Issue 16 | August 2020
Good and Green News & Updates
Our monthly newsletter is the source for Good and Green updates, activities, events, and opportunities in the City of Sunrise, Florida. We also want to recognize outstanding community leaders and organizations. We would love to highlight your sustainability efforts and accomplishments (e.g. neighborhood cleanup, water conservation tip, butterfly garden, etc.) - please contact us at sustainability@sunrisefl.gov to share your stories!
City Sunrise Staff Accepts Emerald Award for Sportsplex Park
Sportsplex Park is one of the City's newest parks, opened in December 2019. The Park offers ample recreation space with Florida-friendly trees and plants throughout which impressed the Award Committee. The Park is a certified wildlife habitat which includes a butterfly garden, wetland mitigation area, and owl burrows.

This is not the first Emerald Award that the City of Sunrise has won. Oak Hammock Park and Cypress Preserve have also received the award.
Save Water and Win August 1 through August 31
Save Water. Save the Planet! It's That Easy.

We are celebrating Water Quality Month this August. The City of Sunrise is taking part in the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. We need your help to make our Sunrise the most water wise in the nation! Take 1 minute and go to mywaterpledge.com to pledge. You will not only be helping Sunrise win but also helping us do our part in protecting our planet.  EVERY DROP COUNTS.

More information at Solar United Neighbors website
Going Solar just got a Little Easier in Broward County

A Broward Solar Co-op launched on August 4th organized by Solar United Neighbors - a nonprofit organization. Co-ops are cost and commitment-free for Broward homeowners interested in solar energy. Co-ops focus on education, consumer protection, advocacy and support in going solar. Online information sessions are scheduled for August through October. The first step in knowing if you are ready for solar is to attend one of the sessions!

Sunrise Utilities Works With Local Beekeeper to Help Rescue Local Bees
Thousands of Bees are Relocated from the Utilities Administrative Center
On Saturday, June 27, Sunrise Utilities contracted with a local bee rescue team to relocate three (3) large, nuisance beehives at our Utilities Administrative Center. The bees became a safety hazard to workers constructing the pipelines for the new Sunrise Reuse irrigation and aquifer storage and recovery pipelines project. Typically, if beehives do not pose a threat, we would leave them be, but construction work in the area would take anywhere from three to six months where workers would be in close proximity to the hives. A Utilities employee notified the City’s Sustainability Officer, and asked for assistance in finding a possible alternative to extermination.

Staff requested quotes for bee removal services and found the cost difference of rescuing the bees to be nominal. This rescue turned out to be demanding. The Urban Beekeepers, a husband and wife team of local honey bee rescuers, worked to remove the hives. The removal took just over eight (8) hours. It was a tough removal due to difficulty in accessing the hives which were about 20 feet up and 15 feet apart in a large Live Oak tree. Also, the hives were large – one was about the size of a residential recycling cart!

Large hives have the propensity to be defensive, and at one point both beekeepers were covered in bees. They approximated more than 300,000 bees and bee larvae (recently hatched eggs), were rescued. The Urban Beekeepers will “re Queen” the hives (quarantine the bees and replace the queen) they do this by cutting the bottom part of each hive and putting the bees in a hive box. Likely, six (6) colonies will be created from this bee rescue and in about six months the bees should be back in production in their new hives.

Luckily, there was less than typical passersby, possibly due to the heat and current construction in the area; however, safety measures were still put in place to protect the public. A perimeter around the hives was established with cones and caution tape. City staff helped place signage along NW 8 Street as a warning for local joggers, walkers, and cyclists. Staff also parked at the intersection to warn people coming from the park to take another route. In general, people were very interested in the rescue, and staff received a couple thank you shout-outs for saving the bees.

Recently, Sunrise was designated a Community Wildlife Habitat™ (September 2019) and the Utilities Administrative Center is one of many certified wildlife-friendly City properties. This project demonstrates that City employees are helping to implement the Sunrise Sustainability Action Plan and creating a sustainable ethic by setting a precedence to save bees in Sunrise.
What can I do if I Find a Swarm or Colony on my Property?

It is your decision to use professional rescue services or extermination services. The City of Sunrise encourages saving bees where possible using professional rescue specialists and putting quality re-queened feral honeybees back into agricultural production. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides a Bee Removal or Eradication list (scroll down to the middle of the webpage to download excel spreadsheet). The list is for reference purposes only, Sunrise does not endorse or recommend any services.

Be sure they are bees and not wasps. It is helpful to the rescuers if you can give them detailed information such as location, accessibility, size and height, and submit a photo only if you can do this safely.

Never attempt to remove or eradicate nuisance bees or a colony yourself. It can be dangerous and, if not done properly, a violation of state or federal pesticide laws.

Do you Have What it Takes to be a Beekeeper?
  • Anyone can be a Beekeeper! If you have a single family residence, in Florida you can keep up to three hives on the property (but check with your HOA as they may not allow). If you are interested, the first step would be to join a local club like the Broward Beekeepers Association.
  • Know the Honey Bee Law (Ch. 586, Laws of Fla.). If you are going to be a Beekeeper, you must be registered with the State of Florida Department of Agriculture to keep hives. 
  • Learn more and master beekeeping through University of Florida's Master Beekeeper Courses.
Stay and Play Activity for Kids