Coalition of South Florida leaders calls for veto of pro-development bill

WLRN, March 9, 2026

Aerial view of a residential neighborhood surrounded by mangroves. Photo by The Everglades Foundation.

A broad collection of South Florida leaders from an array of political parties, municipalities and industries came together today to oppose a Florida bill that would make it easier for to develop near environmentally sensitive Everglades land outside Miami-Dade County's Urban Development Boundary (UDB).

A press conference called by Miami-Dade County Commissioner and former Republican State Senator René Garcia brought together the mayors of Homestead and Palmetto Bay, a Miami Beach Commissioner and leaders from the Everglades Foundation, Miami Waterkeeper and the Florida Farm Bureau. 

The coalition called for Florida Senators to vote down House Bill 399 and its Senate companion Bill 208, or for Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto the legislation should it pass.

The pair of bills would loosen local regulations on development and lower the bar needed to move the UDB — an invisible line that marks how far urban development can occur in Miami-Dade County.

Read the full WLRN story here: https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2026-03-09/veto-urban-boundary-development-bill-florida

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