Construction of the Everglades Jetport (another ill-conceived airport proposal near Everglades National Park) was halted in 1970 — after a single runway was built. Now a familiar threat resurfaces at Homestead Air Reserve Base.
Friends of the Everglades stands in unity with several environmental advocacy groups against Miami-Dade County’s overtures to enter a Joint Use Agreement enabling non-military aviation at Homestead Air Reserve Base, due to the environmental and economic impacts articulated in the attached letter.
Friends has been involved closely in efforts to protect and restore the sensitive ecosystems near the base and have watched with concern the County’s recent efforts to use the HARB facility for industrial purposes. It is clear to us that opening up HARB to the County is likely to lead to the kinds of intensive uses, including commercial cargo operations, that the Air Force wisely prohibited decades ago. We ask the Air Force to reject the County’s current request to jointly use the aviation facilities at HARB and affirm its prior decision to prohibit any airport uses by the County.
CLICK HERE to read the full comments submitted by Friends of the Everglades on behalf of nine environmental advocacy groups to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations.
