As a Miami Beach Commissioner, I’ve learned that the hardest choices in public service are often the most necessary ones. That’s why I strongly support Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s veto of the recent land-use change that would have pushed the Urban Development Boundary farther west and opened the door to development in sensitive wetland areas.
The Urban Development Boundary (UDB) is not an abstract planning concept. It is one of the most important tools we have to balance growth with responsibility. For decades, it has helped Miami-Dade County focus development on areas with existing infrastructure while safeguarding the wetlands that protect our drinking water, buffer us from storms, and sustain our unique ecosystem. Moving the UDB is not a minor adjustment — it is a permanent decision with irreversible consequences.
Wetlands are not “vacant” land waiting to be built upon. They are working natural systems that absorb floodwaters, recharge our aquifer, and reduce the impacts of hurricanes and sea-level rise. As a coastal community on the front lines of climate change, Miami Beach understands better than most what happens when we ignore nature’s warning signs. We spend millions of dollars each year adapting to rising seas and flooding. It would be reckless to undermine those efforts by sacrificing inland wetlands that serve as our first line of defense.
Levine Cava’s veto was an act of leadership grounded in science, long-term thinking, and fiscal responsibility. Extending development into wetland areas would require costly new roads, utilities, and public services — expenses that taxpayers would shoulder for generations. At the same time, it would increase flood risk countywide, including in already vulnerable urban and coastal neighborhoods.
Growth is inevitable, and it can be positive when done thoughtfully. But smart growth means redevelopment that is met with broad public support and investment in existing communities — not sprawl that trades short-term gains for long-term damage.
Protecting the UDB is about protecting our water, our environment, and our future. I commend Levine Cava for standing firm, and I urge our community to recognize that some lines are drawn for a reason. Once we cross them, we can’t draw them back.
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Commissioner Laura Dominguez, a Cuban American City Commissioner representing Miami Beach, was first elected in November 2022 and recently re-elected in 2025 by a decisive margin. Dominguez has been a steadfast and longtime champion of the environment and firmly against irresponsible development.
