This is the quarterly newsletter from the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, highlighting its progress, and the counties and municipalities in Southeast Florida.

stock photo

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo, with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, FIU President Keneth Jessell, Miami-Dade County’s Chief of Innovation and Economic Development Francesca de Quesada Covey, among other community leaders and students. Courtesy of: Florida International University.

In the fall of 2023, the South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub was selected by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) as one of 31 Designated Tech Hubs across the nation as part of Phase 1 of the EDA’s new Tech Hubs Program. Since then, the Tech Hub, a group of 59 businesses, unions, universities, governments, and NGOs across the Compact region, led by Miami-Dade County's Office of Innovation and Economic Development, has advanced an application focused on amplifying the region’s global leadership in sustainable and resilient infrastructure and scaling up the production and delivery of critical climate technologies that will strengthen America’s clean energy transition and national security. The U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo traveled to Miami on July 2 to announce nearly $20 million in funding to South Florida, one of only 12 hubs awarded across the nation and the only hub in the country focused on climate tech.

Over the past half of the year, staff and leadership from the Compact counties and municipalities have been invited on numerous occasions to engage on national and international stages as both key stakeholders and to provide expert testimony and presentations. Additionally, Senior Staff from the Biden Administration have made a point to visit Southeast Florida in recent months, with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announcing major grants to support climate goals and learn more about the region’s resilience efforts and challenges. These points of engagement are reflective of the immense leadership from within the Compact region, by both local government staff and elected officials, as well as community organization leadership—and bring critical visibility to the forward-thinking resilience and mitigation efforts being advanced across the region.

Highlights

DOT Secretary Buttigieg speaking at Port Miami.

Courtesy of Lauren Evans

Secretary Buttigieg spoke both in Broward County and at the Port of Miami to celebrate the two grants the Port has received under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program. These grants support the Port’s net zero plan and electrification advancements.

DOE Secretary Granholm at the Little Haiti Cultural Center alongside Miami-Dade County Mayor Levine Cava, and other climate and clean energy community leaders

Courtesy of : Miami-Dade County

During her visit, DOE Secretary Granholm participated in an engagement event with a diverse group of local climate and clean energy stakeholders, including Catalyst Miami, CLEO Institute, Florida Rising, and Miami Freedom.

Jennifer Jurado, CRO, Broward County and Broward County Vice Mayor Beam Furr at COP28.

Courtesy of: Broward County

Several Compact staff and elected leadership attended the Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai, including Broward County Vice Mayor Beam Furr, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James, and Jennifer Jurado, Ph.D., Chief Resilience Officer at Broward County. This year’s COP was unique in providing an agenda and framework for prominent participation of sub-national governments with formal opportunities for engagement. Vice Mayor Furr was invited to join a delegation of local mayors from across the United States and abroad as part of a Local Action Summit sponsored by the Bloomberg Foundation. Vice Mayor Furr and Jurado both joined and supported several roundtables and panel discussions sponsored by the Local Action Summit, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Under2 Coalition, and Resilient Cities Network focused on resilient water management strategies, clean energy and methane reduction, use of technology and data to inform decision-making, and equitable access to nature. 

Jennifer Jurado, CRO, Broward County provides testimony to the U.S. Senate.

Courtesy of: U.S. Senate

Broward County's Chief Resilience Officer, and Compact representative, Jennifer Jurado, Ph.D., was invited to the first-ever White House Summit on Building Climate Resilient Communities, joining a panel discussion led by John Podesta Jr, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy, and former White House chief of staff. The Summit took place in Washington, D.C., providing an opportunity for practitioners and senior administration officials from more than 15 federal departments and agencies to jointly discuss solutions that will both dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, better manage climate threats, and help communities adapt to today’s climate impacts and prepare for future climate risks.



Congressional Testimony

Finally, last November, Jurado was also invited to provide testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works during a session titled, “The Science of Extreme Event Attribution: How Climate Change Is Fueling Severe Weather Events.” 

