30% CHANCE OF RAIN ON SATURDAY LOOKS LIKE THE RIGHT SET UP TO MAKE IT A BEACH DAY, EDEN?
>> SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.
THANK YOU BETTY.
THE FATE OF BISCAYNE BAY ONCE
AGAIN BEFORE THE COUNTY
COMMISSION WHO MUST DECIDE
WHETHER TO EXTEND THE COUNTY’S
BOUNDARY TO ALLOW A MASSIVE
INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX ON WHAT IS
NOW FARMLAND IN SOUTH DADE.
>> IT’S ON LAND
ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY IS VITAL
TO RESTORING THE EVERGLADES
AND THE HEALTH OF BISCAYNE
BAY.
THE SHOW DOWN OVER THIS
IMPORTANT PARCEL OF LAND IS
TONIGHT’S DON’T TRASH OUR
TREASURE
TREASURE.
TREASURE TREASURE. >> I’VE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT
THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S A CONSTANT
FIGHT.
YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR GUARD
UP.
>> FOR THIS NATIVE MIAMIAN,
THERE IS A LOT AT STAKE,
ALMOST 800 ACRES OF FARMLAND
IN SOUTH DADE THAT DEVELOPERS
WANT TO TRANSFORM INTO A
MASSIVE INDUSTRIAL PARK JUST
TWO MILES WEST OF BISCAYNE
BAY.
>> THEY HAVE TO STOP THIS
COMPLEX FROM BEING BUILT.
>> 794 ACRES SOUTH OF THE
TURNPIKE AND NORTH OF 260 E
STREET.
LAND OUTSIDE MIAMI-DADE’S
URBAN DEVELOPMENT BOUNDARY,
THE UDB DRAWN BY THE COUNTY TO
PROTECT FARMLAND AND THE
EVERGLADES FROM URBAN
ENCROACHMENT.
DEVELOPERS NOW ASKING THE
COUNTY TO EXPAND IT TO MAKE
ROOM FOR THEIR PROJECT.
BUT ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY NO
WAY.
>> THIS IS ALSO THE SITE OF
THE PLANNING FOR THE CURRENT
BISCAYNE BAY RESTORATION
PROJECT.
>> WE KNOW THAT THAT AREA IS
REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT’S
ADJACENT TO THE MAN GROVE
FRINGE PART OF BISCAYNE
NATIONAL PARK.
>> NOT ON THIS LAND, SAY
DEVELOPERS, WHO ARGUE THEIR
PROJECT WILL MEAN A LONG
OVERDUE ECONOMIC BOOST TO
SOUTH DADE.
AN AREA HURTING FOR JOBS FOR
ALMOST 30 YEARS SINCE
HURRICANE ANDREW RAVAGED THE
LANDSCAPE.
>> IF APPROVED, THE SOUTH DADE
TECHNOLOGY AND LOGISTICS
DISTRICT WILL BE MIAMI-DADE’S
LARGEST INDUSTRIAL PARK.
9 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF
WAREHOUSES AND RETAIL SPACE.
A 150 ROOM HOTEL.
PROMISING OVER 11,000 JOBS FOR
SOUTH DADE RESIDENTS TIRED OF
COMMUTING AND SITTING IN
TRAFFIC FOR HOURS.
>> BRINGING THIS PROJECT HERE
WILL REALLY REDUCE A LOT OF
THAT TRAFFIC, WHICH HELPS THE
ECONOMY.
>> DEVELOPERS SAY THEIR
PROJECT WILL ALSO HELP THE
ENVIRONMENT BY ELIMINATING THE
FARMLAND AND ALL THE DEADLY
NUTRIENTS THAT RUN OFF IT.
>> WE’RE GONNA BE REDUCING OUR
WATER CONSUMPTION.
ALL THESE THINGS ARE THINGS
THAT HELP BISCAYNE BAY IN THE
LONG RUN.
>> BUT THAT’S EASIER SAID THAN
DONE.
DR. JIM IS THE ASSOCIATE
DIRECTOR OF FIU’S INSTITUTE OF
ENVIRONMENT.
HE WORRIES THAT MAKING THIS
LAND IMPERVIOUS WOULD DISRUPT
THE NATIONAL FLOW OF WATER.
>> IF THIS PARCEL OF LAND GETS
CHANGED, WE LOSE THE CHANCE OF
BEING ABLE TO USE THAT LAND TO
MANAGE WATER QUANTITY AND
WATER QUALITY.
>> DEVELOPERS PLAN TO REMEDY
THAT BY RAISING THE ELEVATION
BY UP TO 9 FEET.
BUT THAT HAS NEIGHBORS
WORRIED.
DEVELOPERS SAY THAT WON’T
HAPPEN.
>> THAT EFFECTS TWO WAYS.
IT EFFECTS THE DRAINAGE FOR
DEVELOPMENT AND ADJACENT ROADS
AND PROPERTIES.
>> THE COUNTY HAS YET TO SEE
HOW THEY PLAN TO DO THIS AND
HAVE NOT RECEIVED A DETAILED
STORM WATER MASTER PLAN.
ONE OF THE BIG REASONS WHY
STAFF ADVISED AGAINST MOVING
FORWARD AND ARGUED APPROVING
THIS WOULD OPEN THE FLOOD GATE
GATES TO EVEN MORE URBAN
SPRAWL IN SOUTH DADE.
THERE’S ALREADY LAND WITHIN
THE EXISTING UDB THAT SHOULD
LAST US THROUGH 2040.
PHASE 3 OF THEIR PROJECT STILL
HAS NO DEFINITIVE DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM AND ACCOUNTS FOR MORE
THAN HALF OF THE ACREAGE
THEY’RE REQUESTING.
>> THERE WILL BE IN PLACE AT
THE TRANSMITTAL HEARING.
>> THE APPLICATION IS NOW IN
THE HANDS OF THE MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
WHO MUST NOW DECIDE WHETHER OR
NOT TO EXPAND THE UDB.
THE FATE OF SOUTH DADE.
>> BRING THE JOBS.
BRING THE JOBS.
>> AND BISCAYNE BAY BOTH HANG
IN THE BALANCE.
>> IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT HAVING
JOBS, IT’S ABOUT ALSO HAVING A
GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE.
>> WE WILL, OF COURSE, BE
THERE WHEN THE COUNTY
COMMISSION TAKES UP THE MATTER
TOMORROW MORNING.
IF IT GETS APPROVED, IT THEN