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RESOLUTION ACCEPTING �ASSIGNMENT OF OPTION TO PURCHASE� APPROXIMATELY 10 ACRES WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENTALLY ENDANGERED LANDS PROGRAM SOUTH DADE WETLANDS PROJECT WITH THE NATURE CONSERVANCY AS ASSIGNOR, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AS ASSIGNEE, AND TIMOTHY H. NOTO AND ELLEN C. NOTO, AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ESTATE OF RACHEL M. NOTO, AS SELLER, FOR A PURCHASE PRICE OF $3,500,000.00 TO BE FUNDED FROM BUILDING BETTER COMMUNITIES GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND FUNDS, WHICH ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED; AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO EXECUTE THE ASSIGNMENT OF OPTION TO PURCHASE, TO EXERCISE ALL PROVISIONS CONTAINED THEREIN, TO PERFORM ALL ACTS NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THIS TRANSACTION, AND TO ACCEPT CONVEYANCE OF PROPERTY BY GENERAL WARRANTY DEED; AND DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO RECORD SUCH DEED IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS AND TO PROVIDE A RECORDED COPY TO THE CLERK OF THE BOARD WITHIN A TIME CERTAIN, AND DIRECTING THE CLERK OF THE BOARD TO ATTACH AND STORE A RECORDED COPY OF SUCH INSTRUMENT WITH THIS RESOLUTION, PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION NO. R-974-09

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WHEREAS, this Board desires to accomplish the purposes outlined in the accompanying memorandum, a copy of which is incorporated herein by reference,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that:

Section 1. The foregoing recitals are incorporated in this resolution and are approved.

Section 2. This Board hereby accepts the Assignment of Option to Purchase, in substantially the form attached hereto as Attachment 1 and made part hereof, for purchase of approximately 10 acres of land from The Nature Conservancy, as Assignor, Miami-Dade County, as Assignee, and Timothy H. Noto and Ellen C. Noto, as Personal Representatives of the Estate of Rachel M. Noto, as Seller, for a purchase price of $3,500,000.00 to be funded from the Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond Program funding under FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget and Multi-Year Capital Plan, Volume 3, Page 38, Program 5555621. The Board hereby authorizes the use of Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond Program funds for this purchase.

Section 3. This Board authorizes the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to execute the Assignment of Option to Purchase for and on behalf of Miami-Dade County, to exercise the provisions contained therein, to perform all acts necessary to effectuate this transaction, and to accept conveyance of said property by general warranty deed.

Section 4. This Board, pursuant to Resolution No. R-974-09, (a) directs the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to record the instrument of conveyance accepted herein in the Public Records of Miami-Dade County, Florida, and to provide a recorded copy of the instrument to the Clerk of the Board within thirty (30) days of execution of said instrument; and (b) directs the Clerk of the Board to attach and permanently store a recorded copy of said instrument together with this resolution.

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Date:
To: Honorable Chairman Anthony Rodriguez
and Members, Board of County Commissioners
From: Daniella Levine Cava
Mayor
Subject: Resolution Accepting Assignment of Option to Purchase Approximately 10 Acres within the Environmentally Endangered Lands Program South Dade Wetlands Project with Timothy H. Noto and Ellen C. Noto, as Personal Representatives of the Estate of Rachel M. Noto, as Seller, for a Purchase Price of $3,500,000.00

STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Executive Summary
The Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EEL Program) seeks approval from the Board of County Commissioners (Board) to accept an Assignment of Option to Purchase, as negotiated by the Nature Conservancy, to acquire 10 acres of freshwater wetlands formerly approved for acquisition by the Board, by and through the EEL Program. Timothy H. Noto and Ellen C. Noto, as Personal Representatives of the Estate of Rachel M. Noto, is the willing seller for a purchase price of $3,500,000.00. The property is located at SW 344 St & SW 169 Ave and is inside the Urban Development Boundary (see Attachment A to the Mayor�s Memorandum). The County, in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District, the State of Florida and other funding partners, has acquired approximately 24,232 acres of land in Miami-Dade County since the inception of the EEL Program. The purpose of the EEL Program is to acquire, preserve, enhance, restore, conserve and maintain environmentally endangered lands for the benefit of present and future generations.

