Affirm support for preserving Miami-Dade Urban Development Boundary

Page 1 of 3 – Resolution No. 2026-65 CITY OF CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA RESOLUTION NO. 2026-65 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION AFFIRMING SUPPORT FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE MIAMI-DADE URBAN DEVELOPMENT BOUNDARY (“UDB”) AS IT CURRENTLY EXISTS TO PROTECT DOWNSTREAM WATER RESOURCES, INCLUDING THE BISCAYNE AQUIFER, REGIONAL GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES, AND CONNECTED COASTAL WATERS, AS WELL AS THE EVERGLADES WETLANDS, AND AGRICULTURAL LANDS; URGING THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO REJECT THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE THE UDB; URGING THE FLORIDA STATE LEGISLATURE TO OPPOSE ANY LEGISLATION THAT WOULD WEAKEN THE UDB IN THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY CHARTER; ENCOURAGING ADVANCEMENT OF ATTAINABLE AND WORKFORCE HOUSING WITHIN THE UDB TO ADDRESS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY WITHOUT EXPANDING DEVELOPMENT INTO ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LANDS; ADDING PRESERVATION OF THE UDB TO THE CITY’S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES; AND FURTHER DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, THE SPEAKER OF THE FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE PRESIDENT OF THE FLORIDA SENATE, THE MIAMI-DADE STATE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, ALL OTHER MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN MIAMI- DADE COUNTY, AND THE CITY’S LOBBYING TEAM. WHEREAS, the Urban Development Boundary (“UDB”) in Miami-Dade County was established as a core growth-management tool to limit urban sprawl, protect environmentally sensitive lands, preserve agricultural areas, and safeguard natural systems critical to regional water supply and flood resilience; and WHEREAS, lands located outside the current UDB include wetlands, agricultural soils, and open spaces that play a vital role in protecting downstream water resources, including the Biscayne Aquifer, regional groundwater supplies, and connected coastal waters, upon which Bay Harbor Islands and other coastal communities depend for drinking water, environmental health, and resilience to flooding and sea level rise; and WHEREAS, wetlands and prairies west of the UDB function as natural filtration and storage systems that support groundwater recharge, reduce pollutant loads, and maintain hydrologic connections between inland ecosystems, the Everglades, and downstream coastal waters; and Docusign Envelope ID: 9459B2CC-6B1A-49C1-8863-B46C87AB81C9 Page 2 of 3 – Resolution No. 2026-65 WHEREAS, the UDB also serves to protect South Dade agricultural lands by maintaining contiguous farming areas, preserving permeable soils, supporting food production, and preventing land-speculation pressures that arise when urban development expands into rural areas; and WHEREAS, in January 2026, the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners approved amendments to the County's Comprehensive Development Master Plan to allow development of a large heavy-equipment facility on hundreds of acres of predominantly protected wetlands outside the existing UDB, raising significant concerns regarding impacts to wetlands, water resources, flood control, and long-standing growth-management policies; and WHEREAS, on February 2, 2026, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed the proposed development, citing the County’s obligation to protect environmentally sensitive lands, uphold the integrity of the UDB, and ensure that development outside the boundary occurs only when there is a demonstrated and compelling public need consistent with long-range planning principles; and WHEREAS, on February 18, 2026, the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners voted to reconsider its January 2026 approval of the amendments at a later date; and WHEREAS, weakening or bypassing the UDB through legislative or administrative action risks accelerating sprawl into wetlands and agricultural lands, undermining Everglades restoration efforts, and increasing long-term public costs associated with infrastructure expansion, flood mitigation, and environmental degradation; and WHEREAS, the City Commission recognizes that addressing housing affordability is a critical public-policy goal, and acknowledges that developers have argued for expanding the UDB westward to accommodate industrial and commercial projects as a means to preserve sufficient land within the UDB for affordable and workforce housing; however, the City Commission firmly believes such housing objectives are best achieved through strategies within the existing UDB, including infill development, redevelopment, zoning reforms, and infrastructure-efficient growth, rather than by encroaching upon environmentally sensitive lands; and WHEREAS, protecting upstream lands and water systems is directly tied to the long-term environmental, economic, and public-health interests of the City of Coral Gables as a downstream coastal city;

NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CORAL GABLES: Docusign Envelope ID: 9459B2CC-6B1A-49C1-8863-B46C87AB81C9 Page 3 of 3 – Resolution No. 2026-65 SECTION 1. That the foregoing “WHEREAS” clauses are hereby ratified and confirmed as being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this Resolution upon adoption hereof. SECTION 2. That the City Commission hereby affirms its support for the preservation of the Miami-Dade Urban Development Boundary (“UDB”) as it currently exists to protect downstream water resources, including the Biscayne Aquifer, regional groundwater supplies, and connected coastal waters, as well as the Everglades wetlands and agricultural lands; urges the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, to reject the proposed development outside the UDB; urges the Florida State Legislature to oppose any legislation that would weaken the UDB in the Miami-Dade County Charter; encourages the advancement of attainable and workforce housing within the UDB to address housing affordability without expanding development into environmentally sensitive lands; adds preservation of the UDB to the City’s Legislative Priorities; and further directs the City Clerk to transmit a copy of this Resolution to the Miami-Dade County Mayor, each member of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, the President of the Florida Senate, the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation, all other municipalities within Miami-Dade County, and the City’s lobbying team. SECTION 3. That this Resolution shall become effective upon the date of its passage and adoption herein. PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS TWENTY-FOURTH DAY OF FEBRUARY, A.D., 2026. (Moved: Anderson / Seconded: Castro) (Yeas: Lara, Anderson, Castro, Fernandez, Lago) (Unanimous: 5-0 Vote) (Agenda Item: F-3) APPROVED: VINCE LAGO MAYOR ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY: BILLY Y. URQUIA CITY CLERK CRISTINA M. SUÁREZ CITY ATTORNEY Docusign Envelope ID: 9459B2CC-6B1A-49C1-8863-B46C87AB81C9