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Air Force blocks airport near Everglades
By CRAIG PITTMAN © St. Petersburg Times, published January 17, 2001 After the biggest wrangle in a decade of military base closings, U.S. Air Force officials announced Tuesday they will not allow 1,600 acres at Homestead Air Force Base to be converted into a commercial airport because it might hurt the Everglades. Air Force officials agreed to hand over more than 700 acres of the base to Miami-Dade County to create a development that will replace the jobs lost when Hurricane Andrew flattened the base eight years ago. But to ensure that county officials do not turn the land into an airport, Air Force officials said the federal government will retain ownership of the runway. It will be used by the Air Force Reserve and other federal agencies. An attorney for the would-be airport builders, Homestead Air Base Developers Inc., blasted Tuesday's decision as a violation of both federal regulations and longstanding promises by President Bill Clinton to revive the Homestead economy. "I think this was a political decision, not based on the law or on science," said Ramon Rasco, attorney for the developers. HABDI has a county lease to build an airport in Homestead, but has yet to sign any tenants. The developers filed a last-minute federal suit last week seeking to delay the Air Force decision, and Rasco expressed surprise that the military would proceed in spite of that. He said Tuesday's announcement has stiffened his clients' resolve, even if it takes a long legal battle. "We're not going to back down at this point," Rasco promised. The Air Force decision marks a significant victory for environmental groups, who fought against the airport proposal after the Air Force gave it a green light in 1994. A handful of activists "fought an isolated, desperate fight at first" against the politically well-connected developers, said Frank Jackalone of the Sierra Club's Florida office in St. Petersburg. "They were told they were not going to be able to stop the airport." But as the airport opponents won in court and in agency decisions, they were joined by farmworkers, wealthy Key Largo homeowners, the Monroe County Commission and the NAACP. In 1997, the environmental activists convinced the military to take another look at the noise and pollution that would be produced by 600 flights a day landing and taking off from an airport sandwiched between Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. If not for that second review, "they'd have this thing built already," said Don Chinquina of the Tropical Audubon Society. The review, completed last month, found the airport could be made compatible with the parks. But it also found that another development option would provide greater environmental protection. Two rival groups, Collier Resources and Hoover Environmental Group, joined forces last year to propose turning the base into an office park and retail complex, featuring a resort hotel, two golf courses, research facilities and a large aquarium. The Collier-Hoover plan was endorsed by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner. The Collier-Hoover proposal convinced the Air Force that there was no need for an airport. "The choice is no longer between an airport and economic stagnation," wrote Ruby B. DeMesme, assistant secretary of the Air Force, in the 11-page decision released Tuesday. She noted that "the Air Force will not allow the environmental impacts of a commercial airport in this unique location . . . when other viable alternatives for economic development and jobs exist." The Collier-Hoover proposal did not promise to create nearly as many jobs as the would-be airport developers. That could have led the Air Force to side with the airport again as it did in 1994, except for one significant difference, Mesme wrote. Last year, Congress and the Legislature approved the first stage of a $7.8-billion plan to restore some semblance of former glory to the Everglades. That investment helped to "tip the balance in favor of the parks," and away from the airport, she wrote. However, the way the Air Force carried out its decision may stymie the Collier-Hoover development, a Collier official said. Collier-Hoover has been working with Interior Department officials, who last month requested the Air Force give them the base. But Air Force officials felt duty-bound to turn the property over to the county, which had been pursuing ownership since the base closed. So although the Air Force has strongly encouraged Miami-Dade to develop the base following the Collier-Hoover format, the county is under no obligation to put Collier-Hoover in charge. County officials could turn the property over to HABDI to build something other than an airport, said Bob Duncan of Collier Resources. "Are we dead? We don't know," Duncan said. "We're certainly in hibernation." He said Collier will now try to negotiate a deal with the county, which has three months to accept the property and six months to come up with an Air Force-approved development plan. But Rasco said if the county accepts the land, then HABDI's lease will take precedence over any other would-be developer -- and HABDI is not convinced that any development of the base is economically viable without an airport. Should Miami-Dade officials turn down the land offer, then the Interior Department will get it, DeMesme wrote in the decision. That would then clear the way for Collier-Hoover to proceed. Although the decision was written by an Air Force official, environmental activists credited lame duck President Clinton as the ultimate decisionmaker. "With this landmark decision, President Clinton will be remembered as a protector of the Everglades," Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope said. "When you step into Everglades or Biscayne Bay National Parks, you will hear the impact of today's decision: peace and solitude rather than the roar of jets screaming overhead." PREVIOUS COVERAGE:No tenants biggest hurdle for Homestead (January 14, 2001) Graham lands in middle on airport issue (January 14, 2001) Airport idea does not fly (December 23, 2000) Strange bedfellows join against airport (October 9, 2000) Valuable Everglades effort (October 4, 2000) Senate okays Everglades bill; tough House vote next (September 26, 2000) Homestead airport plan stirs up protest (August 2, 2000) Support for Homestead airport erodes (January 9, 2000) Environment, economy clash in South Florida (August 15, 1999)
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