Levin Cava Slams Development Decision

The Board of County Commissioners has voted to move the urban development boundary, which has angered lawmakers across South Florida. In response to the decision, Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levin Cava released a statement, warning of the dangers that the development decision will yield.

The voting process has faced several delays, but the Board of County Commissioners finally voted in favor of expanding the Urban Development Boundary. This would allow developers to build on what is considered sensitive county land. Developers argue that it will attract jobs while also contributing to improvement in the environment. However, critics argue that this isn’t the case.

Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who voted in favor, said that “it’s either the economy or the environment, and I think this application, as it exists today, looks at both of those things.”

Slamming the decision, Mayor Levin Cava shared that she was “disappointed” in the decision, saying that “despite clear, bipartisan opposition from the residents and Commissioner of District 8, county planning experts, and federal, state, and tribal leaders, the Board of County Commissioners voted in favor of unsustainable, sprawling development at the expense of our precious natural environment and agricultural economy.”

The mayor further explained that Miami Dade’s “residents are experiencing major challenges to their quality of life – an affordability crisis, worsening traffic, flooding, contamination of Biscayne Bay, and the threat of climate change.” These are issues, she says, “are the consequences of past poor planning and misguided development.”

As such, “by voting to move the urban development boundary, we are doubling down on past mistakes – increasing the risk of flooding for residents in South Dade, stifling our vital agricultural economy, and threatening the health of Biscayne Bay and the Everglades.”

Instead, Levin Cava affirmed that “Miami-Dade is ready for smart planning that looks into the future, invests in transit corridors, and sets us up for long-term prosperity and sustainable economic growth,” but the decision from the Board “does the opposite.”