LTC 521-2016 Business Resiliency Workshop MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 521-2016 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members of he City Co ission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager \
DATE: December 5, 2016
SUBJECT: Business Resiliency Workshop
I am pleased to share the report from the Business Resiliency workshop held on
November 3, 2016. The City of Miami Beach was selected to pilot this event to identify
and integrate key issues with economic resiliency into the Miami Beach Rising Above
Resiliency Strategy. This effort also compliments our 100 Resilient Cities Resiliency
Strategy, underway with our Greater Miami and the Beaches partners.
I encourage you to read the attached report, which contains both scores as well as
themes feedback from the multi-sector participants. The scores will serve as a baseline
for improvement, while the ideas can serve as potential initiatives for our resilience
strategy here on Miami Beach.
The workshop, entitled "City-Business Collaboration on Resilience Planning in Miami
Beach," had comprehensive participation from many sectors. The workshop encouraged
discussions between city planners and the business community and to plan together for
a resilient Miami Beach. The workshop used the UN Disaster Resilience Scorecard for
Citiesi developed by IBM and AECOM as a framework for discussion and to identify
Miami Beach's current capacity to respond to extreme weather events and climate
change.
The workshop was facilitated by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), an
independent, nonpartisan, non-profit organization committed to forging practical
solutions to our climate and energy challenges. It was held by C2ES in partnership with
the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Chamber Advocacy Council. C2ES is
regularly ranked among the top environmental think tanks in the world, since its founding
as the Pew Center on Global Climate Change in 1998.
Please contact Susanne M. Torriente, Assistant City Manager/ Chief Resiliency Officer
with any questions regarding the event.
Attachment: Report
JMT/SMT/ALK
1 http://www.unisdr.org/2014/campaign-cities/Resilience%20Scorecard%20V1.5.pdf
CLIMATE RESILIENCE SCORECARD PRELIMINARY REVIEW:
C2ES WORKSHOP WITH MIAMI BEACH
NOVEMBER 3, 2016
Attendees
Moderators:
Jon Philipsborn (AECOM);Bob St.Thomas (IBM);Janet Peace,Ashley Lawson,Katy Maher (Center for
Climate and Energy Solutions)
Participants: Melissa Berthier, Eric Carpenter,Jose Gonzalez,Amy Knowles,Thomas Mooney,Jimmy
Morales,Jeff Oris,Vania Pedraja-Castro,Cintya Ramos,Leslie Rosenfeld,Susanne Torriente,Elizabeth
Wheaton,Allison Williams,Vanessa Williams (City of Miami Beach);Claire Bonham-Carter,Marcia Tobin
(AECOM);Reinaldo Borges (Borges + Associates); Russell Galbut(Crescent Heights);Aletha Player (Florida
Power&Light);Terri Echarte (Gibraltar Private Bank&Trust); Kathleen Cunningham (IBM);Matis Cohen
(Kahunah Properties);Ivannia Van Arman (Lincoln Road Business Improvement District);Alex Tonarelli
(Loews Miami Beach Hotel);Wayne Pathman (Pathman Lewis,LLP);Sandy Shapiro (Miami Beach Botanical
Garden);Jerry Libbin (Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce);Nicole Hefty(Miami-Dade County);Greg
Guannel (The Nature Conservancy);Susan Askew (Reanimar);Wyn Bradley (University of Miami); Eleanor
Ramm,Dan Welch (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions)
Introduction
This document summarizes the discussion in a Nov. 3,2016 workshop held to construct a baseline
assessment of the resilience of Miami Beach to climate change.The workshop was structured with discussion
headings provided by each of the Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient published by the United Nations
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)I. Scoring on a scale of 0 (low) to 5 (high)was carried out
against each "Essential"by simple consensus of those attending.Workshop participants included city
officials,representatives of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce,and other businesses in Miami Beach.
