Miami-Dade County’s new FY 2020-21 budget centered on increasing region's resilience
On Sept. 17, 2020, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved the Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21, allocating significant resources to the community’s ongoing commitment to resilience.
In his opening remarks, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said, “During public comment at our first budget hearing, someone noted that almost everything in the proposed budget was tagged as a resilient activity, and that’s right! Everything we do is designed to make sure our community is ready to react to unexpected short-term shocks, along with anticipated long-term stressors, and even more important, un-anticipated stressors, such as COVID-19, which will impact our world much longer than first imagined.”
Nearly $705 million of the County’s FY 2020-21 operating budget is dedicated to Miami-Dade’s continuing resilience efforts, and almost $3.285 billion in capital projects is dedicated to community resilience of all types, including affordable housing projects, vital transit improvements and essential infrastructure upgrades.
A key example of how Miami-Dade is building resilience through the budget is the County's deft response to the fish die-off and algae bloom in Biscayne Bay in August. In less than a month after that event, as part of the Fiscal 2020-21 budget, the County approved funding for its first-ever Chief Bay Officer to ensure that the Bay not only survives but thrives for future generations. All this was accomplished while providing myriad additional services to residents stressed by COVID-19, ranging from delivering meals to tens of thousands of senior citizens quarantined in their homes to providing financial assistance to small businesses at risk of permanent closure.
This rapid response to address the problems facing Biscayne Bay during a pandemic was possible thanks to years of responsible fiscal planning and a long-term perspective that focuses nearly everything this community does through the lens of resilience. The County has even created a new Resilience Scorecard so that every department keeps clear account of steady achievements toward this shared goal.
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Miami-Dade County receives top Government Green Fleet Award
Miami-Dade County was named one of the recipients of the Government Green Fleet Award for 2020 by 100 Best FleetsTM. The Government Green Fleet Award, which is open to all federal, state and local government fleets in North America, evaluates nominees based on the following categories: fleet composition, fuel and emissions, policy and planning, fleet utilization, education, executive and employee involvement, and supporting programs.
“Earning this award demonstrates the excellence of our County-wide initiatives and the dedication of County employees who work so diligently to fulfill them,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “The County has been embracing clean air initiatives and has acted in many capacities to reduce dependence on foreign oil and to use its fleet management resources wisely during the past nine years. The Government Green Fleet Award is an important recognition that tells us we’re moving in the right direction.”
Miami-Dade County ranked #23 in the 2020 Green Fleet Award, which it achieved thanks to support of the Board of County Commissioners and collaboration among the Office of Resilience, the Internal Services Department (ISD), Solid Waste Management (SWM), and the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW).
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County employees complete training to prepare for the future of sustainable infrastructure
Every year, the Office of Resilience (OOR) takes new steps forward in fulfilling its mission of building county-wide capacity for implementing sustainability and resilience by sponsoring an annual training for County employees related to sustainable construction/capital projects. This year, OOR supported a cohort of employees in their pursuit of Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) training and certification through the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. OOR would like to congratulate the nine employees who completed their ENV SP training and certification so far this year:
- Ramon Alba (WASD)
- Gabrielle Bork (Seaport)
- Tatiana Fernandez (Seaport)
- Anthony Gil (Seaport)
- Victor Gutierrez (Seaport)
- Christopher Sanchez (RER)
- Franshesca Taylor (DTPW)
- Natalia Neira (PROS)
- Stephanie Cornejo (PROS)
As the County’s infrastructure projects increasingly utilize Envision certification, this training will provide a critical path for Miami-Dade employees and departments to "walk the walk" by designing and constructing more sustainable and resilient County projects.
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Get ready for Energy Efficiency Day
October 7 marks the annual nationwide campaign (#EEDay2020) to recognize and celebrate the multiple benefits of energy efficiency. Energy Efficiency Day puts a spotlight on saving money, cutting pollution, reducing energy waste, and creating jobs. This year, it comes at a time when the economy needs it the most.