In April, The Nature Conservancy released a report advanced by Cambridge Econometrics in partnership with AECOM, which analyzed the investments needed to meet decarbonization targets and estimate the economic benefits that can be gained from these actions. The analysis provides key insights into the economic impacts of two decarbonization scenarios (relative to a business-as-usual baseline), including the transition to 100% clean electric power by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050 using multi-sector GHG reduction actions. Results demonstrate that economy-wide, decarbonization has the potential to increase the size of the Florida economy by 2% by 2050, relative to baseline trends. Decarbonization investments have a direct impact on the Florida economy, increasing employment and economic output associated with these activities. Indirect and induced economic impacts from changes in electricity prices, consumer spending, and other economic feedback effects lead to additional positive impacts to the Florida economy. Read the full report here. 

Across the Region

Tour of neighborhood impacted by the flooding. Left to Right: Vice Mayor Beam Furr, Broward County; Vin Morello, Director of Public Utilities, City of Hollywood; Colonel James L. Booth, District Commander, Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Courtesy of: Broward County

On June 12th, Broward cities once again saw record-breaking rainfall conditions with rainfall measuring 9.5 inches on average across the county, the wettest summer day on record and equivalent to an entire month of June rainfall, based on historical trends. A rainfall station in the City of Hollywood showed 10 inches in just six hours, with rainfall totals for the three-day period nearing 20 inches in total. These conditions followed the hottest May on record. Rising global temperatures are expected to continue contributing to the intensity of rainfall events. Much of the area impacted this June also experienced the 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event that occurred just 14 months earlier, in April 2023, when 26 inches of rainfall produced extensive flooding from Fort Lauderdale to Hollywood. These severe weather events are occurring with increasing frequency, and reveal the devastating losses and shared costs that climate change presents to communities, reinforcing the critical importance of rapidly advancing climate solutions.

In the face of severe weather events, Broward County continues to make steady progress on resilience planning and projects, with the county-wide risk assessment and resilience plan in its final stretch and the Resilient Environment Department launching three new projects this summer. With respect to the resilience plan, the modeling of flood reduction benefits for recommended adaptation scenarios is complete, revealing substantial opportunity for risk reduction through seawall improvements, enhanced water storage below and above ground, operational changes in water management, and green infrastructure. The consultant team is currently working to develop cost estimates and the economic analyses will be complete by early fall. The project viewer will be released around the same time, allowing residents, businesses, and local governments to have direct access to the visualization of flood scenarios with and without adaptation. The team is excited to bring these results forward and to begin work on implementation.

Broward County is preparing to tackle long-term emissions reductions with a county-wide net zero plan, contracted to engineering firm EXP, to be complete by spring 2024. This plan will provide a detailed strategy for Broward County and its community to achieve 50% greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. With the increasing frequency of severe rainfall and heat events affecting the region and its communities, in addition to the climate events being realized nationally and globally, it is clear Broward’s actions cannot come soon enough.

This project will parallel the development of a county-wide EV charging infrastructure plan, contracted to engineering, planning, and design firm DDEC, which will support public participation in the transition to electric vehicles. The plan will identify areas that would benefit from additional charging infrastructure, with a focus on multi-family housing and large employers. It is expected to lay the groundwork for the development of an incentives program to aid property managers and employers with the cost of installing EV charging infrastructure for the benefit of residents and employees. 

Finally, the county has contracted with engineering consultant NV5, Inc. to conduct a risk assessment of select contaminated sites. This study will help the county better understand how sea level rise and rising groundwater table might influence such sites in the future. Findings will aid in potential changes in monitoring efforts and hopefully support efforts to accelerate state and federal funding of cleanup requirements.

Through the Department of Transportation’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program, the Florida DOT will receive over $18 million to reconstruct a portion of Alton Road (State Route 907) in Miami Beach to be more resilient to worsening flooding events due to high tides and sea level rise. The project will raise the pavement elevation, install two new pump stations and larger drainage conduits, and add a new multimodal pathway and sidewalk for bicyclists and pedestrians. Funded via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, DOT recently announced the nearly $830 million in grant awards for 80 projects nationwide, which will help strengthen surface transportation systems and make them more resilient to natural disasters and extreme events fueled by climate change.