These important stakeholder groups were assembled together so that local government leaders could be made
aware of the needs and concerns of local businesses as they continue their resilience planning. Secondary
goals were to give both groups better awareness of current actions being taken by the other and to strengthen
the relationships that will be necessary for future collaboration on climate resilience planning.The point was
made that improving resilience requires a concerted public and private sector effort.This workshop served to
allow the private sector to provide input to local government officials on priorities that should be considered
as the City works to develop a robust resilience strategy.
The Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities (Scorecard) was designed and developed by AECOM and IBM
to assess preparedness for a variety of disasters and is silent on the type of disasters for which the scoring
applies.A critical element in application of the Scorecard is the definition of the disaster scenario for which
resilience will be considered.The assessment conducted in the Nov. 3,2016 workshop focused on climate-
' The Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient can be found at
http://www.unisdr.org/campaign/resilientcities/home/toolkitblkitem/?id=1;and the Scorecard at
http://www.unisdr.org/campaign/resilientcities/home/toolkitblkitem/?id=4.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 1
related events such as sea level rise, storm surge, flooding,and hurricanes that are already affecting Miami
Beach and are expected to increase in intensity in the future.
This document is purely a summary of a discussion based on the participants'knowledge and
understanding, and their collective first impressions. It should not be regarded as a complete
coverage of Miami Beach's resilience positioning and issues. No part of it has been separately or
empirically validated, and no part of it should be regarded as accurate or correct until so proven.
This document was prepared by staff of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and delivered to
the City of Miami Beach on November 23,2016.
Ten Essentials Overview
The consolidated scores from the Miami Beach workshop are summarized below.
• Essential 1,Organize for Resilience (Score =4 for organizing within city government;2 for
implementing across all government levels).Workshop participants felt the City had a strong
organizational structure for achieving its resilience objectives,but that these objectives were not
prioritized as highly in other levels of governments,notably in the Historic Preservation Board.
• Essential 2,Identify,Understand, and Use Current and Future Risk Scenarios (Score =4-5
for knowledge and planning;3 for communication;4 for updating and reviewing). While
participants viewed the City as well-prepared with risk scenarios, the main concern was the
communication on these risks,particularly the lack of engagement with businesses.The sub-scores
reflect the participants'views on the planning,communication,and updating of risk scenarios.
• Essential 3, Strengthen Financial Capacity for Resilience (Score = 4 for public budgeting;1
for incentives to private sector). Participants saw adequate budgeting for resilience in the City's
budget,with some discussion about whether future financing levels should be expressed as a lump
sum for all desired activities or to continue financing one priority resilience activity at a time. Private
sector participants shared the perspective that the City does not provide sufficient incentives for the
private sector to invest in resilience measures.
• Essential 4,Pursue Resilient Urban Development(Score = 2.5).Workshop participants
recognized opportunities for both the city and real estate developers to improve building codes and
foster more resilient development, but participants felt that the overall process of developing new
buildings,improving existing buildings, and generally implementing building improvements is
difficult.They also suggested that difficulty with these improvements increased the costs of
development and reduced their ability to implement options that would improve regional resilience.
Suggestions for process improvement include special liaisons for business communities,individual
outreach and engagement and private sector meetings to discuss development goals.
• Essential 5, Safeguard Natural Buffers to Enhance the Protective Functions Offered by
Natural Ecosystems (Score = 3.25). Participants were encouraged by the number of activities to
date in preserving the city's natural ecosystems,but felt additional long-term planning is needed to
fully incorporate ecosystem services into the City's resilience plan,particularly in making sure that
new tree plantings use species that will be resilient to expected climate change impacts.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 2
• Essential 6, Strengthen Institutional Capacity for Resilience (Score = 3.5). Miami Beach has
strong institutional capacity for hurricane preparedness,and workshop participants felt this strength
could be leveraged for climate change resilience.Recent experience with tidal flooding has helped
raise public awareness about sea level rise, further improving the City's institutional capacity, though
participants identified remaining gaps.
