State representative pushes land-use bill critics claim endangers Florida Everglades protection
A bill that environmentalists warn is the first step toward making it easier for Miami-Dade developers to build shopping centers and housing subdivisions closer to the Everglades passed its first legislative hurdle this week, as the state representative sponsoring the bill says he is doing it to address the affordable housing crisis.
The bill by State Rep. David Borrero (R-Sweetwater) would order a study about moving Miami-Dade's Urban Development Boundary (UDB) line and eliminating longstanding safeguards designed to protect the Everglades by requiring any project outside the UDB to receive a two-thirds vote of the County Commission.
In an interview with CBS Miami for Sunday's edition of Facing South Florida, Borrero said he believes the county has mismanaged the UDB and therefore the legislature needs to intervene.
"We hear it directly from residents," he said. "They can't afford housing. They can't afford the cost of living. And so, you have to ask yourself, what's causing the problems that residents are suffering from? And I will submit to you that this is a decades-long problem that local governments have not addressed properly. And when local governments do not correctly address the issue, it's incumbent on the state to step in."
What is the UDB and how does it protect the Everglades?
The UDB is a roughly 80-mile-long imaginary line along the western portion of Miami-Dade County that was established in 1983. Land outside the line is reserved for farming, water conservation, and single-family homes sitting on five acres of land. Environmentalists consider the UDB to be critically important in safeguarding the Everglades. Developers have long hated it.
Commissioners can move the UDB, but it requires a two-thirds vote to change the line.
The state lawmaker claims development outside the UBD will not threaten the Everglades
Borrero claims there is land outside of the UDB that can be developed that would not pose a threat to the Everglades.
Asked if he was sponsoring the bill at the request of developers, Borrero responded: "The origins of this bill arose from me knocking on doors and listening to residents' stories. So often have I heard that I need to sell my house because I can't afford the property taxes, I can afford homeowners' insurance, and it's all tied to the skyrocketing cost of your home. New families can't afford to buy new homes. They are so out of reach. It's become a luxury."
When asked why not so, Borrero said, "The root of it is the cost of housing."
"Property taxes, the bill that you pay, are directly tied to the value of your home. The cost of insurance is tied to the value of the home," he said. "As homes become so expensive, so do your property taxes and so do your insurance. And so, if we can find a way to lower the cost of homes, it's a win-win. You lower the costs of insurance. You lower the costs of property tax."
Borrero's bill faces an uphill battle. The Senate version of the bill avoids the issues surrounding the UDB and does not attempt to alter the county's ability to require a supermajority. Instead, it matches other parts of Borrero's bill, which focuses on permitting fees and other measures to encourage development in areas already zoned for housing.
There is also concern that after spending billions of dollars on Everglades restoration and increasing the flow of water south, replenishing Miami's aquifer, Borrero's bill would undermine those efforts.