City of Miami Beach Chief Resilience Officer, Amy Knowles, and Melissa Berthier, Communications Director, at the “Fight the Flood” kick-off event for participants moving forward with design and construction of their projects

Courtesy of: City of Miami Beach

The City of Miami Beach is moving forward with the second cohort of its Private Property Adaptation Program, an innovative approach to incentivize resilience action at the property-level by providing information and grant funding for flood mitigation improvements. This novel program provides reimbursement-based grants via a competitive process, where selected private properties may receive up to $20,000 in funding through a 50/50 matching grant. The program includes a flood risk assessment, valued at $2,500 and covered by the City, and the design and construction of the project, with up to $17,500 available in matching reimbursement. If the applicant is considered low-to-moderate income (LMI), the program will fund the entirety of the design and construction, up to $17,500, without the match requirement.

The program was opened in July of 2022, and the first application period received 65 applications from residents. The first cohort’s grantees are pursuing projects ranging from seawall elevation to installing rain gardens to elevating their properties and mechanical equipment. The City received 48 applications in the second round, which closed in April, and the selected applicants are currently undergoing site visits.

The PPA Program consists of two main phases: assessments and design & construction. During the first phase, the property owner will receive a site visit and a customized report with information regarding the property’s flood risk, and up to three flood mitigation measures suitable for the property’s characteristics. During the second phase, participants confirm their project scopes with the city and seek contractors to move forward with the design and construction of their flood mitigation projects. After reaching substantial completion for their projects, grantees submit reimbursement requests and substantiate payment and project documentation to receive payment from the city. For more information, visit: mbrisingabove.com/ppa

The Village of Pinecrest has launched the first free composting program in Miami-Dade County, and to date, has collected over 25,000 lbs., or 2.5 tons of food scraps, through a partnership with Fertile Earth Worm Farm, which provides composting services for Pinecrest. The program was developed in response to resident engagement, as well the fact that Miami-Dade County is running out of landfill space, with two locations are forecast to run out of space within the next five years.

EPA data show that food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S., comprising 24% and 22% of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively. The emissions generated annually by food loss and waste in the U.S. is estimated to equal the annual carbon emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants. Composting offers a strategic response, extending beyond waste reduction to enhancing water, soil, and air quality. 

Community members can pick up free composting bins every Sunday at the Pinecrest Farmers Market. Individuals can drop off food scraps at designated bins conveniently located between Pinecrest Gardens and the Pinecrest Community Center. A second branded bin was recently added to the expanding program in front of the Pinecrest Public Library. The program aims to add more branded bins at other locations over the next year. The drop-off bins are accessible seven days a week. The pilot program was generously funded through March by Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado.

Monroe County continues to drive forward critical road elevation projects, through a combination of state and federal funds, as well as local match. Current projects include Key Largo Winston Waterways, Lower Keys Big Coppitt, Conch Key, Flagler Avenue in Key West, and Stillwright Point in Key Largo, which are partially or fully funded. The county worked for more than a year to secure FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds, totaling $178 million, with Phase 1 funds for engineering design and permitting under this grant approved by the Board of County Commissioners in January 2024. Additionally, the county has secured more than $43 million from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Resilient Florida Grant Program to support these programs. In addition, the county will be breaking ground this summer on its pilot road elevation project, Twin Lakes in Key Largo.

Palm Beach County (PBC) has received more than $1 million in grant funding from FDEP Resilient Florida Program. This funding will be used to conduct vulnerability assessments in six municipalities that need a Section 380.093 F.S. compliant assessment but lack the staff capacity to undertake one. The central Palm Beach County Multi-Jurisdictional Vulnerability Assessment (“CVA Project”) will identify and address the risks of flooding and sea level rise on critical and regionally significant assets in the following municipalities: Town of Cloud Lake, Town of Glen Ridge, Village of Golf, Town of Haverhill, Town of Hypoluxo, and the Village of Palm Springs. The Palm Beach County Office of Resilience  is partnering with these municipalities by serving as the grant applicant and manager, procuring and managing contractors, and providing GIS support for the project. Municipal representatives will contribute by serving on the steering committee, assisting with data collection, and helping with community outreach efforts. The CVA Project is expected to be completed by June 2026.

