The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

Florida City sought to add 1,700 acres

By Mc Nelly Torres
Miami Bureau -- Sun Sentinel

Posted June 14 2005

A controversial vote by the Miami-Dade County Commission that would allow Florida City to annex over 1,700 acres of environmentally sensitive land has opened the door to a fierce battle over proposed development near the Everglades.

Mayor Carlos Alvarez vetoed the commission's 7-5 vote, citing the land's location outside the county's Urban Development Boundary, which separates western Miami-Dade development from the Everglades. In filing his veto on Friday, the mayor also noted that a developer has plans to build 6,000 homes, retail and office space there.

"This is not only about annexation," Alvarez said recently. "This has a lot to do with the future of Miami-Dade County -- and the attack of moving the boundary."

Alvarez came to the rescue of annexation critics, who said Florida City's move to obtain a chunk of undeveloped land was the first step for moving the boundary, which the county put in place 30 years ago to shield from development wetlands in west Miami-Dade.

They hope to prevent what occurred in Broward County, where a development boom after Hurricane Andrew placed thousands of homes up to the edge of the Everglades. Environmentalists warned development outside the boundary would threaten wetlands and restoration projects such as the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands.

"We don't want to be like Broward," said Rod Jude, chairman of Sierra Club Miami Group. "They have taken all of the open space they have. This issue is about how we grow and the quality of life."

But annexation supporters, among them local developers and Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace, argued the annexation would help the city raise its tax base and only place one house per five acres of land.

Wallace denied accusations that the city's request is an attempt to move the boundary line that would open the doors to unrestricted development.

"To say that this is setting the stage for moving the UDB line is like calling me a liar," he said. "Land use and development issues have to go before the county not the city."

However, developers clearly are waiting in the wings, among them D.R. Horton, a Fort Worth builder who wants to build more than 5,000 housing units along Krome Avenue near Kendall Drive. The company has hired influential Coral Gables attorney and ex-state legislator Miguel De Grandy to push its cause.

As De Grandy made his case before commissioners on behalf of Florida City last week, he accused opponents of making "blatantly blind statements."

De Grandy said opponents of annexation are getting ahead of themselves.

"We are here to ask for annexation, not to move the boundary," De Grandy said to commissioners before they voted last week.

A few days later, on This Week in South Florida with Michael Putney on WPLG-Ch. 10, De Grandy said Miami-Dade would eventually have to move its development boundary to help provide affordable housing for the middle class. He said the county needs new developments to accommodate people unable to buy houses because of the county's skyrocketing housing prices and limited quantity of reasonably priced homes.

However, the attorney's arguments on Florida City's behalf did not sway five of the commissioners. Commissioner Katy Sorenson warned that allowing development outside the boundary could exacerbate traffic problems and make it difficult to evacuate residents during hurricane season.

Commissioner Sally Heyman questioned the motives behind the annexation and wondered why the city did not pursue land where there is no risk of flooding or endangering the environment.

"I'm looking forward to discussing a new proposal inside the UDB line where the community can grow, and not at the cost of our environment," Heyman said.

Environmentalists hope that Alvarez's veto will buy time so commissioners can revisit the issue again and perhaps wait until the $3.8 million watershed study is completed.

"This will give us a second bite at the apple," said Cynthia Guerra, executive director for Tropical Audubon Society.

Mc Nelly Torres can be reached at mntorres@sun-sentinel.com