MIAMI (WSVN) – Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is defending her veto of a development proposal, which she believes will harm the county’s protected wetlands and water supply. She’s now asking county commissioners to support her veto ahead of Wednesday’s vote.
“Tomorrow, the commissioners will cast their votes, and I am asking them to listen to the people they represent, to read the editorials, to consider the resolutions that were passed by cities and towns,” said Levine Cava during a Tuesday press conference.
In her plea to Miami-Dade’s commissioners, Levine Cava asks that they not override her veto after nine commissioners voted to move forward with changing the designation of land that would allow commercial development just outside the county’s Urban Development Boundary.
The proposed site for a Kelly Tractor headquarters is located off Northwest 137th Avenue, where the Dolphin Expressway ends in South Miami.
Environmentalists have argued that the change would threaten nearby wetlands and risk harming the county’s water supply.
Levine Cava initially vetoed the measure passed by commissioners on Feb. 2. On Wednesday, commissioners will decide whether or not to override her veto.
Christopher Kelly, the president of Kelly Tractor, said similar projects already exist in the area and that relocating their headquarters from Doral would be an economic boon for the county.
“We employ over 400 people in Miami-Dade County. We want to create, hopefully, up to 1,000 permanent jobs with this move. We do a lot of apprenticeship programs with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and this is about keeping the industrial base in Miami-Dade County,” said Kelly.
Opponents to the project say protecting the natural wetlands and pursuing smart development, which takes advantage of existing infrastructure like roadways, homes, and businesses, is the responsible way to grow.
Eric Eikenberg, the CEO of The Everglades Foundation, co-wrote an op-ed with developer Jorge Perez that urged commissioners to sustain the mayor’s veto.
“Development and the environment can coexist. It’s important that they coexist, and I applaud him for standing up to make sure that we have a robust process,” said Eikenberg.
With all commissioners in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting, it would take at least nine votes to override the mayor’s veto.
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