On May 6th nine Miami-Dade County Commissioners approved two applications for commercial development outside the county's Urban Development Boundary (UDB) over objections from Mayor Alvarez, state and local planning experts and more than 5,000 Hold the Line activists and Clean Water Action members who wrote, called, e-mailed and attended public hearings.

Instead of getting angry - Get Active!

Since many of the County Commissioners don't listen, we are looking to state officials to ask them to protect our quality of life, water supply, and the Everglades by enforcing Miami-Dade's UDB and denying the Lowe's Home Improvement Store and another retail center.

Write your e-mail asking the Florida Department of Community Affairs to challenge these approvals!

Lennar Corp. is now advancing a new project to pave wetlands with nearly 7,000 homes outside the UDB. These approvals tell developers that anything is for sale in Miami-Dade County - no matter what it costs citizens and the environment. We must Hold the Line!

If you prefer to write a letter, here are some talking points to guide you:

Talking Points

• All residents of Florida understand the toll that sprawl has taken on Miami-Dade and other counties.
• We ask for your supporting in finding the County's attempts to extend the Urban Development Boundary to be inconsistent with state plans and residents' needs.
• As you drive through Miami-Dade County, you can see the many empty lots and blighted areas within the Urban Development Boundary.
• There is a backlog of infrastructure repairs within the existing county. Water supply and school overcrowding are the direct result of the type of short-sighted planning being approved in Miami-Dade.
• These applications increase traffic and impact police and fire response times.
• Miami-Dade County does not have sufficient water supply to accommodate new development
• Protect America's Everglades from development.
• DCA please be strong and HOLD THE LINE!

Addressees:

Director Charles Gauthier
Division of Community Planning
Florida Department of Community Affairs
2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100
Phone: (850)487-4545
Fax: (850)488-3309
Email: charles.gauthier@dca.state.fl.us

Secretary Thomas Pelham
Florida Department of Community Affairs
2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100
Phone: (850)487-4545
Fax: (850)921-0781
Email: Thomas.Pelham@dca.state.fl.us

Florida Offices

Clean Water Action National Office
4455 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite A300
Washington, DC 20008-2328
Tel: 202.895.0420
Fax: 202.895.0438
cwa@cleanwater.org