• Essential 7, Increase Societal and Cultural Resilience (Score =3). Participants praised the City's
emergency planning and communication for disasters,but found that the City was not yet prepared
to translate this strength into improved climate resilience.The City is taking up new climate
communications measures and may benefit from increased partnerships with businesses to improve
climate resilience.
• Essential 8,Increase Infrastructure Resilience (Score ranged from 2 to 4 for different
components of this Essential).Workshop participants discussed vulnerabilities in existing
infrastructure to expected climate change impacts.The lack of redundancy in roads,bridges,and
transit were identified as a notable vulnerability,particularly during extreme weather events,as Miami
Beach has limited connections to the mainland.The City is prepared with provisions and backup
generators in the short term,but long-term planning deficiencies persist due to transportation
limitations and utility infrastructure.
• Essential 9,Ensure Effective Disaster Response (Score = 4). Participants discussed the City's
hurricane response plans and expressed high confidence and satisfaction with them. City officials
recognized a few areas of concern they identified during preparations for Hurricane Matthew, and
they are developing plans to improve those areas in the future.
• Essential 10,Expedite Recovery and Build Back Better (Score = 2). Participants identified the
quick and effective resumption of normal activities as critical to the city's wellbeing,and city officials
reported they will be working to develop recovery plans.Pre-disaster planning and post-disaster
response would allow residents and businesses to return Miami Beach to regular operations in the
short term but in the long term,removing barriers to resilient development and building
improvements are needed to allow the community to be better prepared for climate extremes.
•
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Essential 1A:City Gov't
Organization
Essential 10:Recovery 4 Essential 1B:Implementation
Essential 9:Disaster Response 4 i``2\ Essential 2*:Risk Scenarios
Essential 8•:Resilient /'. tt 1 Essential 3A:Public Sector
2 ) `• 4
Infrastructure .... . •• ./• Finandal Capacty
Essential 7:Sodetal and Cultural `\ .• Essential 38: Private Sector
Resiliency Incentives
••.` 2.5
Essential 6:Institutional Essential 4:Urban Development
Capacity
Essential 5:Natural Ecosystems
Figure 1. Scores for the Ten Essentials for Miami Beach's climate resilience. For Essentials 1,2,3,
and 8,workshop participants saw enough distinctions between certain aspects of the Essential to
warrant sub-scoring.This figure depicts the lowest of three sub-scores for Essentials 2 and 8,for
simplicity of viewing(denoted by*). More details are provided in the summary for these Essentials
below.
Ten Essentials Summary
Essential 1: Organize for Resilience
"Put in place an organizational structure and identify the necessary processes to understand and act
on reducing exposure,its impact and vulnerability to natural disasters."
Score = 4 for organizing within city government;2 for implementing across all government levels
Discussion during the workshop outlined the role of the chief resiliency officer (CRO) within the city
government and the actions that will be taken over the next 12-18 months as part of Miami Beach's
participation in the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) network. Participants noted that having a CRO within the
city government was a great strength in the city's organization for resilience planning,though there remains
room for improvement in terms of having all aspects of resilience planning organized with a single point of
contact.A participant from the City of Miami Beach mentioned that there could be stronger collaboration
between the CRO and the budget director to ensure that resilience activities are accounted for in the City
budget.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 4
Participants also recognized that some private sector actions that improve the community's climate resilience
(e.g. raising the elevation of existing buildings) were overseen by other units of government(e.g. Historic
Preservation Board)whose objectives sometimes conflict with resilience objectives. Participants elected to
score these aspects of organization separately,in recognition of the contrasts in how different levels of
government prioritize resilience.
Additional points discussed in the workshop were:
• Cross-departmental understanding of resilience is improving within the City:The City is currently conducting an
inventory of critical infrastructure and completing a vulnerability assessment.That process is being
led by the CRO with input provided by every city department. Public sector participants noted that
they have had significant collaboration with each other through that process. Private sector
participants said that the organization within the city around resilience has greatly improved in their
view since the CRO and Deputy CRO positions were created.
