As Florida International University (FIU) explores ways to expand its Miami-Dade County campus, the Miami-Dade Fairground adjacent to their campus is seen as an impediment to their growth. In order to remove this impediment, they have attempted to gain control over a tract of state-owned wetlands as a site to relocate the fairgrounds and accommodate their expansion. These circumstances have spawned a political maneuver which now threatens Everglades wetlands, and important legislation concerning Water Management District funding in Tallahassee.
The lands FIU wants were bought by the Governor and Cabinet in 1999 with Preservation 2000 funds in an effort to protect the Everglades and prevent flooding of urbanized areas. With the Legislature in session, FIU lobbyists put forward an amendment which would force the Governor and Cabinet to turn 350-acres of state-owned lands over to the university under a 99 year lease. One Miami-Dade legislator offered the amendment earlier in the session, and then withdrew it quickly once its impact became known. Now, FIU lobbyists have seized upon what they think is an important must-pass bill, SB 1986, which attempts to rectify some of the damage done to Water Management District funding last year.
The amendment providing a lease to FIU is currently inserted in a “House Offer” sent back to the Senate to iron out differences between the two legislative chambers in a conference committee. When the amendment was first offered, Audubon Florida and Tropical Audubon Society issued a joint letter opposing the disposition of state-owned conservation lands without a thorough review of impacts to Everglades restoration and wading birds such as Wood Storks that nest in nearby areas. Fortunately, Miami-Dade County’s Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, is also concerned both about the Everglades, and the integrity of Miami-Dade’s Urban Development Boundary. The mayor sent a letter to Legislative leaders opposing any effort to undermine the county’s urban boundary controlling urban sprawl.
With only a few days remaining in the Legislative Session, Audubon Florida, Tropical Audubon Society and other groups concerned about the Everglades are working hard against this bad amendment.
The Miami Herald has two articles today that cover this issue, tell us what you think in the comment section below or on Facebook:
