[CPEO-BIF] Miami, Florida "Quietly Labels Toxic Parks 'Brownfield Sites, ' Limiting Neighborhood Input In Cleanup"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

City Quietly Labels Toxic Parks "Brownfield Sites," Limiting  
Neighborhood Input In Cleanup

By David Villano
Miami New Times (FL)
October 3, 2014

With little notice and no public input, the City of Miami Commission  
has labeled six city parks contaminated with toxic soil as so-called  
"Brownfield sites" -- a designation under Florida law that can limit  
the rights of abutting property owners to challenge clean-up plans  
and can prevent them from seeking damages for reduced property values.

The City Commission approved the resolution at a public hearing last  
July, naming Merrie Christmas Park, Blanche Park, Douglas Park, Billy  
Rolle Park, Southside Park, and the future Regatta Park at Dinner Key  
as Brownfields. Meeting minutes show no public input and no  
discussion from commission members, who passed the item unanimously.  
The resolution named the properties by address but not by name.

Under Florida law Brownfield designation provides a statuary  
incentive -- through tax credits, funding, and liability protections  
-- for property owners to clean up contaminated lands.

Ken Russell of the Friends of Merrie Christmas Park, is outraged that  
he and other nearby residents were not notified of the proposal to re- 
label the park as a Brownfield -- a move he believes could greatly  
impact property values.

...

For the entire article, see
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2014/10/ 
city_quietly_labels_toxic_parks_brownfield_sites_limiting_neighborhood_i 
npu.php

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

_______________________________________________
Brownfields mailing list
Brownfields@lists.cpeo.org
http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/brownfields-cpeo.org