• Miami Beach takes proactive and creative steps to strengthen resilience:Participants discussed how the City of
Miami Beach's organization for resilience differs from that of its state and federal partners. Despite
obstacles that have come when working with these partners,city officials have found creative ways to
develop resilient infrastructure projects. Participants cited the agreement with the state to jointly fund
the Indian Creek Drive project as an example.
• Developers face hurdles to proactively increasing the resilience of residential and commercial properties:Complex
regulatory requirements,building codes,and competing priorities with the Historic Preservation
Board were mentioned as examples.
Essential 2: Identify, Understand, and Use Current and Future Risk Scenarios
"City governments should identify and understand their risk scenarios, and ensure that all
stakeholders both contribute to, and recognize,these. Risk scenarios should identify hazards,
exposures and vulnerabilities in at least the "most probable" and "most severe" ("worst-case")
scenarios."
Score = 4-5 for knowledge and planning;3 for communication;4 for updating and reviewing
The City of Miami Beach has an emergency management department dedicated to evaluating and addressing
risks.The department conducts strategic and operational planning that looks at both short-and long-term
risks. Hazards are reviewed annually and plans are updated to reflect any lessons learned from weather events.
As part of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact,Miami Beach coordinates with other
jurisdictions on risk scenarios and identifying vulnerabilities.
Participants indicated that while there is significant knowledge and planning for risks (the discussion
addressed hurricanes and sea level rise),communication about risks and planning could be improved.The
City regularly interacts with different stakeholders to communicate risks and impacts,including businesses.
However,getting additional business feedback and input could assist the City in planning for future risks.
Business participants also noted that the city could do more to communicate the longer-term risks to the
public.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 5
Suggestions for enhancin g coordination with businesses on risks included:
• Holding regular meetings and workshops:These meetings would set up a structured way for government
and private stakeholders to communicate on a regular basis on risks and planning,outside of public
meetings.
• Personal outreach:Business participants identified the need for more individualized and personal
outreach from city officials beyond email invitations. In particular,identifying and directly engaging
with small business,developers and major landholders will be important for future planning in Miami
Beach.
• Identifying business representatives:To assist in connecting business stakeholders with city officials,private
sector participants suggested a few business representatives could be identified to convey
information between groups.This could include a chamber of commerce representative, regional
ambassadors,or other business liaisons.
Essential 3: Strengthen Financial Capacity for Resilience
"Understand the economic impact of disasters and the need for investment in resilience.Identify
and develop financial mechanisms that can support resilience activities."
Score =4 for public budgeting;1 for incentives to private sector
Public sector participants provided an overview of sources of the City's revenues and current reserves for
resiliency.A discussion was had on how the stormwater renovation project is funded through a combination
of existing tax revenue and new stormwater fees. Participants mentioned how this example might serve as a
learning example for future resilient infrastructure projects.A key question raised was what the potential cost
of all needed resilience strategies might be.No analysis has been conducted to date to estimate that number.
Participants felt the City had good budgeting levels in place for resilience and disaster response,but
recognized that current funding levels are probably insufficient to address all of the city's climate
vulnerabilities. Private sector participants said they had no financial incentives and faced many hurdles to
improving the resilience of privately-held assets (namely buildings). Other participants noted that without
some type of incentive,many buildings would not survive long-term climate impacts, and city property tax
revenue would eventually decline.This point was noted as a major weakness in current City resilience
planning.
Additional points discussed in the workshop were:
• Property developers in Miami Beach receive fety financial incentives to invest in non-mandatory resilience measures.
Participants from this sector said they do not receive reduced insurance premiums when they
undertake resilience measures on their properties. Participants discussed how insurance rates may
increase in the future, for both private insurance and insurance provided through the National Flood
Insurance Program. Despite the lack of incentives,there were examples of resilient development
occurring in Miami Beach.A recent Bay Harbor development project was mentioned, for its use of
PVC pipes that are saltwater tolerant.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 6
• The private sector does not have cost estimates for recovery after an event. Private sector participants expressed a
willingness to share estimates of the costs they would face to recovery their assets in case of a
disaster;however,workshop participants did not have that information. Private sector participants
also requested an estimate of costs that would make public assets more resilient and an estimate of
costs that would be required to build back.
