§ 33C-1. Legislative intent, findings and purposes.

The Board of County Commissioners for Miami-Dade County, Florida, hereby declares and finds that the uncoordinated use of lands within the County threatens the orderly development and the health, safety, order, convenience, prosperity and welfare of the present and future citizens of this County. Pursuant to Ordinance No. 75-22, the Board adopted and accepted the Comprehensive Development Master Plan for Miami-Dade County whereby it specifically declared that it was the continuing policy of Miami-Dade County, in cooperation with federal, State, regional and local governments, and other concerned public and private organizations, to use all reasonable means and measures to:

(a)

Foster and promote the general welfare;

(b)

To create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony; and

(c)

To fill the social, economic and other requirements of the present and future generations of citizens of Miami-Dade County, Florida.

The board further found that the Comprehensive Development Master Plan was enacted to assure for all people of Miami-Dade County an attempt to create safe, healthful, productive and aesthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings; to attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without unreasonable degradation, risk to the health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences, to preserve important historic, cultural and natural aspects of our national heritage; to maintain, wherever possible, an environment which supports diversity and variety of individual choice; to achieve a balance between population and resources which will permit the high standards of living and a wide sharing of life's amenities, and to enhance the quality of renewal resources and approach the maximum attainable recycling of depletable resources. In furtherance of these goals and objectives, the Board finds that the coordinated review and analysis of its mass transit facilities is necessary to carry on a central metropolitan government in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Coordinated review and analysis of the mass transit system is susceptible to, and would be most effectively carried on, under a uniform plan of regulation applicable to the County as a whole. The planning of major transportation facilities, combined with other plan implementation tools, can be effectively used in meeting social, economic and environmental needs and in creating a major influence on metropolitan development patterns and life styles. The capability of a transportation network, acting in conjunction with other urban services to establish general development trends, is well recognized. A maximum coordination of transportation and land use policy decisions is therefore essential to optimize the role of transportation as a potent tool for implementing the desired patterns of metropolitan development.

The Board further finds that the Stage I Fixed-Guideway Rapid Transit System has, since 1973, undergone extensive planning, review, analysis, and engineering design efforts. The Stage I System has received design approval from both the federal and State governments and is in the process of final design, procurement and construction activities. The Stage I System, including proposed improvements in other forms of surface transportation facilities, represents a concerted, coordinated effort to improve not only the transportation facilities within Miami-Dade County, but the overall quality of life enjoyed by citizens of and visitors to Miami-Dade County. Finally, the Stage I System represents one (1) of the largest public works projects ever undertaken in Miami-Dade County and the Southeastern United States. As such, the Stage I Fixed-Guideway Rapid Transit System may only be planned, engineered, implemented, and administered on a County-wide basis, in a manner which will:

(a)

Provide maximum opportunities for development to serve as financial assistance to the system; and

(b)

Provide incentives for joint development with the private sector.

The Board further finds that the legislative intent, findings and purposes set forth herein also apply to public or private Intercity Passenger Rail Systems.

(Ord. No. 78-74, § 1, 10-17-78; Ord. No. 14-37, § 1, 4-8-14)