The Miami Herald's Curtis Morgan writes about the gutting of environmental rules today and we wrote about this March 19th on our blog. Commissioner Lynda Bell claims that "gutting" the county's environmental capacity is not her goal. That's bulls@#t. Jim Humble, her Rasputin, is a South Dade land speculator who leads a coalition of large farm owners dead-set against land use regulation that blocks owners from the highest value for their property; mainly as crappy subdivisions.
There is, of course, no demand for crappy subdivisions. That myth vanished in the crack cocaine of the building boom. With no demand for development at the urban fringe, there is also no reason to change wetlands regulations except for this one: the economic crisis leaves top lobbyists with nothing more profitable to do than to use the crisis as an opportunity to eviscerate environmental regulations. Their clients are waiting for the miracle to come: the revival of growth at the fringe and pressure to build beyond the Urban Development Boundary.
Alice Pena should confess. Her Holy Grail is not minor infractions of DERM regulations by small landowners:it is to undo land use restrictions west of the 8.5 Square Mile levy. That has always has been her motivation. That levy was built at enormous expense and difficulty to shield a big portion of the 8.5 Square Mile Area when Everglades water levels are increased in the future. The funding and details and engineering, from US taxpayers, took more than a decade to work out. The Herald article makes it appear that all Pena cares about is mulching and mulching violations. Hah.
In reader comments to the Herald article, Albert Harum-Alvarez -- who built a model green home in South Miami and has run for political office, too -- decries the county's environmental permitting agency, formerly called DERM as obstructionist. But who and what departments are ultimately responsible for regulations that inhibit building "green" homes and retrofits: building and zoning. Those activities are closely supervised by the South Florida builder associations and lobbyists; aka the Great Destroyers. Any changes to building and zoning practices go through the development industry and its lobbyists. This is an important point: from the point of view of environmentalists, DERM is scarcely a neutral player or one to be counted, "on the side of environmentalists". Lobbyists understand perfectly well that the agency has long existed as a devil's bargain with lobbyists who heavily influence county policy. (Just ask the question: when exactly has DERM stood up to powerful permittees? FPL nuclear, anyone?)
No one argues that regulation for the sake of regulation is a bad idea. But protecting Miami Dade wetlands is critical for drinking water not just our environment. Loosening regulations to speed crappy subdivisions westward and into wetlands is a terrible idea. It is also an idea that connects straight into the movement to blow out the Urban Development Boundary.
The under-handed way in which Lynda Bell and the rest of the Unreformable Majority have gone about "reforming" environmental regulations has severely undermined staff morale. Former DERM director Carlos Espinosa ended his career after witnessing what Lynda Bell was up to, with his resignation rather to submit to more deaths by a thousand cuts.
The Herald article notes that Commissioner Joe Martinez is running against Mayor Carlos Gimenez for the county's top job. In our recent blog post, we noted that Martinez has always tried to run on the extremist right of environmental regulatory issues. The question of the day: why doesn't Mayor Gimenez attempt to inject some reason and civility in this discourse?
Indeed, Mayor Gimenez is the clearest thinker of the bunch but in running for mayor, after Alvarez was recalled, he made the calculation that it was necessary to raise as much money, as fast as possible, from the Great Destroyers. To an extent, he boxed himself into positions that are hostile to the public interest. Now, with Joe Martinez running to his right (ugh), he has room to move and could be a voice of reason.
There is no time to lose, Mayor Gimenez. Can you see that much?
There is, of course, no demand for crappy subdivisions. That myth vanished in the crack cocaine of the building boom. With no demand for development at the urban fringe, there is also no reason to change wetlands regulations except for this one: the economic crisis leaves top lobbyists with nothing more profitable to do than to use the crisis as an opportunity to eviscerate environmental regulations. Their clients are waiting for the miracle to come: the revival of growth at the fringe and pressure to build beyond the Urban Development Boundary.
