DIRECTING CDMP AMENDMENT RE VERTICAL FARMING

Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee · 2026-07-14 · resolution

A resolution directing the County Mayor or designee to consider recommendations in the Agriculture Report and file an application to amend the Comprehensive Development Master Plan (CDMP) to provide for or encourage greater allowances inside urbanized areas for high-intensity, closed agricultural production systems such as vertical farming. The resolution was introduced on 6/23/2026, forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners with a favorable recommendation by the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee on 7/14/2026, and is scheduled for the Board agenda on 9/1/2026 as item 11A3. The prime sponsor is Roberto J. Gonzalez. The document references a report titled 'Evaluation of Agricultural Land Use Trends and Outlook in Miami-Dade County, Florida' dated October 10, 2023, accepted by the Board on December 12, 2023 under Legistar No. 232254. The report projects a minimum of 64,800 acres needed for agricultural use by 2030 and 56,300 acres by 2050. The 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture reported 78,543 acres of farmland in the County, with a 6.2% decline over the previous 20 years and a 10% reduction over the previous 6 years. The report states 93 percent of the County's farms are under 50 acres and 73 percent are under 10 acres. Over 70 stakeholders interviewed for the report expressed frustration with overlapping regulations and a lack of County support for agriculture, citing the need for more flexible policies such as those enabling vertical agriculture in urbanized zones. The resolution directs the County Mayor or designee to file an application to amend the CDMP at the next available opportunity.