31 RESOLUTION NO. ____ _
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3 A Resolution joining the Biscayne Bay Coalition in support of its protection
4 for the health and wellbeing of Miami-Dade County residents and the
5 improvement of our tourism economy.
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7 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay is a part of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem; and,
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9 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay is designated as a national park and protects 172,000 acres
10 of submerged lands; and,
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12 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay is protected as an aquatic preserve and protects 70,000 acres
13 of submerged lands; and,
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15 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay spans the entire coast of Miami-Dade County and is an
16 iconic part of the view-scape of Miami and the Beaches; and,
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18 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay supports the economy of Miami-Dade County and
19 surrounding areas through tourism and the Port of Miami for business; and,
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21 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve and Biscayne National Park are the nursery
22 grounds for commercial and recreational fisheries vital to Miami-Dade's economy; and,
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24 WHEREAS, the water quality of Biscayne Bay is essential for human health and safety
25 and the health of the environment; and,
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27 WHEREAS, natural fresh water flows into Biscayne Bay have been severely diminished
28 due to impacts from sprawl and alterations to historic Everglades flow patterns; and,
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30 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay is a natural estuary in need of ongoing monitoring and
31 restoration; and,
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33 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay supports endangered and threatened species; and,
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35 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay and its coastal wetlands play a vital role in the Atlantic
36 flyway serving as a migratory pathway for wildlife and is globally important.
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38 WHEREAS, Biscayne Bay Coalition was formed by the Tropical Audubon Society for
39 the same reasons set forth above, as reflected in the attached Audubon Society bulletin.
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41 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
42 COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA THAT:
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44 Section 1. The foregoing "WHEREAS" clauses are hereby ratified and confirmed as
45 being true and correct and are hereby made a specific part of this resolution upon adoption.
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Section 2. The City of South Miami supports the restoration of Biscayne Bay as part of
the Greater Everglades with the completion of the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands (BBCW)
Project under Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP).
Section 3. The City of South Miami supports the adoption of a state rule to protect the
current flow of surface and ground water into Biscayne Bay.
Section 4. The City of South Miami supports the efforts of the Environmentally
Endangered Lands Program (EEL) and the Florida Forever Program to purchase adjacent coastal
wetlands needed for the BBCW Project and recharge of Miami-Dade's aquifer.
Section 5. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is
for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding
shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
Section 6. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon
adoption by vote of the City Commission.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this __ day of ,2013.
ATTEST: APPROVED:
CITY CLERK MAYOR
READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM, COMMISSION VOTE:
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY AND Mayor Stoddard:
EXECUTION THEREOF Vice Mayor Liebman:
Commissioner Newman:
Commissioner Harris:
CITY ATTORNEY Commissioner Welsh:
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Tropical Audubon Society
PARTNERS
Everglade Law Center
National Parks Conservation Association
Sierra Club Miami Group
Clean Water Action
Audubon of Florida
Chamber South
Red Sunset Merchants Association
Miami Dade Public Schools
Fairchild Botanic Gardens
Deering Estate Foundation
Everglades Foundation
Together Green
Cape Florida Banding Station
GOALS
The Voice of Conservation in South Florida
1. Creating a Biscayne Bay Coalition so that any threat to Biscayne can be quickly extinguished
through our citizen network, ultimately creating a better appreciation for Biscayne Bay and
improving its health though costal land conservation and more fresh water deliveries
2. Ensuring that lands do not get surplused in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties and that there are
funds for restoration of conservation lands. Ensuring S8 584 and HB 901 die in committee this
legislative session. This Bill would prevent the State from buying land for conservation.
3. Ensuring the Land and Water Legacy campaign is on the 2014 ballot and that Florida Forever is
funded in 2013
4. Holding the line in Miami Dade and creating a permanent green corridor and continuing to
promote SMART GROWTH within the county
5. Help increase the tree canopy to 30% by 2020, and ensure the trees provide food for wildlife
through our Urban Oasis education program
6. Steinberg Nature Center expansion with a native plant nursery, paths, signage, and a classroom
to help educate the public and provide a venue for environmental non profits to met and
educate the community
7. Establishing a network for the Important Bird Areas and funding a program manager for South FL
8. Watch Dog for Turkey Point Mitigation and Expansion
9. Complete an economic study to highlight value of Ecosystem Services generally, highlighting the
value of open space in Miami-Dade County ( tourism, water supply, health)
10. Redo the study form 2005 on Biscayne Bay as an economic driver, and fund more research on
Biscayne Bay to help justify more protections
11. Expand our capacity through increased staffing and usable space for programming
12. Continue to be the voice of conservation in South Florida
Tropical Audubon Society I 5530 Sunset Drive Miami, FI 33143 I (305) 667-7337 I www.tropicalaudubon.org
Tropical Audubon Society The Voice of Conservation in South Florida
S8 584 & HB 901-ln direct conflict with Everglades Restoration
SB 584 and HB 901 restricts state, county and city government purchases of conservation land
unless an equal amount of property not being held in conservation is returned or sold to the
private sector. This is an overreach, public land is essential to Florida's economy.
