Homestead Mayor Steve Shiver said the petition, perhaps even further legal action, is necessary because a commercial airport would revive South Dade's economy overnight. Although the rest of the nation and Florida are benefiting from a booming economy, South Dade remains one of the poorest sectors in the country, with more than a third of the population of Florida City and Homestead living below the poverty level and unemployment near 15 percent in Florida City alone, he said. If Shiver is right, local unemployment doubles that of the rest of the county. Late last week, Mayor Alex Penelas' office reiterated his strong support for a reliever airport, and the conclusion that Homestead is the only place where it can be done. We are asking the attorney general to free us from this bureaucratic stranglehold, fueled by the callous indifference of powerful environmentalists, so that our community can be free to enjoy the full rights and privileges which come with being Americans.
Environmentalists dismiss most of the pro-development's jetport argument as being pure bunk.
First, many business owners and officials say that another airport is unnecessary. But the heart of the environmental position is the preservation and rejuvenation of Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park and southern Biscayne Bay, all threatened natural resources. Homestead is less than 2 miles from Biscayne National Park and about 7 miles from the Everglades. So, we've been fighting on both the issue of direct impact, which is noise, disturbance, impacts on wildlife, and indirect impact, which has to do with the conversion of the last farmland in South Florida into a virtual industrial park. No commercial airport is next to a national park in any other part of the nation, and the environmental groups don't want to see a precedent set in South Dade.