What's New
Developers have filed nearly one dozen applications to move Miami's Urban Development Boundary (UDB) further west into the Everglades. In February 2006, the Florida Department of Community Affairs recommended that Miami-Dade commissioners reject all developments proposed outside the UDB because the county had not shown it has enough drinking water to support the flood of people or that it needed to open new areas to more intensive development. It also found some projects could glut roads and schools.

Despite the blunt review by the Florida DCA, and the fact that moving the UDB further west would irreversibly harm two of Florida's most treasured waterways - the Everglades and Biscayne Bay - powerful developers are waging an intense effort to convince Miami-Dade Commissioners to approve their development plans. Florida PIRG is working with the "Hold the Line" Coalition to convince the Miami-Dade County Commission to oppose urban sprawl and protect the Everglades by rejecting these unsustainable, poorly planned developments.

How You Can Help
Please urge Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen Castille to protect these designated Outstanding Florida Waterways and others from imminent threats.

Sign up for E-Alerts: On Florida PIRG's home page, you can sign up to receive free E-alerts. E-alerts offer an effective and easy way for you to make your voice heard on this and other critical policy decisions.

Brief Summary
From the meandering rivers of the north, to the thousands of clear lakes of central Florida, to the prehistoric swamps of the south, the Sunshine State’s waters are among our most precious places. These waters provide critical habitat for wildlife, clean drinking water for residents, and some of the state’s most popular family and recreational sites.

Unfortunately, a number of Florida’s most magnificent waterways, including three that have been designated as Outstanding Florida Waterways, are facing imminent threat from poorly planned developments and nutrient pollution run-off.

Wakulla Springs in north Florida, one of the largest freshwater springs in the world is being polluted by nutrient pollution from the City of Tallahassee’s sewage treatment sprayfield.

The Everglades, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, is facing pressure from developers who want to expand Miami-Dade’s Urban Development Boundary further west into the “River of Grass”.

Cypress Creek, a major tributary for the Hillsborough River, is facing an effort by developers to build a large mall next to the creek which seriously threatens this treasured Florida waterway.

Florida policy makers must act to protect Florida’s threatened treasured waterways by ensuring that proposed developments that pose a threat to these waterways are denied and that known sources of pollution run-off into these waterways are eliminated. More.

Overview | Fact Sheet | How You Can Help |