• The City can take additional steps to incentivize resilience for private assets. Private sector participants called on
the City to remove hurdles and provide some type of incentive for businesses to improve their
resilience,in addition to improving the resilience of public infrastructure.
Essential 4: Pursue Resilient Urban Development
"The built environment needs to be assessed and made resilient as applicable."
Score = 2.5
Workshop participants found that planning and discussions have begun in earnest,but a clear path to
implementation and solutions has not yet been laid out.
Miami Beach residents and developers are typically well aware of the most immediate threat to the city, the
rising of sea levels,the threat from storm surges and increased flooding.Discussion of zoning codes included
extensive feedback from real estate developers, suggesting that a resilient urban system requires a
combination of updated regulations and a fresh approach to enabling and including resilient development.
Additional points discussed in the workshop were:
• City planners and developers have identified several strategies for making Miami Beach more resilient, but face obstacles
to implementing these strategies. Workshop participants mentioned the possibility of redesigning parking
garages or road heights to account for future needs,but expressed pessimism in receiving approval
from the City's Historic Preservation Board,in cases where that approval was required. Private sector
participants reported that the approval process is slow and maybe encumbered by"analysis paralysis"
arising from the need to receive approval from several boards and commissioners.
• Long-term climate resilience planning must account for uncertainty in long-term projections. Ground floors and
basements can be better used to incorporate resiliency measures,but participants recognized the
uncertainty in long-term climate impacts and the potential limitations in the planning for extreme
weather events and encroaching seas being done today.
• Private incentives can work together with public policy to improve resilience. Developers suggested that creating
resiliency incentives for project designs would enhance building performance more than current
regulations and processes that create hurdles for such development. One participant acknowledged
that the historic feel of the city was important to its character but"building like old" but"better"
would keep the historic feel but add to its long-term resilience.
• The city may be able to foster a more proactive resilience interest among the business community by applying a dedicated
personal touch, such as through a business resiliency liaison. Businesses may also be more likely to interact
with the City in private forums,where avoiding politically contentious topics and drawn-out
processes can make discussions more focused and efficient.
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Essential 5: Safeguard Natural Buffers to Enhance the Protective Functions Offered by
Natural Ecosystems
"Essential 5 addresses the identification,monitoring and protection of critical ecosystem services
that confer a disaster resilience benefit. Relevant ecosystem services may include,but are not limited
to:water retention or water infiltration, afforestation, urban vegetation, floodplains, sand dunes,
mangrove and other coastal vegetation, and pollination.Many ecosystem services that are relevant to
the city's resilience may be provided well outside its geographical area."
Score =3.25
The discussion around the protective functions offered by natural ecosystems focused largely on two areas:
urban trees and natural barriers to storm surge (sand dunes and corals).
Regarding trees,participants noted that the City currently has ordinances in place to preserve existing trees
and ensure that new plantings are appropriate for the city's climate. However, some participants felt the
guidelines for new plantings could be improved with respect to mitigating heat.They reported that developers
often select palm trees (because of their low cost and fast growth rate) instead of trees that would provide
more shade.With respect to preparing for rising sea level,participants saw value in more fully incorporating
trees into the City's Master Plan, for example to plant saltwater-tolerant species at higher elevation in
anticipation of future Capital Improvement Projects that would raise roads and sidewalks.
Additional points discussed in the workshop were:
• Green infrastructure provides services that are difficult to quantify. Participants discussed the need to quantify
the services provide by"green infrastructure"like coral reefs and mangrove forests.There is some
qualitative recognition that these ecosystems retain stormwater and provide other services,but there
is little quantitative understanding of this value. Future efforts on this topic could improve the
business case for protecting and enhancing these ecosystems.
