With Miami enduring intense and record-breaking summer heat, the stakes for environmental initiatives have never been higher.
Miami-Dade County recently secured a $10 million U.S. Forest Service grant to develop urban forests in low-income areas, restore habitats, remove invasive species, and engage residents through strategic tree planting. The grant also supports building a green workforce, marking a major investment in the city's future resilience.
As a pivotal election approaches, conservation groups and environmental advocates are ramping up efforts to compel government agencies into prioritizing critical environmental protections. Here’s the latest in the fight to secure lasting action for a resilient future.
Coral Reef Protection
(Paloma Pimentel for Biscayne Times)
Representatives from various local coral reef conservation groups gathered at a meeting hosted by the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative on Aug. 13 to discuss their progress and coral reef research findings.
Just a few feet off the jetty at South Point Pier lies an astonishing coral reef that has amazed scientists and experts with its resilience despite mass coral bleaching - the effect of extremely hot temperatures, and threats like anchor damage. Now, they are fighting to preserve and protect the reef.
David Grieser and his husband, Patrick Breshike, discovered the reef in 2021. As a member of the Urban Paradise Guild, Grieser is working with the organization to create a Marine Protected Park from South Pointe to 12th Street, intending to boost coral reef tourism and diving. Progress is underway, as the Miami Beach City Commission has unanimously passed a resolution to explore the park's feasibility.
While federal and state approvals for the park may take years, they are pushing for immediate action: extending the vessel exclusion zone and repositioning the buoy line farther east of the reef. This crucial step would ensure divers can explore the reef safely, away from the dangers of speeding boats and personal watercraft.
Community support is crucial for gaining marine safety status from NOAA. Within a week, conservation groups like the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative and various stakeholders rallied significant support for the marine sanctuary, collecting over 10,000 petitions and 25 letters of endorsement from elected officials, government agencies, nonprofits, and businesses.
In a recent meeting with the City of Miami Beach, Grieser reported that efforts are underway to file a new or revised permit application to move the buoy line. The team plans to present the resolution to the City Commission in September.
Boosting Tree Canopy
(FundersNetwork.org)
Representatives from The Funders Network planting 132 trees in Miami Gardens and 100 trees in Little Havana as part of their Shaping Healthy Active Deep-rooted Environments (SHADE) project in 2016.
Facing reports that the county's 30% tree canopy goal by 2030 was unattainable, Miami-Dade boosted the 2022-23 tree budget by $2.5 million and launched the Miami Urban Forest and Green Workforce Project. This initiative aims to plant 1,025 trees in a canopy-deficient southwest area and build a green workforce of up to 60 residents to manage tree maintenance.
This initiative is part of a master plan to develop a strategic blueprint for restoring and enhancing the urban tree canopy, addressing the pressing issue of heat islands, areas in the city that suffer from significantly higher temperatures due to low canopy.
Earlier last month, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released a revised Urban Forestry Plan, as requested by the Board of County Commissioners. The plan outlines challenges, calls for community partnerships, and proposes strategies to increase the county's tree canopy.
To create an effective plan and pinpoint key development areas, the mayor is gathering public feedback through an online survey and community workshops. With the county controlling only 12% of the land suitable for tree redevelopment, partnerships with school districts and faith-based organizations that own large tracts of land are crucial for advancing these efforts.
Feedback from public comment will result in an update to the plan, which is expected to launch by late October or November. The county also plans to start hiring for a green workforce.
“The county has never had such a strong leadership in pushing for energy preservation and enhancement as we have had in the mayor prior to coming up board,” said Jane Gilbert, Director of Urban and Community Forestry.
Slowing Speeds to Improve Safety
(Courtesy of the Urban Paradise Guild)
Speeding jet skis and vessels are an ongoing problem in Biscayne Bay, an Aquatic Preserve, with a growing number of boaters engaging in unsafe behavior.
The upsurge in commercial and recreational vessel accidents in Biscayne Bay within the past few years has alarmed residents and prompted the conservation group Urban Paradise Guild to advocate for stricter speed regulations.
They proposed implementing new speed limits along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, from Marker 21 to the Venetian Causeway, to enhance safety for humans and marine life.
Responding to these concerns, the county passed a resolution on March 12, directing the County Mayor and Attorney to conduct a vessel study near the Venetian Causeway. The study aimed to identify critical areas that may require year-round boating restrictions. The findings will be presented to the Board of Commissioners for further action.
If the vessel study proves speed legislation appropriate and necessary, the county will hold a public hearing and seek approval from the Board of Commissioners. Following that, they must also obtain consent from the Florida Wildlife Commission, Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and relevant municipalities bordering the areas in focus.
Efforts to enhance safety in Biscayne Bay include the Venetian Causeway Project, which aims to replace and preserve 11 historic bridges, including the crucial easternmost movable bridge. These bridges are vital connectors between Miami and Miami Beach and serve as hurricane evacuation routes. The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) has secured a $100.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bridge Investment Program (BIP) to support the project.
Enhancing Swales
(Courtesy of Sandy Moise)
A swale in a Morningside neighborhood developed with low-growing plants.
With stronger hurricane seasons and record-breaking temperatures on the rise, the risk of widespread flooding across the county grows. Mass flooding stands out as one of the clearest signs of the county’s poor environmental infrastructure.
However, implementing greener swales, or shallow, low-lying areas designed to manage water runoff, offers a practical solution to mitigate flooding.
Often found in gardens, parks, and along roads, swales are the oldest trick in the book to stormwater management. They collect rainwater, filter out pollutants, prevent erosion, and enhance the landscape's aesthetic appeal.
Sandy Moise, Director of Policy and Education for the Urban Paradise Guild and an outspoken advocate for swale legislation, has urged city commissioners to incentivize homeowners to plant native species on their swales.
(Facebook)
Director of Policy and Education at the Urban Paradise Guild, Sandy Moise, forest-walking in Cleavland, OH.
On July 27, 2023, the Miami City Commission passed a resolution sponsored by former Commissioner Sabina Covo directing the City Manager to create a process allowing homeowners to plant certain native species by right and other non-native plants by a review and permit process. However, the plan was withdrawn due to conflicting information in the landscape code and permit requirements on behalf of UPG.
Moise explains that the plan lacked clarity and had contradictory language, failing to address native ground covers, permit costs, and allowing the use of sod, a water-intensive turf, alongside native plants without a permit. She argues that native plants are stronger, more disease-resistant, and require less maintenance, making them more effective in flood mitigation than non-native species, which is why sod is a poor choice.
“We’d like an opportunity to meet with the city staff to discuss how it could be improved, and make it simpler, because currently there's a lot of native soils that people are neglecting,” says Moise.
“The idea is to create something that would have been helpful and would benefit homeowners so they can contribute to the greater good for sustainability and resiliency in our communities.”
UPG's proposal includes a list of 30 native plants, all under 30 inches in height, that are easy to plant and maintain, along with a robust educational campaign. Their proposal will be introduced to Commissioner Damian Pardo for review and potential implementation.