Alice Pena should confess. Her Holy Grail is not minor infractions of DERM regulations by small landowners:it is to undo land use restrictions west of the 8.5 Square Mile levy. That has always has been her motivation. That levy was built at enormous expense and difficulty to shield a big portion of the 8.5 Square Mile Area when Everglades water levels are increased in the future. The funding and details and engineering, from US taxpayers, took more than a decade to work out. The Herald article makes it appear that all Pena cares about is mulching and mulching violations. Hah.
In reader comments to the Herald article, Albert Harum-Alvarez -- who built a model green home in South Miami and has run for political office, too -- decries the county's environmental permitting agency, formerly called DERM as obstructionist. But who and what departments are ultimately responsible for regulations that inhibit building "green" homes and retrofits: building and zoning. Those activities are closely supervised by the South Florida builder associations and lobbyists; aka the Great Destroyers. Any changes to building and zoning practices go through the development industry and its lobbyists. This is an important point: from the point of view of environmentalists, DERM is scarcely a neutral player or one to be counted, "on the side of environmentalists". Lobbyists understand perfectly well that the agency has long existed as a devil's bargain with lobbyists who heavily influence county policy. (Just ask the question: when exactly has DERM stood up to powerful permittees? FPL nuclear, anyone?)
No one argues that regulation for the sake of regulation is a bad idea. But protecting Miami Dade wetlands is critical for drinking water not just our environment. Loosening regulations to speed crappy subdivisions westward and into wetlands is a terrible idea. It is also an idea that connects straight into the movement to blow out the Urban Development Boundary.
The under-handed way in which Lynda Bell and the rest of the Unreformable Majority have gone about "reforming" environmental regulations has severely undermined staff morale. Former DERM director Carlos Espinosa ended his career after witnessing what Lynda Bell was up to, with his resignation rather to submit to more deaths by a thousand cuts.
The Herald article notes that Commissioner Joe Martinez is running against Mayor Carlos Gimenez for the county's top job. In our recent blog post, we noted that Martinez has always tried to run on the extremist right of environmental regulatory issues. The question of the day: why doesn't Mayor Gimenez attempt to inject some reason and civility in this discourse?
Indeed, Mayor Gimenez is the clearest thinker of the bunch but in running for mayor, after Alvarez was recalled, he made the calculation that it was necessary to raise as much money, as fast as possible, from the Great Destroyers. To an extent, he boxed himself into positions that are hostile to the public interest. Now, with Joe Martinez running to his right (ugh), he has room to move and could be a voice of reason.
There is no time to lose, Mayor Gimenez. Can you see that much?
6 comments:
Someone needs to give Alice Pena a lesson on the term GESTAPO. To use that in relation to her neighbors getting tickets is a disgrace.
Likening environmental regulators to Nazis has been the way Pena has talked for decades. Funny, for someone who wears a holy cross around her neck. Does she go to Maldonado's church, too?
Alice and her neighbors basically bought dirt cheap swampland and has spent their entire time of ownership of those lands wanting to convert them into city properties.
Actually, there are 2 types of owners out there. One group wants to convert their property into mega mansions with all the ambiance of Coral Gables (thus you have the Las Palmas name)and the other group basically "don't need no stinkin' laws" because they interfere with their questionable enterprises.
Alice is not the friend of the county. I am shocked that she rose to the top of the farm bureau. I thought the members of the farm bureau were more intelligent than to have her represent them.
Gimenez is such a disappointment. He said at his State of the County address that he would be further reorganizing his bloated administration and reducing its size by $40 million. Gimenez said the announcement of his reductions would be made in 2 weeks. It's now been three weeks. Where is his reorganization announcement? Or was the whole thing another lie?
Disappointed...
He sent a memo out to the Commission and all County employees that details his plans to further consolidate. It was issued on March 7th. I suggest you try to get a copy. It basically forces a bunch of departments together even further with no real details as to how he will account for dupication of duties (although it is pretty easy to figure - he will fire a bunch of mid and low level it and administrative staff).
This meeting was a disgrace. To let a member of the public throw some very serious accusations around on the record and instead of asking for her proof, the Board jumped on the bandwagon. And for none of them to call her to the carpet on her comparing County staff to Nazis. Meanwhile, she continues to lie about what is really going on -- that a very small segment of the population does not want to follow the same rules as everyone else...
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