Friends,

 

Your help is urgently needed today with phone calls or emails on yet another critical issue. I know I sent out a request last night asking for your help on the JPA between the county and FP&L but, the hits, they just keep on coming.

“Hold the Line”, a cause that has been championed for years, to protect critical wetlands bordering the Everglades from development and preserve the off-moved Urban Development Boundary from violation, is being challenged by a proposal to construct a toll-road expansion.

Twice in the past, we have spoken out and defeated the proposed expansion of the 836 Expressway out toward the Everglades and then down south to around SW 136 Street near Miami Executive Airport (formerly called Kendall-Tamiami Airport). The expansion proposal which would violate the UDB has been resurrected and is coming up for a hearing before the County Planning Advisory Board this coming Monday, April 9 at 9:30 a.m. at the County Commission Chambers.

The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX), with the assistance of Miami-Dade County making the formal request, is seeking to build the expressway expansion with the stated intention of relieving the awful traffic congestion in the Kendall area which, ironically, is so congested because of past urban sprawl. Unfortunately, the toll road through agricultural and sensitive wetland areas, will be an inducement to further urban sprawl development and not the solution to the daily traffic grind that many Kendall residents find themselves in as they head east in the morning and west in the afternoon to and from jobs in South Miami, Coral Gables, downtown Miami, and South Dade.

I live in West Kendall and there is no way I am jogging west towards the Everglades and then driving north to hook up with the 836 running past MIA to get to locations reached off the U.S. 1 corridor. I already have the Florida Turnpike extension to travel northward and then east on the 836 if I am traveling to Miami Beach or north of downtown Miami. The existing 836 toll road is already congested, so I can only imagine, the dumping of more cars on the existing 836 toll road coming from the west. It will bring new meaning to arriving early at MIA for a flight.

The expansion of this tollway would involve paving a 500-foot wide corridor of road on around 780 acres, of which approximately 300 acres are designated for agricultural usage and the remaining 480 acres endangered wetlands. Please see the attachments below of a map of the route, the application to amend the Comprehensive Development Master Plan and the letter from the Friends of the Everglades, written by Laura Reynolds.

Please join Laura Reynolds, who is representing the Friends of the Everglades and spearheading the fight, and many other environmental activists in attending the Monday, April 9th Planning Advisory Board meeting at the Commission Chambers located at 111 NW 1st Street, Miami. We need to show up so they can see the opposition. The Planning Advisory members also need to hear the opposition, so if you are willing to speak, please fill out the speaker form when you arrive at 9 a.m. Even if you do not want to speak, you can fill out a comment card.

The full Commission will be having a hearing on Tuesday, April 25 at 9:30 a.m. Please mark your calendars for that meeting as well.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez is conducting a townhall on the “Kendall Parkway” on Wednesday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. at John A. Ferguson High School located at 15900 SW 56th St., Miami. Please attend to participate.

Please call or email the following Planning Advisory Board members today by clicking on the links below. Most members prefer email only as noted in the chart below. The name of the County Commissioner who appointed each Council member appears at the bottom of each box.

Thanks for any actions you can take.

Regards,

Sharon Van Smith

RUF Environmental Chair

 

 

 

Planning Advisory Board

Voting Members ‐ As of January 16, 2018

Peter DiPace

7205 SW 109 TerracePinecrest, FL 33156

(305) 250‐4503

  E-mail: PeterDiPace.Esq@gmail.com

 

(Commissioner Jordan – District 1)

Prefers email for all materials

 

Jesus R. Vazquez NV2AGroup One Datran Center

9100 South Dadeland Blvd., Suite 1500Miami, Florida 33156

(305)  986‐6893

E‐mail:Jvazquez@NV2Agroup.com(Commissioner Souto – District 10)

Prefers email for all materials

 

J. Wil Morris 

1200 NW 78 Avenue, Suite 300

Miami, FL 33126

(305) 444-3437

Email: mailto: jwilmorrispab@gmail.com

 