• Natural ecosystems provide recreational benefits and value to Miami Beach. Participants reported that Zoo
Miami is the top tourist destination in the region,suggesting an appetite among tourists to learn
about and appreciate natural systems. Establishing artificial coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean off
Miami Beach was discussed as a way to both educate residents about natural ecosystems and create a
new tourist attraction.
• Water quality was viewed as an area of weakness for the City. Participants discussed ongoing concerns about
pollution in stormwater runoff and trash in the city's natural waterways.Participants recognized that
littering is a result of personal actions and the City may be limited in its ability to curb this behavior.
Essential 6: Strengthen Institutional Capacity for Resilience
"It is important to ensure that all institutions relevant to a city's resilience have the capabilities they
need to discharge their roles. "Institutions"include, as applicable: central, state and local
government organizations;private sector organizations providing public services; (depending on
locale,this may include phone,water,energy,healthcare, road operations,waste collection
companies and others as well as those volunteering capacity or equipment in the event of a disaster);
industrial facility owners and operators;building owners (individual or corporate);NGOs;
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professional,employers' and labor organizations; and cultural and civil society organizations (see
Essential 7)."
Score =3.5
Miami Beach,like other jurisdictions in South Florida,has extensive experience in hurricane planning.
Participants felt this experience created a strong foundation for climate resilience in the region.Participants
also saw fairly strong public awareness of sea level rise—and the need to invest in efforts to adapt to it—
because of the tidal flooding that already affects the city.
Remaining gaps in current institutional capacity included:
• City departments need better integration around climate resilience.
• Public education around climate change impacts and resilience solutions can be improved.
• Residents suffer a sense of loss when resilience solutions change the built environment around them,
which can make them resistant to resilience efforts.Maintaining historic design in new resilient
development was mentioned as a possible solution.
Essential 7: Increase Societal and Cultural Resilience
"Social"connectedness"and a culture of mutual help has a major impact on the actual outcomes of
disasters of any given magnitude."
Score=3
Participants reported that the community in Miami Beach is very attuned to disaster planning in the short
term,but has not been adept at planning for longer term climate impacts.The City and its businesses have
been successful in communicating about disaster planning and will build on that momentum to develop
effective methods to share information on climate impacts.
Additional points discussed in the workshop were:
• Hurricane Matthew was a useful dry run of the city's disaster response strategy. Participants reported that
messages were distributed widely across media platforms, the city was evacuated,and people were
prepared. City agencies and businesses are typically trained in emergency preparation and response.
• There is agap between people who seek information and those that passively receive information. Nearly 30,000
people receive automated text messages from the city,there is a regular and popular Miami Beach
magazine that has two dedicated articles on the environment,and the city's website is up to date
with important messages. Communications are often in English and Spanish,which applies to over
95 percent of residents.Many residents and tourists,however,do not use these resources.
• A lack of understanding about how the city is preparing for climate change may inhibit the implementation of those
plans. Residents may see the hardening of infrastructure as fixes for no apparent problem, such as a
pothole or a broken pipe.Misunderstandings may also present a difficulty,such as blaming pumps
for flooding rather than keeping disaster at bay.
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• Reaching some communities may require greater planning and interaction between city planners and the local business
community. While local businesses often provide emergency announcements and planning information
to their tenants,employees,or customers,concern was expressed that some businesses may not do
this adequately. Furthermore,information about long-term risks and options to improve climate
preparedness should be more broadly communicated to city residents and should not be the sole
responsibility of the business community.
• The city is developing new resources to communicate climate preparedness. For example,a new working group is
considering methods on how to distribute new flood insurance information,and the city's new
website is making information on climate preparedness more easily accessible.
Essential 8: Increase Infrastructure Resilience
"This Essential addresses understanding how critical infrastructure systems will cope with extreme
weather events and climate change impacts the city might experience (see Essential 2) and
developing contingencies to manage risks caused by these outcomes."
