Miami Dade Land Owners have been intimidated, harassed, threatened, and many of them bankrupted trying to defend themselves. Who can they trust in this Miami-Dade Government?? DERM (Department of Environmental Resources Management) is the arm being used to steal this property. Funded by fees, fines, and grants (Your tax dollars!!).
Some of these landowners have been here for years farming and all of a sudden, DERM drives or literally flies by (as in a helicopter), and suddenly this land is now deemed a wetland. There is supposed to be testing of soil and other criteria as stated on DERM's website. However, when asked for these documents, they do not have them. This was on TV, reporter Carmel on the Case, Channel 7. So much for THE SUNSHINE LAW in Miami Dade County!
Carlos Spinosa (Head of DERM) said, "they should have known"- on Carmel 7 TV interview. They tell them to pay for a wetlands permit and everything will be just fine. However, the permit is never received, and their deposit, one as much as $100,000, is never seen again by the landowner!!! Transparency??
Some landowners, although their land is proclaimed a wetland by DERM, are paying residential taxes or Agricultural taxes. Residential tax might be $20,000 and wetlands tax might be $500! Yet when they call the property tax appraiser, NOBODY KNOWS! They say that is how it is done... and they receive calls with this same question daily!
Miami Statute 33B-54 through 57(Dade County Code) state there should be disclosure of wetlands property unless it is being sold to South Florida Water Management District. There is No disclosure when these people buy. One landowner bought her property last year, had a title search, and nothing came up. South Florida Water Management is selling land right across from these landowners. The ad says Nothing about being a Wetland. What will happen after the landowner buys the property?
There have been cases where the land was resold to developers AFTER the property owners had to give it up. Did it suddenly become a dry land or were there mitigation credits involved? Always follow the money trail, We already know that Rock Mining companies can mine even on protected land as long as they pay those mitigation credits. Similar to Carbon Credit trade off .
Suspicious fires, helicopters hovering 4-5 times a day, sometimes nightly, and sometimes LANDING on their property, getting harassed on weekends, on and on...
We have contacted the Inspector General's office and, so far, received no calls back even though we firmly stated we felt lives could be at risk. The Mayor, Commissioners, Congressmen, and other officials KNOW that something does NOT smell right. They are either part of this or too scared to stand up for what is RIGHT & JUST!!
You will recognize names on the World Congress ICLEI documents as those in our current Miami Dade government. I HAVE ATTACHED A DOCUMENT WITH LINKS TO BACK UP THESE STATEMENTS.
This is happening to hundreds of property owners in Miami Dade County. Miami Dade County is run by a government that is proud to be a model city for ICLEI - a United Nations program implemented through local town councils, planners, mayors, and local governments.
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