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Written by Miami Today on March 11, 2026
As Miami-Dade commissioners last week unanimously opposed a state bill that would strip their control of the Urban Development Boundary that protects wetlands from development, they also agreed to huddle themselves on revising the boundary and rules.
The legislature could negate any county action: the day commissioners voted to fully vet the 52-year-old boundary and its rules, the House passed the bill that would let the state decide the future, if any, of the boundary. As the legislature’s regular session ends this week, equal action by the Senate could seal the boundary’s fate.
“We have to talk about the Urban Development Boundary (UDB),” said Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez. “We cannot keep putting the finger on the sun…. I think it’s rational for us to have a sit-down with all the players and have a discussion.”
“We need to convene either a sunshine meeting or a separate meeting to have a long-term comprehensive plan about what we are going to do about the UDB and whether it needs to be revisited, with stakeholders on both sides of the issue,” said Danielle Cohen Higgins.
“We just need to figure that out,” agreed Oliver Gilbert III. “Having that type of certainty actually helps us grow.”
“I just think you should be honest that the urban expansion area has not worked,” said Raquel Regalado. “If someone brings an application for the urban expansion area we still have everyone with, like, hair on fire…. It just keeps coming up.”
Moreover, Ms. Regalado said, the geographical definition of wetland areas was compiled “a long time ago” and merits a new look. “The only way that we are going to secure wetlands that are important to us is to ensure that there are degrees of them” and not say that all are the same. “That has changed over the years.”
Commissioners unanimously opposed the state bill that subsequently passed but did not set a date for their own huddle on the wetlands and the development boundary.