On November 2nd you will have an opportunity to tell local, state, and federal politicians that you want a SAY in what impacts your quality of life. There are three important ballot amendments that the public placed on the 2010 ballot 4, 5, and 6. Clean Water Action is asking its members and supporters to just vote yes!
Amendment 4: Referred to as Florida Hometown Democracy -- Clean Water Action has been fighting at the local level for years to stop efforts to destroy our communities, jeopardize our water supply, and our environment with unwise development. Amendment 4 would even the playing field in the fight over smart growth.
For the past six years, Clean Water Action has coordinated a diverse coalition called Hold the Line (HTL) whose mission is to ensure that development does not take place outside of the Urban Development Boundary (UDB).
Every seven years, Miami-Dade updates its Comprehensive Land-Use Plan officially thru the process known as the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR). The plan takes a comprehensive look at current vacant and developed land and forecasts population and development trends for the future. This large scale mapping project also designates what land can be used for commercial, agricultural, and residential use and looks at the impact it has on schools, transportation, water supply, and economic conditions.
For the past two years, Clean Water Action has been part of a coalition working to get the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to purchase critical lands which would help with Everglades restoration and improve south Florida's water quality.
On August 12th the SFWMD made a landmark decision to purchase 26,800 acres of land which would help restore America's Everglades.
The land being purchased is sugar and citrus fields that will eventually be taken out of production and used for the pre-treatment and the storage of clean water. The money for this purchase was already earmarked by SFWMD so this is no taxpayer burden.
On March 10th and 11th, the South Florida Water Management District's Governing Board (SFWMD) will make a decision on the River of Grass land acquisition contract.
Although they did not yet have a majority, Miami-Dade Commissioners Edmonson, Sorenson, Sosa and Chairman Moss unified their voices, listened to their constituents and bucked the majority of commissioners who voted to advance a retail development proposed outside the Urban Development Boundary (UDB) at a November 4th hearing.
Florida is vulnerable to the effects of global warming and climate change driven by greenhouse gas emissions. Our leaders must act now to prevent sea level rise and water shortages and other impacts linked to climate change by moving ahead with renewable, sustainable, less water-intensive energy technologies.
The Florida Department of Community Affairs' (DCA) received thousands of comments from Hold the Line activists and Clean Water Action members and responded by strongly opposing Miami-Dade County's ill advised efforts to develop outside our Urban Development Boundary (UDB).
If County Commissioners do not rescind these amendments, the DCA's objections could cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal costs.
Let's keep the pressure on! Please tell Miami Dade Commissioners that it is wrong to waste our taxpayer dollars to help private development interests!
The Urban Development Boundary (UDB) helps to recharge our drinking water supply by keeping lands unpaved, it preserves our agricultural lands, and protects Everglades and Biscayne National Parks from being encroached on. The UDB also helps control flooding and prevents overcrowding of roads, especially in areas crucial for hurricane evacuation. Moving the UDB spreads finite resources (tax dollars) away from communities of need, and further burdens over-crowded schools in outlying areas.