The Compact to Develop Comprehensive Regional Plan for Quantified Emission Reduction Measures |  | |
The Compact partners have recently submitted an application to the EPA to advance work under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program. The $1 million planning grant available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 will position the region’s local and tribal governments to be competitive for the next phase of discretionary awards (a $4.6 billion pot of funds) to implement mitigation projects and strategies.
Through the CPRG, each of the largest 67 most populous metropolitan areas in the country is eligible for the $1 million planning grant, inclusive of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Given the long-term and considerable partnership across the four Compact counties (Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach), the Compact’s application and resulting climate mitigation plan will cover the entire geographic scope of the Compact region. The four-year award will result in the development of a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for the four-county region, inclusive of a regional greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and emission projections, GHG reduction targets and strategies, a benefits analysis with a specific focus on low- and moderate-income communities, a plan to leverage other federal funding and a workforce planning analysis.
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Municipal and Tribal Governments: Adopt the SEFL Climate Action Pledge Today! | |
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The Compact developed the Climate Action Pledge in 2012 after the release of the first Regional Climate Action Plan (RCAP) in recognition of the significant climate leadership demonstrated by local and tribal governments and the central role that municipal and tribal government partners play in advancing a more resilient region. More than a third of local and tribal governments joined the four counties in adopting the 2012 Pledge. A decade later, and following the update of the RCAP to its third iteration (RCAP 3.0) in 2022, the Compact has similarly updated the Climate Action Pledge to align with the RCAP 3.0 and to reaffirm our shared commitment to a regionally collaborative approach to jointly advancing strategic climate adaptation and mitigation objectives. The Compact partners strongly encourage local and tribal governments in Southeast Florida to once again join and signal leadership through the adoption of the Pledge.
A copy of the pledge can be downloaded here.
Please contact Lauren Evans (l[email protected]) or Russell Paez ([email protected]) following adoption by your community.
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Compact Climate Assessment Tool (C-Cat) - Respond to the Annual Survey by the End of July | |
Last month the Compact invited local and tribal governments across the four-county region to complete the Compact Climate Assessment Tool (C-CAT) survey. The annual self-assessment survey, now being administered for the third year, measures local and tribal governments’ progress toward the 11 prioritized mitigation and adaptation actions, as well as the ways in which they have embedded equity into these actions for calendar year 2022 (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022). Following the close of the survey, the Compact will build upon the annual snapshot of the region’s climate change activities as a way to track regional progress over time.
The survey is now open through the end of July.
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The Compact Launches New Webpage with Federal Funding Opportunities | |
The federal government has made an unprecedented investment in climate action via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). All told, these programs total some two-trillion in new federal spending over the next ten years to ignite the transformation toward a low-carbon, resilient economy. While allocation of the funds is the first step, the true success of these programs is predicated on the engagement of and implementation by state and local governments, the private sector, and nonprofit communities, who will largely need to put these dollars into action.
Given the breadth of opportunities currently in play (or soon to be in play) for local governments, the Compact has developed a dedicated webpage to house high-level information on the various federal climate funding opportunities that support the advancement of local government mitigation and adaptation goals. This is not a comprehensive list of available programs. While we strive to keep this information updated, it should only serve as one tool for local governments seeking federal funds. Entities should always seek information directly from the issuing federal agency for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on funding opportunities.
