_add-on a)Add-on item a)
Sponsored by Mayor Stoddard
02/21/17 City Commission meeting
RESOLUTION NO. __________ 1
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A Resolution of the City of South Miami, Florida, supporting efforts in 3
the Florida Legislature to purchase 60,000 acres of land south of Lake 4
Okeechobee in the Everglades Agricultural Area to initiate project 5
planning for water storage and treatment as outlines in the 6
Comprehensive Everglades and Restoration Plan to send clean water to 7
Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys and alleviate harmful 8
water discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries 9
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WHEREAS, Florida is home to America’s Everglades, which is a world 11
renowned and globally unique ecosystem, International Biosphere Reserve, World 12
Heritage Site, and RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance; and 13
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WHEREAS, one-third of all Floridians, nearly eight million people, depend on 15
aquifer water recharged by the Everglades for their daily water supply for their homes 16
and businesses; and 17
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WHEREAS, over the past century, development, population growth, excessive 19
drainage of wetlands, and alterations in water quality and flow have diverted the “River 20
of Grass” that once flowed to the Southern Everglades, leaving Everglades National Park 21
and Florida Bay starved for clean, freshwater; and 22
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WHEREAS, when Lake Okeechobee levels becomes too high, and without a safe 24
outlet to flow the water south, polluted water is discharged to the St. Lucie and 25
Caloosahatchee Rivers, causing detrimental impacts to the ecology and economy of these 26
estuary communities; and 27
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WHEREAS, ecological and human health conditions associated with Lake 29
Okeechobee discharges—including algae blooms, fish kills, human respiratory impacts—30
resulted in Governor Scott declaring a state of emergency in four Florida counties that 31
lasted 242 days through 2016. 32
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WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was 34
authorized by the United States Congress in 2000 to improve the quantity, quality, 35
timing, and distribution of water flow throughout the Greater Everglades ecosystem and 36
to restore some of the natural habitat that has been lost to development; and 37
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WHEREAS, CERP includes creation of a 360,000 acre-feet EAA Storage 39
Reservoir as a means of providing storage south of Lake Okeechobee to help clean excess 40
lake water and bring more of it south into the parched Everglades where it is desperately 41
needed, instead of being discharged, untreated, into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee 42
Rivers; and 43
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WHEREAS, the Integrated Delivery Schedule (IDS), which provides a timeline 1
for the implementation of CERP projects, has EAA Reservoir planning beginning in 2
2021; and 3
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WHEREAS, in the face of Florida’s ongoing water crisis, Senate President Joe 5
Negron has developed a plan to acquire land and expedite project planning to deliver 6
desperately needed freshwater to Everglades National Park and bring relief to the coastal 7
estuaries; and 8
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WHEREAS, Senate Bill 10 (introduced by Senator Rob Bradley) and House Bill 10
761 (introduced by Representative Thad Altman) outlines a plan to use Legacy Florida 11
funds already dedicated to Everglades restoration to purchase 60,000 acres of land from 12
willing sellers in the EAA and expedite planning of the CERP EAA Reservoir project. 13
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY 15
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, THAT: 16
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Section 1. The above recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein 18
by reference. 19
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Section 2. The City Commission hereby supports Senate Bill 10 and House 21
Bill 761 in the Florida Legislature in 2017 for the acquisition of land south of Lake 22
Okeechobee in the Everglades Agricultural Area to achieve the CERP project purposes of 23
storage, treatment, and conveyance of freshwater south to Everglades National Park and 24
Florida Bay and relieving harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers. 25
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Section 3. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is for 27
any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the 28
holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution. 29
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Section 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption. 31
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PASSED AND ADOPTED this th day of , 2017. 33
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ATTEST: APPROVED: 35
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_________________________ ___________________________ 37
CITY CLERK MAYOR 38
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READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM, COMMISSION VOTE 40
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY, Mayor Stoddard: 41
AND EXECUTION THEREOF: Vice Mayor Welsh: 42
Commissioner Edmond: 43
Commissioner Harris: 44
Commissioner Liebman: 45
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CITY ATTORNEY 47
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