Scores ranged from 2-4 for different components of infrastructure. Individual sub-scores are
provided below.
Participants considered the resilience of various components of Miami Beach's infrastructure and found a
wide range of resilience levels.Participants elected not to determine an average score for this Essential,in
order to provide transparency on which components should be prioritized for future investments. In arriving
at a resilience score,participants evaluated each components'performance to a "most probable-most severe"
event. In most cases this was hurricanes,though sea level rise was also an important risk to critical
infrastructure in the long term.
Additional points discussed in the workshop were:
Roads and transit sub-score= 2
• Roads are a major concern for Miami Beach because of the potential impacts of both hurricanes and
long-term sea level rise on the four main connectors to the mainland.The City is examining how
people will be transported off Miami Beach if these roads are flooded or damaged.The City has
challenges with a lack of redundancy in both roads and transit,as well as historic designation for
infrastructure that limits resilience improvements (e.g.,bridges).
• Participants cautioned against investing heavily in new public transit infrastructure that may be
disrupted by climate impacts before the end of its useful life.
Utilities sub-score = 3
• For the most part,Miami Beach has above-ground electric utility infrastructure,with backup power
generation located at many critical facilities. While there is some communication between utilities and
the City,participants identified this as an area that needs improvement. Some businesses identified a
need for allowing solar installments,which would support emergency power.
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 10
• Electric utilities may struggle to invest in resilience infrastructure when they are already trying to keep
pace with Miami Beach's growth.
• Participants also noted this discussion was approximate and would have been improved by the
presence of a utility representative,who was not available for the discussion of this essential.
Other critical infrastructure sub-score=4
• Schools and community centers have backup generators.These facilities are available in times of
emergency,but are not typically used because residents typically evacuate to the mainland.
• The City has emergency contracts with diesel suppliers and conducts regular inventories of fuel tanks
and supplies.These inventories are located at facilities that would use the fuel and would not need to
rely on transportation infrastructure to sustain services. Replenishing inventories does still rely on
roads,however.
• Water treatment facilities also have backup generators with fuel supplies,but the facilities are located
in low-lying areas and may be vulnerable to flooding.
• The Chamber of Commerce has had conversations with Comcast about ensuring redundancies in
communication networks. For example,communications towers are resilient to hurricane impacts,
but a greater investment in land lines would help provide communications benefits if wireless signals
are lost or overloaded.
• Health centers have been responsive and worked with the City in a number of situations,such as
recognizing the growth of Zika and preparing for potential Ebola infections.These are critical pieces
of infrastructure and need to be recognized as such.
• City coordination with the County is required to ensure a continued food supply. Large food centers
are available nearby on the mainland,which can replenish stockpiles that are kept for all city assets.
• Many participants noted that emergency responses rely upon the availability and connectedness of
data. Data is stored and maintained with a high level of redundancy,through generators and several
locations,but accessing the data still relies upon the resiliency of telecommunications systems and
people that can act upon the stored information.
• The human element is also an overlooked but important aspect of coping with disasters. Continuity
of services relies not only on infrastructure,but on people. Residents and city planners need to
prepare resilient communities and plan to protect vulnerable populations,such as children and the
elderly,to ensure that Miami Beach can continue to operate during and after emergency situations.
Essential 9: Ensure Effective Disaster Response
"Building on scenarios to ensure effective disaster response by creating and updating contingency
and preparedness plans,installing detection and early warning systems,holding regular drills and
trainings,coordinating and managing response activities with relevant agencies."
Score=4
Participants reported strong emergency response plans in Miami Beach,particularly regarding hurricane
response. Hurricane Matthew provided a"dry run"for the City's hurricane plans,and it exposed a few
vulnerabilities for which the City is adapting its response—namely,many construction sites failed to secure
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construction materials as instructed and many residents chose not to evacuate. Participants reported good
collaboration between the public and private sectors in hurricane response—for example, a Miami Beach
hotel housed city staff the night before Matthew's expected landfall.Also, the City's next training exercise will
focus on recovery and will involve members of the business community. One identified weakness in the
community was the small number of Continuity of Operations Plans among Miami Beach businesses.