Updates

The Compact is leading the development of a regional greenhouse gas reduction plan that will cover the four-county region, inclusive of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties through a $1 million planning grant under the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG). The plan will be developed in two phases, with an initial phase (Priority Climate Action Plan or “PCAP”) completed in March of 2024 and a final, comprehensive plan to be completed in the Summer of 2025. The PCAP, submitted to the EPA in March, benefited from significant engagement by local governments and community stakeholders, and covers the entire geographic extent of the four-county Southeast Florida Region, the 109 municipalities within this four-county region, as well as the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribal Governments jurisdictions. The region contains a population of nearly 6.2 million people.

The Compact also led the development of an implementation grant application under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), submitting an application in April 2024. The Compact requested more than $270 million in funding, which would benefit communities across the Southeast Florida region, particularly low-income households, focusing on the following programmatic elements:

• The Residential Energy Efficiency Program will provide home energy retrofits and the necessary and reasonable repairs needed to provide those retrofits safely and effectively within low-income communities.
• The Solar Rebate Program (SRP) will provide rebates to offset a portion of upfront solar array installation costs in low-income and disadvantaged communities. 
• Finally, the EV New Incentives for Charging Equipment program will provide rebates covering a portion of the upfront costs for EV charging infrastructure to be installed in low-income communities. 

The EPA is expected to announce CPRG implementation grants in late summer/early fall 2024. Stay tuned! 

This spring, the Compact opened its 4th annual Compact Climate Assessment Tool (CCAT) survey, inviting local and tribal governments across the four-county region to complete the annual self-assessment on their progress toward the 11 prioritized mitigation and adaptation actions within the CCAT, as well as the ways in which they have embedded equity into these actions. Results of the survey are aggregated annually and reported as part of the Regional Climate Assessment Snapshot, typically published in the late fall. 

The CCAT survey will be open until August 31.

The state of Florida is slated to allocate approximately $346 million to assist Floridians in reducing the cost of energy by improving the energy efficiency of their homes through qualified energy efficiency upgrades, retrofits, and high-efficiency appliances. Florida’s Home Energy Rebate programs, administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACSs) Office of Energy consist of two separate and distinct energy efficiency-related programs identified below. However, the FDACS Office of Energy will administer them jointly to maximize the impact and opportunity for the benefit of Floridians. The programs will run through 2032 or until all funds are used, whichever is earlier.

The Department of Transportation has recently provided notice of funding opportunity for more than $1.3 billion in funding for new applications and for previously submitted applications, via the second round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program, which provides funding to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling infrastructure. Applications are due August 28, 2024. Eligible applicants include: State Governments; Local Governments; Federally Recognized Tribes and Affiliated Groups; Planning and Project Organizations; Transportation Providers and Operators; U.S. Territories. 

This grant program has two tracks:

1. Community Charging and Alternative Fueling Grants (Community Program): To install electric vehicle charging and alternative fuel in locations on public roads, schools, parks, and in publicly accessible parking facilities.
2. Charging and Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program): To deploy electric vehicle charging and hydrogen/propane/natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors.

The CFI Program is a competitive grant program created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work – urban and rural areas alike – in addition to designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). For more information, and to view the Notice of Funding Opportunity, click here.

Events

Registration is now open for the 16th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit, hosted at the Casa Marina Key West Resort, December 16 - 18, 2024! Join us for this premier regional event where we share knowledge, showcase climate action, and engage leadership across various sectors in collaboration needed to address the climate crisis effectively. Sponsorship opportunities are available! Check out the sponsorship package and other event details here.