Miami-Dade County Commission
Infrastructure and Land Use Committee
Meeting on Proposed Annexation to Florida City

Tuesday, February 8, 2005, 9:30AM
Stephen P. Clark Center
Commission Chambers 2nd Floor
111 NW 1 Street, Miami, Florida

Good morning. My name is Dan Kimball. I am the Acting Superintendent of Everglades National Park, and today I am representing both Everglades and Biscayne National Parks.

I am here to express the National Park Service’s concerns about the proposed annexation of 4,292 acres, currently under the jurisdiction of Miami-Dade County, to Florida City.

In October, 2003, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners adopted an Evaluation and Appraisal Report that stated that any consideration of expanding the Urban Development Boundary in the area south of Tamiami Trail should be delayed until the South Miami-Dade Watershed Plan is completed and its recommendations have been reviewed and considered by the Board of County Commissioners. The National Park Service is participating in the development of this important plan; the purpose of this plan is to formulate an integrated land use and water management strategy for South Miami-Dade County that will ensure the protection and enhancement of the environmental, agricultural, economic, and community values of the area. The plan will specifically address the area being considered for this annexation.

The Board of County Commissioners also directed that until the South Miami-Dade Watershed Plan is completed, “all County boards shall apply heightened scrutiny to potential impacts on Biscayne National Park that might result from any requests for Comprehensive Development Master Plan amendments or other development proposals in the [watershed study] review area.”

In addition, a year ago the County Commission agreed that a study needed to be carried out to assess the existing Urban Development Boundary. The Commission held a meeting on January 31, 2005, in regard to this study and has another meeting scheduled February 14th to determine who will do this critical study.

We are also concerned that any development in this area may adversely affect full performance of two projects of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (also known as CERP). These two projects, the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands and C-111 North Spreader Canal Projects, are two of the State’s accelerated ecosystem restoration projects and are critical to the restoration of Biscayne and Everglades National Parks (including the Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay ecosystems). While there are many unknowns at this time with respect to how the proposed annexation may impact (or be impacted by) these important components of CERP, we are concerned given the proximity (and geographical extent) of this annexation to these CERP components. The National Park Service would strongly oppose any land use decisions (and any development activities) that would adversely affect Everglades restoration benefits provided by CERP.

In addition, the National Park Service is concerned that the proposed annexation may result in activities that adversely affect Federal lands and Federally-protected resources. Lands included in the proposed annexation area have been actively sought and, in fact, are on the list for acquisition by the South Florida Water Management District (through its Save Our Rivers Model Lands Basin Program) and by Miami-Dade County (through its Environmental Endangered Lands Program). These lands are part of a contiguous habitat and wildlife corridor connecting Biscayne National Park, Everglades National Park, Crocodile Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Given the long-recognized importance of these lands for conservation purposes and their significant role in a restored Everglades and Biscayne Bay, we recommend that additional land acquisition efforts be undertaken to protect and preserve these critical lands.

For all of these reasons, Everglades and Biscayne National Parks urge you to postpone action on this annexation until the Watershed and Urban Development Boundary studies are completed, and until the C-111 Spreader Canal and Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Projects are more fully developed so that we can better understand the impacts that this annexation may have on these projects and on our mutual goal of restoring Everglades and Biscayne Bay. This course of action will also provide time for renewed efforts to acquire these critical lands.

The National Park Service is fully committed to working with Miami-Dade County and Florida City in continuing to evaluate this annexation proposal. We are also fully supportive of the County’s and the City’s efforts to achieve a sustainable community that protects our natural resources, and results in a thriving economy and a high quality of life for the citizens of Miami-Dade County and Florida City. In furtherance of this goal, the National Park Service will continue to work with the County and Florida City on partnership projects that will mutually benefit our neighboring communities and Biscayne and Everglades National Parks.

Linda Canzanelli, Superintendent

Dan B. Kimball, Acting Superintendent
Biscayne National Park Everglades National Park