Recommendation
It is recommended that the Board accept the attached Assignment of Option to Purchase as negotiated by The Nature Conservancy for the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program and authorize the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to execute the Assignment of Option to Purchase and to exercise the provisions contained therein.

Scope
The EEL Program is countywide in nature. This acquisition is in Commission District 9, which is represented by Vice Chairman Kionne L. McGhee.

Delegation of Authority
The attached resolution authorizes the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to execute the Assignment of Option to Purchase for and on behalf of Miami-Dade County, to exercise the provisions contained therein, to perform all acts necessary to effectuate this transaction, and to accept conveyance of said property by general warranty deed.

Fiscal Impact/Funding Source
Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond (BBC-GOB) Program funding under FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget and Multi-Year Capital Plan, Volume 3, Page 38, Program 5555621 Environmentally Endangered Lands Program will be used for this purchase. As of May 31, 2026, the remaining balance under the Bond Program for allocations towards EEL acquisitions is $12,530,061.00. The total cost of this land purchase is $3,500,000.00.

It is the intention of the EEL Program to seek partial reimbursement of the acquisition cost, in the amount of $350,000.00 from Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP,) pursuant to Resilient Florida Grant Agreement 22SRP45 that was approved by the Board in 2023 via Resolution No. R-986-23. In Resolution No. R-986-23, this Board originally approved the use of $350,000.00 in Miami Rescue Plan funds for the purchase of Wink Eye Slough properties. In the County�s Adopted Budget for 2025-2026, the Board recaptured those Miami Rescue Funds, and in that same Adopted Budget for 2025-2026, the Board provided $11,906,622.00 in additional funding for EEL acquisitions from the BBC-GOB Program.

In accordance with section 125.355, Florida Statutes, two independent appraisals were procured. Pursuant to section 125.355, since the agreed purchase price does not exceed the average of the two appraisals, no extraordinary vote of the Board is required.

Track Record/Monitor
The EEL Program Manager within the Department of Environmental Resources Management, Janet Gil, will monitor this contract.

Background
The historic loss, fragmentation, and degradation of native wetland and forest communities in Miami-Dade County are well recognized. In May 1990, with the knowledge that remaining wetland and forest communities were endangered, the electorate of Miami-Dade County authorized the County to levy an ad valorem tax for two years to create the EEL Program and Trust Fund. The purpose of the EEL Program is to acquire, preserve, enhance, restore, conserve and maintain environmentally endangered lands for the benefit of present and future generations.

The County, in partnership with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the State of Florida and other funding partners, has acquired approximately 24,232 acres of land in Miami-Dade County since the inception of the EEL Program through May 31, 2026.

The parcel proposed for acquisition is located within the South Dade Wetlands Project, an important wetland system in the southern part of the County. The Board first placed the South Dade Wetlands on the EEL Priority A Acquisition List in 1993. Land in this area is critical for acquisition because of its strategic location between two national parks (Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park) and within the watersheds of Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay, and Card and Barnes Sounds. Preserving and maintaining these wetlands is important to protect against saltwater intrusion of the Biscayne Aquifer. Acquiring this parcel is also consistent with the Sea Level Rise Task Force Recommendations for the continued strategic implementation of the EEL Program.

The attached Assignment of Option to Purchase is for the following property:

SELLER: Timothy H. Noto and Ellen C. Noto, as Personal Representatives of the Estate of Rachel M. Noto

SIZE: Approximately 10 acres

FOLIO(S): 16-7930-001-0050

LOCATION: The property is located at SW 344 Street and SW 169 Avenue. The property is within the Urban Development Boundary (see Attachment A to the Mayor�s Memorandum).

PURCHASE PRICE: $3,500,000.00

APPRAISAL DATA: $4,356,000.00 (appraised March 12, 2025)
$4,000,000.00 (appraised April 5, 2025)


SALES HISTORY: Mar. 1999: Quitclaim Deed from Josephine Onuska to Thomas J. Noto Jr. and Rachel M. Noto. Amount of $0 as indicated by Miami-Dade Property Appraiser. (OR 18522, pg. 3424)

May. 1999: Quitclaim Deed from Thomas J. Noto Jr. to Rachel M. Noto. Amount of $0 as indicated by Miami-Dade Property Appraiser. (OR 18629, pg. 0879)

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Roy Coley
Deputy Mayor