MIAMI.- The decision of the Commission Miami-Dade Removing from the agenda the proposal to build a water park in areas of the Miami Zoo parking lot could mean the end of a project whose lease expires on December 31.
The Commission voted 9 to 1 to withdraw the proposal to build Miami Wilds Park. The vote this Tuesday, December 12, had the objective of amending the lease agreement between the county and the developer of Miami Wilds approved by the Commission in October 2020.
After the approval of the contract, several conservationists, including the zoo’s own communications director, Ron Magill, and the US Department of the Interior, argued that the construction of this park put the survival of four endangered species at risk: the capped bat, the tiger beetle, the Florida Leafwing butterfly, and the Bartram’s butterfly. In addition, it would affect the Pine Rockland ecosystem, considered an endangered habitat exclusive to southern Florida and the Bahamas.
The controversy arises since 10 years ago, Lambert Advisory won the bid in the county to build the Miami Wilds park without the different government agencies taking into account the negative impact of the project on the environment.
“In my memory, this is the first time the County Commission has prioritized the environment over a construction project,” Magill said in urging commissioners to vote against construction of the recreational facility.
For his part, Paul Lambert, manager of Miami Wilds, denied that the construction of the park would endanger endangered species and maintained that the place would generate hundreds of jobs.
It is not known what the next steps that the developers of the Miami Wilds park will take, whether they will challenge the Commission’s decision or not. The reality is that his contract expires on December 31.
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