The superhero is not coming.
Just before Saturday’s deadline for the mayoral veto on the Calusa zoning change that allows developers to build hundreds of homes on 168 Kendall acres that are now an organic, overgrown slice of Florida wildlife, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava issued a statement full of excuses as to why she didn’t, and empty promises as to why it shouldn’t matter.
She called it “taking the best next steps,” and said it addresses several issues: “Ensuring any endangered species have all possible protection, while also creating additional green spaces and minimizing impacts on traffic and quality of life for residents.”
Who wrote that? Sounds like talking points. Traffic? Check. Green space? Check. The all-important quality of life? Check check.
Read related: Open letter to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava: Veto Calusa zoning change
The mayor said she was also directing the Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) to take “all possible steps to enforce critical environmental protection measures – not only ensuring the redevelopment process adheres to all land development and environmental protection regulations, but also providing, to the maximum extent permitted by law, additional protections to potentially impacted wildlife identified in the redevelopment area.”
Wait, what? Isn’t that already the case? They should already be doing that.
Levine Cava also said that, even though the developer refused to add the staff-requested 5-acre neighborhood park to their plans, she will work with county attorneys to see if impact fees can be spent on improvements to the Kendall Indian Hammocks Trail — four miles away, or about half an hour in traffic — and to the West Kendall Trail, which is even further.
Key word: if. And, um, thanks?
She justified the decision by saying it is the only way to protect the Urban Development Boundary.
“Although efforts are now underway to allow development outside the UDB, my administration is firmly committed to fighting these efforts as we know that standing firm on the UDB is essential to protecting our environment and threatened habitats now and for the future,” she said. “Preserving the UDB means we must prioritize sustainable development inside the boundary – and, critically, make investments in better connected, more livable communities.”
Is it Ladra or does the mayor’s memo sound a lot like it was written by the developers and/or their lobbyist?
Memo from Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Calusa application for development by Political Cortadito on Scribd
To say it’s a huge disappointment is an understatement. Many don’t believe Levine Cava really tried all that hard. Her statement reads like she tried hard to find excuses. No, wait, it reads like she plagiarized Commissioner Raquel Regalado‘s statement defending her own vote.
If ever there was a development that could be questioned it is this one. La Alcaldesa had only to get one or two commissioners to see how this whole thing has been manipulated from the get-go, how developers intentionally presented misleading information and skewered environmental studies.
Read related: Miami-Dade votes to kill Calusa preserve for Kendall developer
Even the way the covenant was released last year — during a pandemic meeting, one month before a sea change in the commission that saw five new county commissioners elected — is suspicious at the least. It was rushed three years after it failed and after the former owner, Facundo Bacardi, entered into a legal settlement with the adjacent property owners who sued. About 123 of these “ring owners,” as they are called, were paid up to $300,000 a piece for their vote to release the covenant.
But first they have to make sure they support the zoning change. That is part of the deal and the developers — which now includes Broward-based GL Homes — lied to commissioners when they said the homeowners weren’t being paid to be there. They were. They have to make sure the zoning change happened. They don’t get a dime unless it does.
In her carefully worded memo, Levine Cava, like Regalado before her, is trying to make it seem like development was a foregone conclusion because the covenant was lifted. But the decision the commission made DATE was to change the zoning from parks and recreation to high density housing. Nobody can say that was the only option. The private owners could have built a golf course. A water park maybe. But that was never the intention from the moment the property was bought there was an intention to put homes on there. At one time it was 1,100, developers say, like they’re doing everyone a favor by cutting the proposal in half. .
In fact, that’s what the commissioners who voted to release the covenant said last year: That it didn’t guarantee any development. That the owners still had to come back for more approvals and that the public would get a chance to speak again.
Whatever good that does. There was enormous, perhaps unprecedented, opposition to this development. About 5,000 people signed an online petition and more sent their own letters and emails asking for a veto. Even Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill has come out vehemently against the project, saying that the wildlife there needed to be protected now, not later.
There is one last chance. A group of homeowners have hired attorney David Winker who says the zoning change void because there was no legal notice for the meeting. The legal notice was made for the item when it was on the agenda for a meeting in October. But it was never made again.
That was also not unintentional, by the way. And Winker told the county before the meeting — but they decided to go ahead anyway. Like there’s a deadline.
Read related: Miami-Dade Commission could wipe out Calusa preserve for 550 homes
“While we are, of course, disappointed that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava didn’t follow the pleas of over 5,000 residents to veto the Commission vote to allow 550 homes on the Calusa land designated ‘parks & rec on the Miami-Dade comprehensive land use map, we are happy that the wildlife
concerns we raised are being addressed,” Winker said.
“Without our tireless work, these environmental issues would never have been addressed, and these critical habitats and endangered animals would have been bulldozed by the developer GL Homes. That alone shows the breakdown in this process.
“But the fight is far from over,” the attorney added.
Ladra doesn’t know, though. I mean, if the “water warrior” just gave up like that, without a little fight, then who is going to stand up to the developer?
Levine Cava did not return a call to her on Saturday evening. Instead, she had her spokeswoman Rachel Johnson text.
“She is actually canoeing in the Everglades this weekend without good reception,” Johnson said.
It appears she doesn’t have good reception when she’s at home or County Hall, either.
Calusa veto never came, but Miami-Dade’s Alcaldesa promises ‘protections’ added by Ladra on
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Cava is showing she is too scared to speak up to Pepe Diaz and other criminals on the BCC. What a coward.