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Southeast Florida Region Awarded More than $180 Million in Resilient Florida Funding | |
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A rendering of the City of Miami Beach's Bayshore Park Retention Lake Resilience Project funded through the Resilient Florida competitive grant cycle. (City of Miami Beach)
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The Southeast Florida region—inclusive of our Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties, the municipalities, and the South Florida Water Management District—were awarded nearly $181 million in the 2022/2023 Resilient Florida competitive grant cycle to advance adaptation projects. More than a decade of capacity building, coordination and advanced planning among local and regional agencies in our region is paying dividends as the region is competitively positioned to receive concrete resilience investments. The region captured more than 65% of the total $275 million awarded this grant cycle, funded via federal American Rescue Plan dollars. Of the 75 total projects awarded, 39 were in the Southeast Florida region. While all four Compact counties received funding, Broward County alone received nearly $66 million to advance flood mitigation, infrastructure and other water management improvements. | |
Broward County Historic Rain Event Reinforces the Need for Robust Resilience Advancements | |
Aerial photo of Broward County flooding following April 2023 extreme rainfall event (Broward County) | |
Rainfall intensification is an increasingly challenging aspect of compound flood risk impacting Southeast Florida communities, which is exacerbated by a changing climate. April’s historic rain event, where roughly 88 billion gallons of rain fell across south-central Broward County within a several-day period, left many stranded or trapped in their homes and vehicles, caused millions in damages, and shut down the international airport, schools and businesses for several days. The catastrophic event is a grim reminder of the pressing flood risks in the region. In a roughly eight-hour window, the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport received 25.91 inches of rain— a third of Fort Lauderdale's average annual rainfall and the largest rainfall event ever recorded in the city in a single day, eclipsing the previous record of 14.59 inches set in 1979. Statistically, this event would be considered a thousand-year rain event—or one that would have a 0.1% chance or less of occurring in any given year. Disturbingly, models predict that such extreme flood events will occur with greater frequency as the world continues to warm. | |
Significant Climate Mitigation Momentum in Miami-Dade County | |
North Dade Regional Library Rooftop Solar Array. (Miami-Dade County) | |
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As previously outlined in this newsletter, Miami-Dade County has committed to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2050 with an interim goal of achieving a 50% reduction by 2030. As one of the largest electricity purchasers in Florida, Miami-Dade’s ability to achieve this goal will have significant implications for overall emissions reductions in the state.
Fortunately, the county has made significant strides both in terms of governance structure and projects to advance its mitigation efforts. First, in order to advance a “whole of government” approach and facilitate improved coordination for a centralized, cohesive strategy, the county has established Dr. Patricia Gomez in a new role as Director of Energy, housed within the Office of Resilience, where Dr. Gomez also serves as the Deputy Resilience Officer. The position is responsible for leading policy and the coordination, contracting, administration, management, and reporting of all energy-related services and functions of Miami-Dade County. Each county department will work with the Director of Energy to develop and implement aggressive energy conservation and renewable energy projects. Interagency/departmental collaboration within government has been shown repeatedly within climate change practice to be an integral step toward the successful advancement of comprehensive and ambitious climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives.
On the project side, the county also recently installed its first large-scale solar array at North Dade Regional Library in Miami Gardens. The new rooftop array includes 1,093 separate panels that are projected to produce enough energy to meet at least 85% of the library’s annual electricity needs, with a projected savings of more than $1.2 million over the lifespan of the system. It will reduce approximately 555 tons of CO2 emissions each year, equivalent to the electricity used by 98 homes. This solar installation is the first of three large-scale pilot solar projects being implemented in Miami-Dade County in 2023.
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In the Florida Keys, Partnership is a Core Tenant of Comprehensive Resilience Action | |
For the past several years, staff in Monroe County and all five municipalities in the Florida Keys have been regularly meeting, planning and working together to prepare communities for sea level rise and reduce flood risk. Staff from the municipalities of Key West, Key Colony Beach, Marathon, Layton and Islamorada have joined forces with Monroe County staff to create a Regional Resilience team that is developing a coordinated resilience plan. Given the small size of these communities, staff often wear multiple hats, with resilience being one of the newest responsibilities. Even the City of Layton, with a total population of roughly 200 people, is engaging in the bi-monthly team meetings via their staff person who simultaneously serves as their City Clerk/Assistant to the Building Official/ Public Information Officer/and Assistant to the Emergency Manager.
The county began hosting these meetings several years ago to engage the municipalities in the county’s efforts in resilience planning, starting with mobile LiDAR collection efforts on local roads. The county included the municipal roads in a solicitation for Mobile LiDAR collection, and this year the county is assisting in the gathering of mobile LiDAR for 200 miles of municipal roads—a nearly half-million dollar project. The county’s own mobile LiDAR gathering was completed in 2020. The Regional Resilience team prioritized this project so highly that each municipality budgeted its own funds for the work after numerous unsuccessful grants. Once the data collection is complete, the $1.5 million in street elevation planning will begin, again funded by each municipality. Each municipality will be provided with a plan that outlines what roads need to be elevated or adapted by the year 2045 and the associated costs.
