Agricultural Practices Advisory Board

The 13-member Agricultural Practices Advisory Board (APAB) meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. at the John D. Campbell Agricultural Auditorium, located at 18710 SW 288 Street in Homestead.

Established by the Board of County Commissioners on January 17, 1995 (Ordinance No. 95-03), the APAB's purpose is to review regulations or legislation pertaining to agricultural practices in Miami-Dade County, and to provide recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners with regard to such regulations and legislation.

The Board's duties include:

• Evaluating federal, state, regional and local regulations, statutes, ordinances and policies that may impact the County’s agricultural industry
• Providing recommendations to reduce or eliminate duplication between governmental regulatory programs
• Providing recommendations to modify or eliminate language in the Code of Miami-Dade County and/or regulatory activities that have mutually exclusive or contradictory criteria or goals, or regulatory activities that create undue burden or hardship on the agricultural industry
• Providing recommendations to implement or modify provisions from any study or plan that may impact the agricultural industry; and
• Preparing draft language to the Board of County Commissioners to amend relevant sections of the Code of Miami-Dade County.

The Board's 13 members, appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, is comprised of the following industries: Florida Avocado Committee, Tropical Fruit Growers of South Florida, Miami-Dade County Chapter of the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association, Dade County Farm Bureau, Ornamental Aquaculture Association of South Florida, Redland Citizens’ Association, Dade AgriCouncil, Homestead-Florida City Chamber of Commerce, Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations, South Dade Soil & Water Conservation District, and one At-Large representative.

For more information, call the Planning Division at 375-2835.