According to a report recently published in TIME, developers in Florida have announced their plans to push back the Miami-Dade Urban Development Boundary so that a new Lowe's and some office buildings can be built. Why the county needs another major home-improvement outlet, no one seems to know, but the move to further encroach into the Everglades has already caused a fair amount of muck-slinging.
The Miami-Dade County Commission recently approved plans to build a Lowe's and offices, although it seems that at least some of the members are in bed with developers. One member, Jose "Pepe" Diaz, is currently under investigation for receiving gifts from companies whose plans he approved according to the TIME story.
The new plans also run counter to calls for the restoration of the Everglades, the wetlands being not only ecologically important, but also an important source of water and a flood control system. Although the land may be just "muck" to Jose Diaz, wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on earth, and efforts to preserve the Everglades have been going on for decades. They may not be pretty to look at, but the biomass in a wetland rivals that of a rainforest and safeguarding this ecosystem alone is a compelling reason to reject the notion that developers should be allowed to have free rein .
Whether Lowe's will be allowed to build or not is still up in the air; the mayor has promised a veto of the commission's plans, but he could be overridden. I hope that those who want to preserve and restore the Everglades are successful in their attempts to "Hold the Line," though. When it comes to suburban sprawl, enough is enough.
- Log in to post comments
Commissioners in cahoots with developers?
Next you'll be telling us that there's oxygen the air we breathe or that the sun, the very sun itself sets in the west!
What? A good wetland is some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.
Scumbags gotta wring every last dollar out. All of that's going to be underwater by the end of the century anyway.
As a Florida resident it is clear that the state enjoys a reputation of being clean, lush, verdant, and environmentally friendly. To keep this reputation the state and local authorities are perfectly willing, highly motivated, to pass all sorts of environmental protections, regulations and conservation set-asides ... as long as it doesn't inconvenience the developers or real estate brokers who wish to convert the entire state into strip malls and office parks, and sell off whatever remains in easy to finance quarter acre residential lots.
Legislators are all for tough regulations but they know who finances their campaigns. The general course is that politicians sell off permission to develop public lands to developers who will turn around and finance the politicians bid for office. The developers do their thing, make their money, and retire to properties well away from the areas they have graced with their attentions.
And the beat goes on.
Considering how badly the housing market is doing in Florida, and how much Lowes relies on HELOCs, flippers, and new development for much if it's business, the real question is WHY they are still fighting this?
Wouldn't it make more sense to buy out a dead commercial space or failed home depot in a few months, and use that instead.