Copy assistant Katrina: Katrinad@morrisbarrow.com

(Commissioner Monestine – District 2)

Tomas Rementeria

14132 SW 154 Court

Homestead FL 33030

(305) 282-9358

Email: dist12pab@gmail.com  

 

 

(Comm. Martinez – District 11)

Vacant

 

 

 

(Commissioner Edmonson – District 3)

Wayne Rinehart  

15801 Turnberry Drive Miami Lakes, FL 33014

(305) 558‐4090

E‐mail: wrinehart@costarealty.com

(Commissioner Diaz – District 12)

Prefers hardcopies

 

Raymond Marin

20900 W. Dixie Hwy.

Aventura, FL 33180

(305) 944‐7001

 E‐mail: raymondm@hmdcpa.com

(Commissioner Heyman – District 4)

Prefers hardcopies

 

 

Richard Tapia

11380 NW 27 AvenueBuilding 2, Suite 2256 Miami, FL 33167

(305) 305‐5559

 E‐mail: RTapia777@gmail.com

(Commissioner Bovo – District 13)

 

For deliveries, pls leave package with secretary

Prefers hardcopies

 

Jose Bared

3399 NW South River DriveMiami, FL 33142

(305) 635‐0891

 E‐mail: joseb@jonesdrydock.com

(Commissioner Barreiro – District 5)

Prefers email for all materials

 

Horacio Carlos Huembes11889 SW 72nd TerraceMiami, FL 33183

(305) 661‐8181

E‐mail: hcarlos@bellsouth.net

(At‐Large  Representative)

Prefers hardcopies

 

Vacant

 

 

 

 

(Commissioner Sosa – District 6)

William W. Riley, Chair1657 NW 17th Ave

Miami, FL 33125

(305) 325‐1330

 E‐mail: bill_riley@ibew349.org

(At‐Large Representative)

   Prefers hardcopies

Copy his assistant, Nubia Miranda,  Nubia_Miranda@ibew349.org

 

Robert Ruano, Vice Chair

1544 Murcia Avenue    Coral Gables FL 33134

(305) 962‐6142 E‐mail: rjruano@ecostratas.com(Commissioner Suarez ‐ District 7)

Prefers hardcopies

 

Georgina Santiago

7431 SW 66th StreetMiami, FL 33143

(305) 282-7675

 E‐mail: gablespar@aol.com

(At‐Large Representative)

Prefers hardcopies

 

Tom Sherouse  

938 Matanzas AvenueCoral Gables, FL 33146

(305) 662‐5096, E‐mail: TSherouse@gmail.com(Commissioner Levine Cava – District 8)

Prefers hardcopies

 

Carla M. Ascencio‐Savola7410 SW 82nd Court

Miami, FL 33143

305 807-5669 – Cell – STAFF ONLY

(305) 598‐8244

 E‐mail: savolac@yahoo.com (At‐Large  Representative)

Prefers hardcopies

 

 

Perley Richardson, Jr.14122 SW 110 Ave.

Miami, FL 33176                                           

(786) 348‐5083, E‐mail: PRicha7902@aol.com(Commissioner Moss – District 9)

Prefers hardcopies

 

 

 

 

Non‐Voting Members

 

Ivan Rodriguez

Miami‐Dade County Public Schools1450 NE 2nd Avenue, Rm 540‐AMiami, FL 33132

(305) 995‐4501 E‐mail: irodriguez@dadeschools.net(School Board Appointee)

 

 

Prefers email for all materials

 

Larry Ventura

 482 MSG/CEV

29350 Westover St, Bldg 232

Homestead ARB, FL 33039‐1299

(786) 415‐7163 E‐mail: lawrence.ventura@us.af.mil(Homestead Air Reserve Base Appointee) Prefers email for all materials – never hardcopies Copy his consultant, Dana Gilbert, Marstel Day, at

DGilbert@Marstel-day.com

 

 

DGilbert@Marstel-day.com

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