Last year, each municipality applied for a grant to prepare a statutorily-compliant vulnerability assessment and a separate grant to develop a watershed management plan to help improve FEMA National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating Scores, which will decrease flood insurance premiums for property owners. All applications were successful. Because the county had recently completed similar work, the municipalities requested that the county conduct the nearly $800,000 of work on their behalf. Work is just now beginning under a single contract awarded by the county for municipal work. Staff and officials at Monroe County and municipalities alike understand the tremendous undertaking ahead and recognize that only through a collaborative effort to identify comprehensive risks, needs and costs will they be successful in advancing resilience solutions in the Keys.
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Palm Beach County Initiates Litigation Against Florida PACE Funding Agency | |
On January 3, 2023, Florida PACE Funding Agency (FPFA) terminated its interlocal agreement with Palm Beach County. However, FPFA continues to operate in the county without county authorization and in violation of the county's Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Ordinance. On April 18, 2023, Palm Beach County’s Board of County Commissioners (BCC) voted to adopt a resolution declaring that FPFA operations within the county pose an immediate danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the public in the county that requires immediate action. The BCC directed staff to initiate litigation to resolve the county's conflict with FPFA regarding its alleged independent authority to administer its PACE program in the county, without BCC authorization under the County's PACE Ordinance.
The PACE program funds residential and non-residential properties’ energy efficiency, renewable energy, and wind mitigation improvements by placing an assessment on a property owner's property tax bill. The BCC created an ordinance in 2017 to enable PACE to operate in Palm Beach County. Third-party PACE Districts and Providers manage and fund PACE financing, and must enter into interlocal and indemnification agreements with the County. The county's Office of Resilience oversees the PACE program for county PACE Ordinance compliance and ensures that the PACE Districts and Providers are following consumer protection provisions.
Because FPFA is offering PACE financing to county consumers without adhering to the PACE Ordinance, Palm Beach County cannot guarantee that FPFA is following consumer protection measures outlined in the Ordinance. Thus, Palm Beach County cautions consumers that when entering into PACE financing agreements with FPFA and its third-party providers (Fortifi, Home Run Financing, Bayview PACE, and Castle Green Finance), consumers do so without the additional consumer protection measures, and they may want to take that into account before making any such decisions.
If county residents and businesses are interested in using PACE financing, Palm Beach County recommends working with county-approved PACE Districts and Providers that are currently operating within the terms of the county PACE program. For current county-approved PACE providers, visit: https://discover.pbcgov.org/resilience/Pages/PACE.aspx.
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Sarah Pariseau
Environmental Policy and Program Lead, Resilient Environment Department, Broward County
Sarah Pariseau joined Broward County in March 2023, where her work focuses on coordinating and developing environmental policy recommendations, advocacy efforts, and implementation of related programs in collaboration with municipal partners. She previously worked in the Florida Legislature for the last six years representing northwest Broward, where she managed a legislative office and focused on policy and appropriation initiatives.
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Benjamin Delin
Resilience and Sustainability Analyst, Palm Beach County
Benjamin Delin joins Palm Beach County’s Resilience Office with a background in environmental conservation, non-profit work and international research projects. Benjamin holds both an M.S. in Environmental Policy Design, with a focus on urban environmental policy, as well as an M.P.P. for Public Policy with a focus on political and social governance from Lehigh University. He also attended Muhlenberg College, where he earned a B.A. in Sustainability Studies with a focus on international environmental policy and environmental ethics.
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Save the Date! 15th Annual Climate Leadership Summit | |
Chief Resilience Officers Panel at the 2022 Climate Leadership Summit | |
We hope you'll join us for the 15th Annual Climate Leadership Summit at the Miami Beach Convention Center on November 16 and 17, 2023! Check back soon for additional details and to register. | |
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2023 Legislative Session Wrap-up
Authored by Janet Bowman, Senior Policy Advisory, The Nature Conservancy Florida Chapter
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Appropriations
Given the positive state revenue outlook, SB 2500—Appropriations, generously funds resilience, conservation, and environmental restoration programs. Funding for the Resilient Florida program includes $300 million for Resilient Florida Flooding & Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan projects, $20 million for planning grants and $2 million for regional resilience collaboratives. Everglades Restoration funding includes $478,520,477 for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (CERP), $86,084,653 for the Northern Everglades and $70,000,000 for the C-51 reservoir. Record land acquisition funding is close to $1 billion dollars, including $100 million in recurring Florida Forever dollars and $850 million for two wildlife corridor acquisitions. The legislature also prioritized water quality improvement funding, including $104,900,000 for the new Indian River Lagoon Project Program, $304,671,849 for the Wastewater Construction Revolving Loan Program, $200,000,000 for the Wastewater Grant Program and $432,993,047 for local government water projects. As of this writing, the Legislature has not submitted the Appropriations Act to the Governor for his signature.