FPL has compiled some resources to help YOU save energy and money at home or at your business for Energy Efficiency Day. Check out the pages below for helpful tips and challenges to help you and your family not only save on bills, but reduce your footprint as well:
Miami-Dade County knows that energy efficiency measures and technologies are a cost-effective, clean way to tame utility bills and that is why the Office of Resilience will be making a special announcement about the Building Efficiency 305 Program on Energy Efficiency Day. Stay tuned for more details!
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Help measure the King Tides on the fourth annual Sea Level Solutions Day on October 17
Every year citizen scientists to come together during the King Tides to collect information about flooding across several sites in Miami-Dade County. Citizen scientists are equipped with Citizen Science Kits that include sampling materials to collect flood data using a smartphone application. Information is then aggregated and deposited into a living database to be used to verify depth and quality of water at specific locations and estimate frequency and extent of urban flooding around Miami, Florida.
How to sign up:
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Register here for Sea Level Solutions Day by Thursday, October 15.
- And attend one these three training sessions:
- October 10 at 2:30 pm-3:30 pm
- October 15 at 4:00 pm-5:00 pm
- October 17 at 7:30 am-8:30 am
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City of West Miami unanimously passes fertilizer ordinance
On Wednesday, September 16, the City of West Miami Commission unanimously passed a fertilizer ordinance on second reading. The City previously moved to pass a fertilizer ordinance in accordance with FDEP Florida Friendly Fertilizer Ordinance requirements, but the City worked further with Miami Waterkeeper to review and propose strengthening measures to further curb nutrient pollution in waterways.
The City of Miami Beach also passed a fertilizer ordinance on September 16, joining West Miami, the City of Miami, the Village of Key Biscayne and North Bay Village. Their is a fertilizer ordinance for Miami-Dade County on the County Commission Agenda scheduled for Tuesday, October 6.
Excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can enter waterways after excessive and inappropriate fertilizer use, which can lead to algae blooms and adverse impacts to marine life and habitat in Biscayne Bay. These ordinances are the first step in protecting the health of our Bay and working on restoring the ecosystem.
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Registration now open for virtual Climate Compact Summit
Join us October 13 as the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact convenes a half-day virtual summit to hear from innovative, multi-disciplinary leaders in the business, government, academic, and nonprofit communities as they discuss ways to expand the region’s capacity to respond to climate challenges and build climate resilience. This event will focus on engaging and building relationships with various stakeholders, and strengthening the coordination needed for this important, long-term work. Registration is free!
The Climate Leadership Summit is a major regional event hosted by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact to share knowledge, showcase climate action, engage leadership across sectors, and mobilize the collaboration needed to tackle this significant challenge at scale.
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Attend the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit
Join the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit virtual town hall on October 2 at 10 a.m. for an informative presentation on the state of the Bay and an overview of the Biscayne Bay Task Force's recommendations in anticipation of the Miami-Dade County Mayor's presentation to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) on Oct. 6.
The town hall will be followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session. This summit will also be streamed on Facebook Live for greater community input and questions.
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Experience solar with Solar United Neighbors during National Energy Month
The National Solar Tour is the largest grassroots renewable energy event in the nation, and this year it is going virtual September 28 - October 4! This event brings together hundreds of solar home and business owners, schools, community organizations, farms, and more. They'll share with you their solar stories, and you will get to connect, ask and answer questions, and participate in a nationwide virtual solar tour experience.
Solar United Neighbors has hosted state congresses throughout the nation. Now, they are excited to bring together solar experts and supporters from across the U.S. for the first National Solar Congress October 5-31. Virtual sessions will cover topics including how to go solar and what to do once you have solar, how to advocate for solar policies, the solar landscape in your community, and much more.
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FIU launches new resilience program
The launch of a new interdisciplinary program at Florida International University’s Institute of Environment aims to boost Florida’s efforts to respond to shocks and stresses.
The institute’s new Environmental Finance and Risk Management program is focused on increasing resilience against the major environmental challenges identified in the state’s mitigation action plan: coastal erosion, ecosystem degradation, flooding, heat, sea-level rise, wildfire and windstorm.
The program also will serve as a large-scale hub delivering first-of-its-kind knowledge and know-how focused on innovative financial modeling, environmental law and the regulatory frameworks and methods for disaster preparedness, risk transfer, mitigation, adaptation and resilience. A broad range of stakeholders will collaborate with the program to address these pressing issues and connect students to organizations and agencies on the front lines of environmental protection.