Tourism is Florida's largest single economic engine, with yearly revenue of $65 billion dollars
generated through the utilization and enjoyment of our state's natural resources. Last year
alone, out of the 89 million tourists who visited our state 65% enjoyed nature-based activities
(20 million people came to visit state parks alone). Moreover for every 1,000 people visiting a
state park, the direct impact on the local economy represents over $43,400! There are 160
state parks in Florida.
This is the payoff of our state's successful land conservation programs that have set aside 4.9
million acres (2.5 million acres from Florida Forever) of lands and waterways, restoring crucial
areas and creating an award-wining series of public parks, beaches, forests, rivers, springs, lakes
and wildlife preserves. We are already enjoying the return in investment, and so are the
millions of tourists attracted to our state's inherent beauty. How can we, then pass a law that
would cripple our ability to purchase conservation land to continue to nourish our biggest
asset?
Florida's agriculture industry, our second economic driver, is also tied to natural resource
protection and provides economic, cultural, recreational and ecological benefits. In 2006, the
state's forest products and cattle ranching industries generated $9,8 billion and supported a
minimum of 195,000 jobs. Florida Forever has helped preserve 158,700 acres of working
agricultural lands.
We have come a long way in Everglades Restoration, but we ought to keep moving forward
with the restoration plan if we want to enjoy the benefits of a fully restored World Heritage
Site. Not only will this be the pride of the Nation, it will ensure businesses' to keep investing in
South Florida too. The Everglades are the primary reason for our cheap water supply, serving
water to 1 in 3 Floridians. This natural wonder has kept the water treatment costs flat for
decades. This system is in dire need of water, and the only way to do so is to use more land for
water retention.
Everglades Restoration predicts that an investment of $11.5 billion will result in over $46.5
billion in gains to Florida's economy-at least $4 on the dollar. It will also create more than
440,000 jobs over the next 50 years.
SB 584 and HB 901 threaten our progress in Everglades Restoration and sentence it to fail.
Without more land to be set aside for the restoration of the largest wetland in the world, this
Tropical Audubon Society I 5530 Sunset Drive Miami, FI33143 I (30S) 667·7337 I www.tropicalaudubon.org
Tropical Audubon Society The Voice of Conservation in South Florida
ecosystem will die. With it dies the era of cheap water supply. Forced to turn to desalination we
will pay 10 times more for water. With cheap water supply gone businesses will look elsewhere
to start their enterprise. It is estimated that in the next 50 years if South Florida doesn't grow in
a sustainable way, the Caribbean and South America will be the first choices for businesses and
investors worldwide.
Many economic benefits are considered ecosystem services. It is estimated that ecosystem
services are valued at $5,000 per acre of conservation land. Florida has a total of 9.38 million
acres of conservation land which represent $46.9 billion worth of ecosystem services-that is,
a supply of clean water and air, flood and erosion control, crop pollination by native birds and
insects, carbon sequestration and climate regulation, and recreation.
In short, open space good for tourism, agriculture, recharge of our aquifer, cleanse of our
water, and is explicitly tied to our economy. We would collapse without a cheap water supply
and would not be sustainable into the future. Florida has been blessed with a wealth ($46.9
billion dollars) of ecosystem services, yet we don't calculate them into our budget. It is only
wise to keep in vesting in conservation land. As a lawmaker you can rest assured that the long-
term investment of conservation land will continue to provide exceptional returns to Florida's
economy and quality of life.
I urge you to act and defeat this bill before it leaves committee. The bill is not in the best
interest of Floridians, this bill is not in the best interest of business investors, and this bill is not
in the best interest of the future of our water supply.
Please contact the Tropical Audubon Society with your questions or concerns regarding our
position on this matter.
Thank you in advance for taking action to help the stet prosper into the future,
Laura Reynolds,
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Executive Director
Tropical Audubon Society
Tropical Audubon Society I 5530 Sunset Drive Miami, FI 33143 I (305) 667·7337 I www.tropicalaudubon.org
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Tropical Audubon Society The Voice of Conservation in South Florida
References:
Defenders of Wildlife. January 2012. Florida's Natural Assets.
St. Petesburg, Fl
Everglades Foundation. 2011. Measuring the Economic Benefits of America's Everglades
Restoration: An Economic Evaluation of Ecosystem Services Affiliated with the World's Largest
Ecosystem. www.evergladesfoundation.org. Palmetto Bay, Florida.
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. February 2013. Summary 0/ Florida Conservation Lands.
Tallahassee,Fl
The Nature Conservancy. 2009. Economic Benefits of land Conservation: A case for Florida
Forever.
Visit Florida Research. 2012. Historic Visitor Numbers.
http://media.visitflorida.org/research.php Tallahassee, Fl
Tropical Audubon Society I 5530 Sunset Drive Miami, FI 33143 I (305) 667·7337 I www.tropicalaudubon.org