Update: The City of Miami on April 24 dropped the tree ordinance. Read that story here.
Frustrated and angered with the city of Miami commission’s failure to vote on a tree ordinance, a group of local groups — who oppose the measure — are demanding a vote this Thursday or that it be withdrawn from consideration.
Miami’s Trees Matter Most Coalition, which includes environmental advocates, neighborhood leaders, urban foresters and others, said the commission has delayed votes since last October — a move they contend is “a clear attempt to wear down opposition, discourage civic engagement, and delay accountability.”
“It is costly to both city staff and residents, many of whom take time off work and rearrange their schedules only to be turned away and denied a voice,” the coalition group said in a statement.
They said they are planning a press conference on Thursday morning to call attention to the ordinance prior to the commission meeting, which is set to start at 9 a.m.
“Miami residents have spoken loud and clear: WITHDRAW this item, or VOTE on it,” the coalition group wrote.
READ MORE: Developers push controversial Miami ordinance that would make it easier to cut down trees
“We will not accept a process that distracts from the true intention: to insert deceptive language that will weaken protections, harm our urban canopy, and misuse our Tree Trust Fund,” the coalition group argues.
City Commissioner Miguel Gabela sponsored the tree ordinance last October. If passed, it would change the way the city handles permitting for tree removal as well as trimming on private and public property.
The goal is to update what Gabela calls an "antiquated" permitting system that makes it difficult for less affluent residents to deal with trees that pose a threat to their properties.
"We're trying to cut through the red tape of when you can trim a tree," Gabela told WLRN in an interview in January. "In my area, not everybody has the money or the know-how to get permits right now."
A number of environmental and community groups — including the Sierra Club, Urban Paradise Guild and the Tropical Audubon Society — have voiced concern about the ordinance, fearing it would make it too easy for the city's limited tree canopy to be destroyed and that developers might take advantage.
The city is already severely lacking in shade trees, sitting well below Miami-Dade County's goal of 30% tree canopy cover. Lack of tree cover can contribute to excessive heat and health issues in urban communities.
WLRN reported in January that representatives from development groups are working to ease the ordinance’s passage. of the ordinance. The Builders Association of South Florida (BASF), a building trade group whose executive committee is made up of executives from companies like Lennar Homes and Florida East Coast Industries, are working to push forward Gabela's ordinance and smooth out conflicts with other local governments, according to emails obtained by WLRN through a public records request.