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Greater Miami and the Beaches celebrate the launch of Resilient Cities Network: strengthening cities' capacity to recover from COVID-19 and build a safe and equitable world
Greater Miami and the Beaches (the Resilient305 partners) are excited to be part of the Resilient Cities Network, a city-led network of global partners working to advance resilience solutions in more than 200 cities.
Resilient Cities Network co-creates urban solutions to address complex, interrelated urban challenges, so that cities and communities thrive. Using a holistic resilience approach, the Network will focus on three priorities to be delivered through programs of collective action with member cities in the next two years.
Those top three priorities are:
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Pursuing a resilient recovery by continuing to reinforce equity, to promote private-public partnerships and foster stronger local economies.
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Building additional climate resilience, not only to protect citizens from water-related challenges but also to strengthen the capacity of communities to cope with the effects of climate change.
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Promoting circular economies through indigenous and technological solutions that rapidly and sensibly enhance waste management and strengthen food systems.
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Resilient305 partners selected for residential solar cohort
The Rocky Mountain Institute and the World Resources Institute have selected Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami Beach to receive technical guidance in local residential solar efforts. Through this cohort, both jurisdictions will also receive assistance from Solar United Neighbors, another national nonprofit.
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Resilient305 partners with 1000 Friends of Florida for Fall webinar
On September 30, the Resilient305 team presented its 1000 Friends of Florida Fall Webinar Series to to 400 people. The presentation gave audience members an overview of progress that has been made in the past year of implementing the Resilient305 Strategy while offering a sneak peek of news to be released in the collaborative's soon-to-be published Year One Annual Report.
Resilient305 would like to thank 1000 Friends of Florida staff and members for the opportunity to share these uplifting accomplishments. See the presentation here.
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FIU partners with City of Miami Beach to combat sea level rise
In support of Action 49 in the Resilient305 Strategy: Collaborate with Universities, the City of Miami Beach has collaborated with FIU Architecture to develop an inspirational resilience vision campaign that imagines what the tropical-metropolis would look like in the year 2070 as the city plans and adapts to sea level rise. This work led to the creation of a new advanced architecture design studio course titled “Historic Preservation, Sea Level Rise, and Inspirational Resiliency Visions for Miami Beach in 2070.”
Students will first develop detailed historic contexts for the building of their choice and will then study the city’s resilience-building guidelines — utilizing sea level rise projections and data to outline ways the buildings can be preserved that include green, blue and gray infrastructure and technological innovations.
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South Florida Regional Planning Council earns Small Business Administration award
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) South Florida District Office recently announced the winners of the SBA’s 2020 District and State of Florida Small Business Week Awards. Congratulations goes to the South Florida Regional Planning Council for “Community Partner of the Year."
Since 1974, the South Florida Regional Planning Council has served as the regional planning agency for Monroe, Miami-Dade, and Broward counties. It is governed by a public/private board of county and municipal elected and appointed officials. The Council supports the region’s elected leaders and public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders through regional, collaborative planning and the development and implementation of programs and strategies shaping a more resilient future for South Florida.
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Melting sculptures dissolve before your eyes highlighting the effects of climate change in Florida
Can Florida’s swiftly rising temperatures actually melt a sculpture? It turns out they can, and in less time than you might think. The CLEO Institute, in partnership with the VoLo Foundation, is working with Miami ad agency Zubi and award-winning Los Angeles artist/inventor/director Bob Partington to show Floridians just how quickly beauty can vanish.
"Florida Climate Crisis, or Melting Florida" is a unique pop-up installation that melds the vision of artists with the expertise of scientists to bring complex ideas to life and inspire the general public to take action on climate change.
Watch as the lifeguard stand melts away by visiting Museum Park at the Frost Science Museum.
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Job Opportunities
Florida
National & International
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Upcoming Events and Webinars
Oct 1 - Oct 4
Oct 4 - 8, 2020
Oct 5 -31
Oct 7-8
Oct 13
- Virtual Climate Compact Summit
Oct 17
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