DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A proposed water park near a South Florida Zoo continues to have some people in an uproar.
This project has been in the works for years.
Back in 2006, Miami Dade County voters asked for a property that would include a water park, concessions, and retail.
Fast forward to 2020, that property is called ‘Miami Wilds.’ The county’s board gave final approval to have it built right next to Zoo Miami.
But it's still receiving pushback.
“In no way should this be happening; this is environmentally friendly land,” explains Luca Martinez, photographer and videographer.
You might have seen this video that has circulated on social media the last month, created and narrated by Martinez.
In it, he is pleading with county commissioners not to extend a lease agreement that would allow Miami Wilds to convert this 27.5-acre property into a water park that’s right next to Zoo Miami’s protected Pine Rockland ecosystem.
“It’s one of the most biodiverse habitats in South Florida, one of the most endangered habitats in the world; the fact that we want to build something so massive adjacent to it, it’s simple ecology, it’ll destroy a piece of it,” he said.
And others feel the same.
At the board meeting on September 6, more than 2 hours of public comment of people saying the same thing. For those who spoke on this item, we did not hear anyone speak in support of the proposal.
Ron Magill, the face of Zoo Miami, has also spoken out, but this time as a private citizen.
He wrote a letter that was sent to County Commissioners saying in part, “I can no longer just sit back…I must ask, how can the zoo profess to have conservation as a main pillar yet allow for this project to continue on its own property? It is the definition of hypocrisy! The bottom line is that if in captivity in a zoo is the last place where certain animals can live, then zoos as institutions have failed in what should be their number one priority – to ensure that the species of animals they choose to exhibit can live in the wild where they truly belong.”
This pushback hit a peak back in 2022 when the County Board of Commissioners approved the ‘2022 Amended Release.'
In short, it allows Miami Wilds to lease and develop this land for economic development, and it removed land use restrictions imposed by the National Parks Service.
However, according to the county, three environmental groups sued the National Parks Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The environmental groups are seeking to void that lease, alleging that “NPS failed to complete certain legal requirements involving environmental reviews prior to approving and executing the 2022 amended release.”
The county also stated, “NPS and FWS have admitted most of the allegations and conceded that they did not undertake the reviews required by federal law prior to approving and executing the 2022 amended release.”
Florida 24 Network did reach out to Miami Wilds multiple times but, as of Thursday afternoon, had not received a response.
However, their website states that their current proposal has been “re-designed and significantly downsized to be constructed only within existing parking areas.”
The county says with the changes, the project could provide, at a minimum, more than 200 jobs, which Miami Wilds believes is the boost our economy needs.
Opponents, like Martinez, just ask that they move elsewhere, “I’m not saying to trash the project. I think it could be a wonderful project and bring money into Miami like they are saying. But find a different location. This is eco-sensitive land, it’s clear.”
The parking lot area next to Zoo Miami, according to Luca, is home to endangered species like the Florida Bonneted Bat and the Tiger Beetle. Martinez says he and others feel that their future is at stake.
The county commission will be hearing this item again on September 19 to hopefully make a final decision. They said they would allow for public comment on the issue. (edited)
