Conservation land along the Oleta River corridor, roughly three miles south of Aventura, could slip out of public reach after Miami-Dade County proposed slashing its Environmentally Endangered Lands program from more than $36 million to just $6.5 million next fiscal year.
A coalition of 11 environmental groups sent a letter to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and county commissioners on Aug. 13 urging them to restore EEL funding to at least $20 million in the FY 2026-27 budget. The groups warned the county is falling behind on acquiring lands already approved for conservation across seven commission districts, risking irreversible loss of endangered ecosystems, according to WLRN's reporting.
The EEL program owns or manages nearly 29,000 acres countywide, with another 34,000 acres on an approved acquisition list. That list includes properties near the Oleta River, pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks and coastal wetlands in southern Miami-Dade.
"Each year we wait to acquire those properties, we risk those properties from becoming more expensive or we lose the opportunity altogether because they could be developed," Lauren Jonaitis, executive director of Tropical Audubon Society, told WLRN on Aug. 21. "These lands are directly related to our drinking water. They reduce flooding impacts."
Funds nearly gone
As of April, just $12.5 million remained in EEL's bond allocation. Of that, $3.5 million is earmarked for the county parks department for maintenance, leaving roughly $9 million for land purchases.
The county also proposes waiving a requirement to keep at least $10 million in reserves in EEL's trust fund.
The Department of Environmental Resources Management acknowledged the crisis in the proposed budget, saying it will need to review structural or legislative strategies to continue the program's financial and operational viability. In a separate statement, the department said funds have been drawn down over decades and are nearing exhaustion, and that the county must identify a reliable funding source to ensure continued management and protection of EEL lands.
Voter-approved program since 1990
Voters first approved the EEL program in 1990, dedicating a portion of property taxes for two years to buy and maintain land. In 2004, voters endorsed it again through a $2.4 billion bond that funneled $52 million into purchasing wetlands, pine rocklands and other wild lands.
The proposed cut comes a year after the county stripped its environmental division of regulatory authority in March 2026.
Private donors have stepped in recently. In early July, an anonymous donor gave $950,000 to protect pine rockland, and in August the Andy family donated five acres next to the Quail Ridge pineland preserve. County officials acknowledge donations cannot replace steady funding.
What residents can do
The coalition, which includes Tropical Audubon Society, Friends of the Everglades, Miami Waterkeeper and Friends of Biscayne Bay, has launched a letter-writing campaign asking residents to contact county leaders before Sept. 3.
The final commission vote on the FY 2026-27 budget is scheduled for Sept. 17, according to the Miami Herald. Mayor Levine Cava's office had not publicly responded to the coalition's letter.
