restoration would not be squandered.
“This decision flies in the face of the protections that the Urban Development Boundary is intended to ensure and the County’s and State’s own growth management laws. It is a threat to our communities, drinking water, Biscayne Bay, Everglades restoration, and our critical climate resiliency efforts. We cannot allow the precedent that this decision sets to stand.”
Elizabeth Fata Carpenter, Managing Attorney, Everglades Law Center
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