In addition, the Department of Economic Opportunity received spending authority for federal grant funds of $123,988,863 for Home Energy Assistance, $25,363,096 for Weatherization and $16,000,000 for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
Resilience/Adaptation
CS/HB 111—Flooding and Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Studies expands the scope of the Sea Level Impact Study (SLIP) study requirement originally enacted in 2020, repeals the original SLIP requirement in section 161.551 of the Florida Statutes (s.161.551, F.S.), and creates a new s.380.0937, F.S. The bill creates a new definition of an “area at risk due to sea level rise,” now defined as “any location that is projected to be below the threshold for tidal flooding within the next 50 years by adding sea level rise using the sea level rise projections in s. 380.09(3)(d)3.b, F.S.”, which are the 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration intermediate low and high sea level rise projections. The bill was signed by the Governor on June 13, 2023.
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Special Projects Administrator 2 (Communications), Miami-Dade County | |
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Salary range: $67,789.29-$118,363.05
Description of duties:
The Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience is currently seeking qualified candidates for the “Special Projects Administrator 2” position supporting its Communications Team. As part of the county’s ambitious equity-focused climate resilience initiatives, this position will help advance communications with regard to Miami-Dade’s resilience and sustainability work across all media platforms to diverse internal and external audiences and stakeholders.
The ideal candidate should have demonstrated experience with the following:
- Strategizing and developing a social media presence, which the Special Projects Administrator 2 will work on in partnership with the Program Manager and staff from the Office of Resilience’s Communications team
- Supporting the design and production of campaigns, presentations, educational materials, and other collaterals through all forms of media, including broadcast, online and print
- Monitoring relevant news stories and compiling press clips after events and interviews to create and maintain a media database utilizing Miami-Dade County’s Meltwater system
- Contributing to the development of op-eds, speeches, and presentations as needed to support the Office of Resilience
- Working with staff from the Office of Resilience’s Communications Team to organize and manage press conferences, events and media availabilities, along with preparing for public speaking engagements and interviews
- Adapting to the changing needs of a fast-paced work environment that nimbly and effectively responds to climate change
See job description for complete details and minimum qualifications.
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Energy Services Coordinator - Engineer 3 (Mitigation), Miami-Dade County | |
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Salary range: $77,400.09 to $134,970.66
Description of duties:
Miami-Dade County is seeking a qualified candidate for the vital new role of Energy Services Coordinator (Engineer 3) in charge of leading the county’s Energy Performance Contracting Program. This position focuses on reducing electricity use through multiple approaches that include energy demand management, energy efficiency improvements, and growing use of renewable energy and battery storage to meet the energy, water and electricity reduction goals outlined in the County’s Climate Action Strategy and Comprehensive Master Development Plan.
The ideal candidate should have demonstrated experience that correlates to the following responsibilities that this job will entail, including but not limited to:
- Identifying and evaluating prospective energy savings projects to be included in Energy Performance Contracts or other relevant programs.
- Reviewing projects for feasibility and developing proposals for implementation by contractors (ESCOs) that can be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
- Conducting detailed technical analysis of proposals submitted by contractors and verifying the accuracy of projects’ energy savings and quality of components and systems selected for use.
- Providing oversight for projects selected to proceed through the Investment Grade Audit (IGA) process and resulting reports, and development of scope of work and Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) selected for a given project.
- Monitoring the status of projects during and upon completion of the process to ensure compliance with proposal specifications and attainment of energy and water savings goals so as to successfully act as a County point of contact for resolving any conflicts or issues related to the project between contractors and County departments.
- Managing reporting and data related to program outcomes and providing effective communication on key results and savings.
- Providing technical support and leadership of other services and savings programs related to managing and reducing water and energy use associated with County operations. This includes but is not limited to solar power procurement and installation and other forms of renewable energy, conversion of the County fleet to electric vehicles, and other related projects.
- Providing key assistance with the development and implementation of the County’s Climate Action Strategy, and the Resilient305 Strategy. This includes overseeing, developing, and incorporating specific mitigation strategies into the broader resilience strategy.
See job description for complete details and minimum qualifications.
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