_add-on b)Add-on b)
Sponsored by Mayor Stoddard
5/16/17 City Commission meeting
RESOLUTION NO.
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A Resolution of the Mayor and City Commissioners of the City of South 3
Miami, Florida, urging Governor Rick Scott to not veto legislatively 4
approved action to provide funding to assist local communities with 5
converting from septic tanks to sewer systems; to assist local communities 6
with eliminating septic systems and converting to sewer system connections, 7
as originally proposed by the Governor. 8
9
WHEREAS, on July 6, 2016, Governor Rick Scott announced that he proposed 10
additional funding in his State Fiscal Year 2017-2018 recommended budget to help clean up 11
the Indian River Lagoon and Caloosahatchee River into which the polluted waters of Lake 12
Okeechobee are discharged; and 13
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WHEREAS, this proposal included new funding for a voluntary 50/50 matching 15
grant program with local communities surrounding the water bodies affected by algae 16
blooms resulting from the frequent discharges of water from the Lake; and 17
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WHEREAS, the Legislature approved similar language as a pilot program for the 19
City of South Miami and Okaloosa County, which would provide funding to encourage 20
residents to convert from septic tanks to sewer systems to help curb pollution that is currently 21
entering into these water bodies; and 22
23
WHEREAS, Governor Rick Scott stated in a press release that "[s]eptic tank runoff is 24
a major contributor to the pollution in these water bodies and I look forward to working with 25
the Legislature to fund efforts to curb it."; and 26
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WHEREAS, the Governor's proposal provided financial support to local communities to 28
help them build wastewater systems to meet the increased demand for wastewater services; and 29
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WHEREAS, as the Governor explained, "[i]t is up to all of us - the state, Florida's 31
local communities and the federal government - to work together on long term solutions to 32
improve the quality of our water. That is why I am going to commit state funding and match 33
it with local contributions so we can work together on efforts to clean up our waters."; and 34
35
WHEREAS, the problem of pollution due to septic systems extends beyond the 36
communities surrounding the Indian River Lagoon and Caloosahatchee River; and 37
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WHEREAS, wherever they are located, septic systems may present environmental 39
concerns and are potentially vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise; and 40
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WHEREAS, significant portions of South Miami lack public sanitary sewer systems 42
and therefore rely on septic systems to treat and dispose of wastewater from toilets, showers, 43
sinks, and dishwashers; and 44
Revised resolutionAdd-on Add
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WHEREAS, all the nitrogen and phosphorus in effluent from such septic tanks in South 2
Miami flows through our porous rock into the canal system of the South Florida Water 3
Management District Snapper Creek C-2 Canal, which is a boundary of the City of South Miami 4
and which flows within two miles into Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to Miami 5
Beach, harming the fishing and tourism economies that are jobs engines for the State of Florida; 6
and 7
8
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County will benefit from funding to, at a minimum, help 9
eliminate septic systems and install sewer system connections in areas where no such 10
systems currently exist; and 11
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WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission for the City of South Miami supports 13
the Legislatively approved line item for this pilot program, which was based on the 14
Governor's original proposal and urges the Governor to not veto the funding for the 15
abovementioned purposes in the State Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget. 16
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NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSIONERS 18
OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA: 19
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Section 1. The City of South Miami supports the line item for funding a pilot program 21
to assist local communities with converting from septic tanks to sewer systems, similar to the 22
program that was originally proposed by the Governor and urges the Governor not to veto 23
this budgetary line item. 24
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Section 2. The City Clerk is directed to send a copy of this resolution to Governor 26
Rick Scott. 27
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Section 3.
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Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is 29
for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding 30
shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution. 31
Section 4.
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Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon 33
adoption. 34
PASSED AND ADOPTED this ____ day of _____________, 2017. 36
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ATTEST: APPROVED: 38
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_____________________ ______________________ 40
CITY CLERK MAYOR 41
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READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM, COMMISSION VOTE: 43
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY AND Mayor Stoddard: 44
EXECUTION THEREOF Vice Mayor Welsh: 45
Commissioner Harris: 46
_____________________________ Commissioner Edmond: 47
CITY ATTORNEY Commissioner Liebman: 48