Mayor Daniella Levine Cava sent a letter to the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation supporting the announcement that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is recommending several county resilience projects to the state legislature for approval as part of the three year “Always Ready Florida” plan. Out of a total of 76 recommended projects statewide, 16 are from Miami-Dade County as well as ten municipal projects within the county and, if approved by the state legislature, it will mean an additional $44 million for Miami-Dade County resilience projects and $96 million in total for the County and our cities.
The 16 County resilience projects recommended for funding cover many areas of the community and, if awarded, the funds will help protect fire stations, a critical data center, the County’s Integrated Command and Communication center, libraries, and other key facilities. Important stormwater projects, elevating roadways, and a shoreline stabilization project on Wagner Creek were also recommended for award. Larger scale acquisition of “living shoreline” resilience lands was also endorsed, which could help protect more than 200 acres of natural areas and support restoration efforts. In additional, there are two Public Housing and Community Development proposals worth over $15 million that would help build more resilient housing options for Miami-Dade residents.
The announcement came while Mayor Daniella Levine Cava was in Washington D.C. meeting with representatives from the Federal government and legislators about additional funding for resilient infrastructure projects.
“I’m proud the state has recognized the importance of investing in critical projects that will make Miami-Dade a more resilient community to protect our residents and their livelihoods, while creating jobs building a more resilient future,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We urge our state legislators to support these recommendations and approve the funds during the upcoming legislative session. I will continue working hard to advocate for all possible resources at the local and national level to make sure our community receives the funds we need to support critical resilience projects.”
The County continues to seek support for other key resilience initiatives such as protecting our water and sewer assets from storms and sea level rise, and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also asked the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation to support them.
