Miami-Dade commission clears way for heavy equipment center on protected wetlands
By Jenny Staletovich
January 22, 2026 at 6:23 PM EST
Miami-Dade County commissioners cleared the way Thursday for a heavy equipment dealer to build a sprawling new headquarters outside its urban development boundary that was put in place decades ago to protect vanishing wetlands and farms.
Over objections from staff planners and opponents, commissioners amended the county growth plan to allow Kelly Tractor to build on 246 acres west of Sweetwater. The land is mostly covered by wetlands that play an increasingly important role in keeping western suburbs dry. Wetlands in the area are also home to Everglades snail kites, which hunt for apples snails in freshwater marshes, and other rare species that once inhabited vast wet prairies drained for highways and neighborhoods.
“Nobody, including myself, is happy when we lose some of these 200 different species that we have lost in the state of Florida,” Commissioners Juan Carlos “JC” Bermudez said. “But we also have to create jobs for this county, and we also have to have growth.”
READ MORE: New industrial HQ would pave over protected wetlands near flood-prone Miami-Dade suburb
But a parade of speakers at Thursday morning’s meeting argued growth should not come at the cost of wetlands.
“ According to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, since the 1800's over half of all wetlands in the Lower 48 are gone,” said Karim Suz, who lives in Homestead. ”If decisions keep being made against the wetlands soon enough, we won't have a wetlands.”
Kelly Tractor, currently headquartered in Doral, said it needs to expand business to meet a growing demand for its supply of cranes, hydraulic drills, tractors and other specialized heavy equipment used in constructing highways, bridges, ports and other infrastructure. While it will still need to undergo more reviews, a preliminary plan calls for about 2.7 million square feet in buildings, fueling facilities, truck washes, repair bays and a railroad connection.
County planners opposed the plan because it failed to meet various growth rules. Among the rules: not building outside the boundary when suitable land is available inside; building where roads can handle additional traffic; and not paving over protected wetlands. They also said Kelly failed to demonstrate a need for such a large facility outside the boundary.
Kelly Tractor has asked Miami-Dade to amend its county growth plan to make way for buildings covering 2.2 million square feet, on wetlands outside the urban deverlopment boundary and west of Sweetwater. The company says it wants move it's headquarters, where it sells, leases and repairs heavy equipment. The facility could also include fueling facilities, a freight rail terminal, truck washes and a helicopter pad. (1952x934, AR: 2.089935760171306)
To win commission approval, Kelly agreed to pay to expand nearby roads. Company officials also promised to try to make up for lost wetlands by purchasing mitigation credits to restore wetlands locally. Under a new law, credits can be purchased anywhere in the state. They also agreed to look into a request from Bermudez to improve wetlands at a park in his district.
A site plan included in the application calls for paving over wetlands to make way for parking. (828x528, AR: 1.5681818181818181)
But critics say commissioners should have followed rules and not approved a “bespoke” amendment to the county plan.
“Why should we have an urban development boundary if you can just write a text amendment,” to the growth plan, said Laura Reynolds, an environmental consultant for the Hold the Line Coalition who lobbied commissioners to reject the plan and wants the mayor to veto the plan.
“The only time we would do something like this is if it’s in the public interest. And this is a private company,” she said. “They are giving away everything.”
Reynolds and others also complained that commissioners disregarded previous wetland restoration work Kelly performed on the site. They accused Kelly of double-dipping by now applying to pave over that work and obtain credits for mitigation elsewhere. To protect what wetlands remain on the site, Kelly officials said the company will connect two smaller patches with an on-site stormwater system.
”These acres are protected by perpetual covenants, meaning that they're legally binding agreements in place protecting the sanctity of this wild space,” Samuel Conde, of Miami Lakes, told commissioners. “This proposition would wholeheartedly ignore this fact,”
Over objections from staff planners and opponents, commissioners amended the county growth plan to allow Kelly Tractor to build on 246 acres west of Sweetwater. The land is mostly covered by wetlands that play an increasingly important role in keeping western suburbs dry. Wetlands in the area are also home to Everglades snail kites, which hunt for apples snails in freshwater marshes, and other rare species that once inhabited vast wet prairies drained for highways and neighborhoods.
“Nobody, including myself, is happy when we lose some of these 200 different species that we have lost in the state of Florida,” Commissioners Juan Carlos “JC” Bermudez said. “But we also have to create jobs for this county, and we also have to have growth.”
READ MORE: New industrial HQ would pave over protected wetlands near flood-prone Miami-Dade suburb
But a parade of speakers at Thursday morning’s meeting argued growth should not come at the cost of wetlands.
“ According to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, since the 1800's over half of all wetlands in the Lower 48 are gone,” said Karim Suz, who lives in Homestead. ”If decisions keep being made against the wetlands soon enough, we won't have a wetlands.”
Kelly Tractor, currently headquartered in Doral, said it needs to expand business to meet a growing demand for its supply of cranes, hydraulic drills, tractors and other specialized heavy equipment used in constructing highways, bridges, ports and other infrastructure. While it will still need to undergo more reviews, a preliminary plan calls for about 2.7 million square feet in buildings, fueling facilities, truck washes, repair bays and a railroad connection.
County planners opposed the plan because it failed to meet various growth rules. Among the rules: not building outside the boundary when suitable land is available inside; building where roads can handle additional traffic; and not paving over protected wetlands. They also said Kelly failed to demonstrate a need for such a large facility outside the boundary.
Kelly Tractor has asked Miami-Dade to amend its county growth plan to make way for buildings covering 2.2 million square feet, on wetlands outside the urban deverlopment boundary and west of Sweetwater. The company says it wants move it's headquarters, where it sells, leases and repairs heavy equipment. The facility could also include fueling facilities, a freight rail terminal, truck washes and a helicopter pad. (1952x934, AR: 2.089935760171306)
To win commission approval, Kelly agreed to pay to expand nearby roads. Company officials also promised to try to make up for lost wetlands by purchasing mitigation credits to restore wetlands locally. Under a new law, credits can be purchased anywhere in the state. They also agreed to look into a request from Bermudez to improve wetlands at a park in his district.
A site plan included in the application calls for paving over wetlands to make way for parking. (828x528, AR: 1.5681818181818181)
But critics say commissioners should have followed rules and not approved a “bespoke” amendment to the county plan.
“Why should we have an urban development boundary if you can just write a text amendment,” to the growth plan, said Laura Reynolds, an environmental consultant for the Hold the Line Coalition who lobbied commissioners to reject the plan and wants the mayor to veto the plan.
“The only time we would do something like this is if it’s in the public interest. And this is a private company,” she said. “They are giving away everything.”
Reynolds and others also complained that commissioners disregarded previous wetland restoration work Kelly performed on the site. They accused Kelly of double-dipping by now applying to pave over that work and obtain credits for mitigation elsewhere. To protect what wetlands remain on the site, Kelly officials said the company will connect two smaller patches with an on-site stormwater system.
”These acres are protected by perpetual covenants, meaning that they're legally binding agreements in place protecting the sanctity of this wild space,” Samuel Conde, of Miami Lakes, told commissioners. “This proposition would wholeheartedly ignore this fact,”