Nonetheless,participants reported collaborative relationships between relevant city staff and business
stakeholders,and expressed confidence that emergency response could be effectively managed along these
informal channels.
Essential 10: Expedite Recovery and Build Back Better
"After any disaster,ensure that the needs of the survivors are placed at the center of reconstruction
with support for them and their community organizations to design and help implement responses,
including rebuilding homes and livelihoods."
Score=2
The group discussed "building back better" from two perspectives: investing in currently built infrastructure
to protect against disastrous consequences,and how to intelligently rebuild after a destructive disaster. Post-
disaster planning would allow residents and businesses to quickly return Miami Beach to regular operations in
the short term and enables them to keep the community thriving in the long term. Participants noted that this
planning is currently in the beginning stage.
Additional points discussed in the workshop were:
• Responding quickly and effectively to climate disasters is critical for the success of the city. Most revenue is derived
from businesses and tourism, so a healthy economy will help the city heal quickly from disasters.
• Miami Beach must have a strong reputation for disaster response. Rebuilding better will help avoid losing
operational capacity in the future.
• The resilience aspect of building codes varies. The city's codes for resistance to strong winds were raised to
the best in the nation in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. But because no massive flooding event
has occurred in recent memory,the codes for flood resistance are not nearly as strong. Updating
these codes could help the city prevent disaster,or could help the city build back better after a
disaster.
• Economic incentives to exceed current codes or removing barriers to improved development could help Miami Beach be
more resilient. Participants felt that these measures could effectively improve the city's resilience in the
short run,while long-term adjustments to building codes are developed.
Lessons Learned
• There is strong interest from the private sector in being engaged in the City's resilience planning. In particular,the
Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce was involved in planning this workshop,and many chamber
members attended the full-day meeting.Throughout the workshop,members of the business
community spoke frankly about obstacles they encountered in helping to improve the community's
resilience,particularly in developing more resilient commercial and residential properties.Both public
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and private sector participants wanted to see strong business engagement as the City develops its
resilience plan,though participants felt current engagement opportunities are inadequate.
• Many resources are available to meet the city's acute shocks, but obstacles exist to achieving long-term resilience to
chronic stressors like climate change. Workshop participants were satisfied with the City's preparedness for
hurricanes,and generally satisfied with responses to tidal flooding and the spread of the Zika virus—
which are some of the acute shocks facing Miami Beach today. Participants expressed confidence
that experience in hurricane planning can be leveraged in planning for climate resilience. However,
participants saw several obstacles to the City's plans to improve the resilience of Miami Beach to
chronic climate change stressors.There are financial obstacles,chiefly affecting the private sector.
These include the likelihood of increasing insurance premiums as insurers begin pricing in climate
change risks and the impacts of changing property values as resilience solutions are adopted at
different rates throughout the city.There are also communication and political obstacles that are
intertwined.Participants reported that a lack of widespread public understanding of expected climate
change impacts can cause many residents to resist actions that would increase the city's resilience,like
replacing existing low-lying buildings with raised ones.
• Miami Beach faces a balancing act between preserving the city's past and protecting its future.A recurring comment
throughout the workshop was the tension between historic preservation and building new more
resilient buildings.While at least one participant noted there are adaptive strategies that can be used
on existing buildings that also preserve historic features,others noted that public actions like raising
streets can make parking unavailable at existing homes.
• Enhanced collaboration will be key to successful resilience planning. Both public and private sector participants
recognized the significant challenges facing Miami Beach as it plans how to make itself resilient to
climate change impacts.They also recognized that resilience planning involves stakeholders in
government and business,and that the community overall will be more resilient if public and private
sector needs are considered simultaneously. Participants were also pleased with efforts over the last
year to enhance collaboration among different city departments,and want to see this progress
continue.
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APPENDIX: WORKSHOP SLIDES
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