No Fan is correct. Ladra, you couldn’t be more wrong on this. You and other people in this comments section simply wanted a symbolic vote. It was a 10-2 lopsided vote in favor of this disaster by the County Commission. The Mayor vetoing this would’ve been a complete waste of time and political capital with a Commission that already doesn’t like her because she’s not part of “that club”. You could maybe use the bully pull pit if this vote wasn’t so lopsided. You simply aren’t going to change the minds of 4+ Commissioners. People blaming the Mayor for this and accusing her of being corrupt are insane. She certainly doesn’t need the $$$ and her résumé speaks for itself. If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at the County Commissioners that had been bought out long before DLC became Mayor. This also falls people who thought that Regalado would’ve been better for the District than Cindy Lerner. Accusing everyone and everything of being corrupt #BecauseMiami causes people to get apathetic. Then, they don’t bother to vote in these all-important Commission races. Civic engagement AND education on what powers the Mayor and the County actually have are so important. It really needs to be part of the local curriculums at school.
TLDR: it’s OK to be disappointed but lay off DLC. A veto was never the reality of the situation. At least her admin can put these developers through compliance and bureaucratic hell now.
Understand how this works.
” A large number of houses have been illegally converted into multi-unit properties,”
You have described plenty of houses here in Doral where in last 10 years or so have seen new owners packing a platoon of people in these homes .
Some rent out bedrooms and some are just huge extended families , impossible to enforce and not that anyone could care less .
Garages turned into efficiencies is also big here now .
I moved here 6 years ago so not saying by any stretch of the imagination most who moved in last 10 tears do this but will say about 30 percent do this which understand was unheard of years ago.
” For all of us who supported Levine Cava, this is devastating on more than one level. I feel so betrayed.”
Politically I have issues on both sides of the isle so I do not lose an election but do not win either , lol so for me its not about any party .
HOWEVER in Miami that party letter in front of their name is completely worthless I vote on who I think will be the lesser of the evils as far as not working for developers , lining their pockets .
I want EVERY career politician here out and not voting for someones family member because politics should not be a family business .
Having said this you are correct she has been a big disappointment who takes her orders from Jose Pepe Diaz but Bovo was still a worse option as instead of Jose Pepe Diaz lining his pockets it would have been Bovo .
I do hope someone NEW challenges Cava and runs on the platform ” A vote for Cava is a vote for Jose Pepe Diaz ” .
For all of us who supported Levine Cava, this is devastating on more than one level. I feel so betrayed.
💔🌳💔🕊💔🦇💔🦅💔
When I hear, “quality of life” from county government I know someone’s sidestepping. Perhaps Calusa is still a nice neighborhood, but my older Westwood Lake neighborhood lost its single-family character long ago. A large number of houses have been illegally converted into multi-unit properties, so we now have more crime, more noise and more traffic. We worked with Code Enforcement, and there’s nothing much they can do because occupants cite the 4th Amendment to block inspections. In 2019 we found a partial solution that would allow inspectors to get warrants to go inside only those houses that were NOT owner-occupied in order to enforce zoning laws. We worked with our commissioner, Senator Souto, and he proposed this legislation https://tinyurl.com/2p9xyxu3 that would enable Code Enforcement to obtain inspection warrants. But of course, the Commission at the time (which then included Mayor Cava) refused to pass the ordinance. To me, it makes no sense that a legislative body with responsibility to create laws has no interest in enforcing those laws.
I’m also disappointed that county allows brand new duplexes to be built on lots zoned for single-family homes. The builder calls these houses “Next Gen” and markets them with feel-good messages about caring for grandma. But these are duplexes. These single-family neighborhoods start with the handicap of multi-family houses on day one. My point is simple—Single Family RU-1 zoning is a joke in Miami-Dade, and Calusa residents will soon have much less quality in their lives.
And don’t get me started on the Commission’s use of the Jennings Rule to block public input while, simultaneously allowing virtually unlimited lobbying from developers and their attorneys.
” I voted for Bovo exactly for that same reason. I knew that Pepe Diaz would be her puppet master…”
When she took that farce to Italy , of course on our dime she no longer tried to hide it
I emailed her 2 months after being elected that any new project should be put on hold because the city is in dire need of basic safety maintenance such as white / yellow divider street lines faded in much of the Miami , in fact completely gone and tree large branches that over hang electrical wires .
A Tropical storm these branches go down and plenty lose electricity which could have been avoided .
Polite emails with pics .
Other then the computer automated response I never received a reply .
At least Gimenez before her replied with ” We will look into it ” but nothing was done so guess same bull .
I know 2 people who have emailed her office on other matters and no response .
Would be curious if anyone here other then Ladra has received a reply from her office .
” I voted for Bovo exactly for that same reason. I knew that Pepe Diaz would be her puppet master…”
When she took that farce to Italy , of course on our dime she no longer tried to hide it
I voted for Bovo exactly for that same reason. I knew that Pepe Diaz would be her puppet master… Sometimes you change something not to change anything at all. Live with it.
Daniela Cava was supposed to be better. She was supposed to be brave. Here she is a coward.
OUR BBC LIE !
Sorry to say you’re wrong on this one. Mayor LC’s job to protect the public from the developer’s whores sitting on the BCC and not the developer’s whores sitting in the audience.
The BCC whores can be tricky for the public to spot hence the mayor may sometimes need to put a thumb on the scale, but the developer’s whores in the audience are easy to spot, they always wear matching color t-shits.
If the thousands of impacted Kendall residents and businesses can’t put more their color T-shirts in the seats than the developer who’s paying $300k a pop, then it’s on them..
It’s not that complicated, unfortunately commissioners’ highly evolved decision making marginal analysis process is usually counting colored wardrobe.
A few women post here that Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is bright and do not doubt them but she is also WEAK , TERRIFIED of Commissioner Jose Pepe Diaz and hope someone NEW ( Not the same self serving parasites ) runs against her .
I could not care less about political party here as that is a con .
I voted for her because Bovo was out of the question but had no idea that Commissioner Jose Pepe Diaz would be her puppet master .