LTC 324-2012 The 4th Annual Southeast Florida MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER 2012 DEC 12 PM 1. 50
NO. LTC # LETTER TO C.PMM$ICI
324 -2012
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commi ion
FROM: Kathie G. Brooks, Interim City Manager
DATE: December 12, 2012
SUBJECT: The 4 th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit
This Letter to Commission (LTC) is intended to provide an update on the 4 th Annual Southeast
Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit held on December 6 -7 in Jupiter, Florida. I
accompanied the Mayor Matti Bower and Public Works staff to the summit to engage with
regional leaders in discussing climate change considerations specific to the southeast Florida
region.
In 2010, the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact (Compact) began as a
collaborative effort among Palm Beach, Broward, Miami -Dade and Monroe Counties, their
municipalities, and their partners. The purpose of the Compact is to unite, organize, and assess
the southeast Florida region through the lens of climate change and develop unified action over
the next five - years. In October 2012, the Compact released the Regional Climate Action Plan
(Plan), which was discussed at this year's Summit. The Plan's overall objective is to integrate
climate adaptation and mitigation into existing decision - making systems and to develop a plan
that can be implemented through existing local and regional agencies, processes and
organizations.
Fred Beckmann, Director of Public Works, presented the City's Storm Water Management
Master Plan during the Municipal Showcase — Cities Leading the Way toward a More
Sustainable and Resilient Region. The City is the first municipality in South Florida to
incorporate sea level rise projections in our Storm Water Management Master Plan. The City is
leading Miami -Dade County and the region in developing adaption strategies to manage climate
change impacts such as rising sea level. In the afternoon of December 7, the Mayor sat on a
panel of elected officials of the four southeastern Counties and partner municipalities to discuss
the changing regional circumstance and the importance of the Regional Climate Action Plan
(attached) as a framework for future planning and investment decisions. Mayor Bower
participated in a ceremonial signing of the attached Mayor's Climate Action Pledge affirming the
City's support of the Compact, subject to the consideration by the City Commission. A
discussion of the Compact's Plan and the Pledge has been referred to the Sustainability
Committee.
The City will continue to foster close relationships with local and regional agencies including
Miami -Dade Office of Sustainability and South Florida Water Management District. In the
coming months, the City plans to engage the community by facilitating a group discussion on
the cost - benefit analysis for adaptation action for storm surge and sea level rise.
Following the Summit, a number of organizations have requested additional information
regarding the City's Storm Water Management Master Plan. Interested groups include the
Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Daily Business Review.
Also, Florida International University will be featuring the City in a one -hour documentary on sea
level rise and the four southeast Counties response to this issue. The documentary will air next
fall on WPBT2.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.
JGG /FHB /JJF /RWS /ESW
F: \cmgr\$ALL \LTC 2012 \SE FL Regional Climate Summit LTC 12- 12- 12.docx