LTC 147-2018 Town of Surfside Resolution NO. 2018-2493MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
No. 147-2018
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Rafael E. Granado, City Clerk
DATE: March 21, 2018
SUBJECT: TOWN OF SURFSIDE RESOLUTION NO. 2018-2493
Attached for your information is Resolution No. 2018-2493, adopted by the Mayor and the
Commission of the Town of Surfside on March 13, 2018.
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COMMISSION OF THE TOWN OF SURFSIDE,
FLORIDA, URGING CONCERTED LOCAL ACTIONS TO TAKE STEPS
NECESSARY TO RETAIN THE NOAA FISHERIES HEADQUARTERS ON
VIRGINIA KEY; PROVIDING FOR TRANSMITTAL; AND PROVIDING FOR AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
The Town of Surfside Town Clerk has requested that a copy of this Resolution be provided to the
Miami Beach Mayor and Commissioners.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the City Clerk at 305.673.7411.
REG/Ih
Attachment
F:\CLER\$ALL\LILIA\LTC's - Transmittal's\Resolution 2018-2493 Town of Surfside.docx
RESOLUTION NO. 2018-24q3
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COMMISSION OF
THE TOWN OF SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, URGING
CONCERTED LOCAL ACTIONS TO TAKE STEPS
NECESSARY TO RETAIN THE NOAA FISHERIES
HEADQUARTERS ON VIRGINIA KEY; PROVIDING
FOR TRANSMITTAL; AND PROVIDING FOR AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA")
conducts atmospheric, marine and fisheries -related scientific operations at two NOAA
facilities headquartered in Virginia Key; and
WHEREAS, one of NOAA's Virginia Key facilities, the Southeast Fisheries
Science Center ("SEFSC"), is responsible for scientific research on living marine resources
that occupy marine and estuarine habits of the continental southeastern United States. as well
as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and
WHEREAS, SEFSC is one of the six national marine fishery science centers
responsible for federal marine fishery research programs and is the primary provider
of research on fisheries and habitats for Biscayne National Park and Florida Keys
Marine Sanctuary; and
WHEREAS, the annual total budget for SEFSC Miami lab ranges between
S15,000,000 to $17,000,000, the bulk of which supports salaries for about 170 masters and
Ph.D. level scientists; and
WHEREAS, the coral reefs in south Florida that SEFSC Miami lab works to
protect have an estimated asset value of over $4.4 billion and are directly associated with
over 70,000 part-time and full-time jobs in the area; and
WHEREAS, NOAA operations at Virginia Key are performed in concert with research
and teaching functions at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Science ("RSMAS"), which is located directly adjacent to the NOAA
campuses; and
WHEREAS, NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies
(CIMAS) funds and coordinates scientific partnerships with RSMAS, Florida
International University (FIU) and other university programs in South Florida to
educate the next generation of scientific leaders and collaboratively work on pragmatic
problems of societal importance; and
WHEREAS, leveraging their shared mission and physical proximity, for decades
scientists and staff personnel involved in NOAA's operations at Virginia Key have served
as adjunct faculty, research assistants and other venture partners with RSMAS faculty and
students, supporting and expanding on RSMAS's educational mission and engendering
extensive working collaborations between NOAA and RSMAS thus catalyzing significant
research and knowledge -advancement opportunities that relate directly to our sub -tropical
marine environment; and
WHEREAS, local news reports and reports provided by the University of Miami
indicate that NOAA's Fisheries facility on Virginia Key may be outdated and in need of
capital improvements, and that NOAA may be incentivized to close its fisheries facility on
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Virginia Key and relocate that operation to St. Petersberg; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Surfside (the "Town"), the Village of Key Biscayne,
the City of Miami and South Florida generally benefit from the proximity of NOAA
and RSMAS, and from CIMAS-sponsored scientific collaborations which, among
other things, contribute materially to the positive reputation of greater Miami; and
WHEREAS, the Town considers it a materially adverse development for
NOAA to relocate its fisheries headquarters, which would set back pending research
dealing with critical local issues such as hurricane intensity, weather research, fish
population sustainability and coral reef health, engendering a " brain -drain", diminishing
Miami's standing for future investments such as that contemplated by Amazon, and
compromising the reliability and effectiveness of future collaborations between NOAA and
RSMAS, all to the detriment of the Town and the greater Miami area; and
WHEREAS, as thoughtful environmental stewards, Town residents regularly seek
ways to improve, enhance, beautify and care for the marine environment, and draw important
guidance and purpose from NOAA and RSMAS in such connection.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWN COMMISSION
OF THE TOWN OF SURFSIDE, FLORIDA:
Section 1. Recitals. The foregoing Whereas clauses are hereby ratified and
incorporated as the legislative intent of this Resolution.
Section 2. Jncourage Effective Intervention.
(a) The Town Commission urges Miami -Dade County, the City of Miami, RMAS
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and the University of Miami, FIU, South Florida federal and state legislators, and others
interested in the future of greater Miami as home to an educated citizenry and excellent
institutions, to advocate for and take other affirmative steps promptly to address NOAA
facilities needs and encourage and enable NOAA and CIMAS to maintain their full presence
and mission on Virginia Key.
(b) The Town Commission draws favorable attention to the numerous
significant and positive collaborations between NOAA and other local institutions that
are facilitated by NOAA's location on Virginia Key.
(c) The Town Commission also draws favorable attention to the
reputational enhancements and positive prospects for future growth for greater Miami
deriving from NOAA's and CIMAS's presence on Virginia Key.
Section 3. Transmittal. The Town Clerk is hereby directed to transmit this
Resolution to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Southeast
Fisheries Science Center, Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary local
governments, University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science,
NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, Florida
International University, local governments surrounding Virginia Key including the
Village of Key Biscayne and the City of Miami, and legislators representing the Town
and South Florida, and to other recipients as may be identified by the Town
Commission.
Section 4. Effective Date. This Resolution shall be effective immediately from and
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after adoption hereof.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 13th day of March, 2018.
Motion by etinfnik5oler -frlartze#7
Second by CO
FINAL VOTE ON ADOPTION
Commissioner Daniel Gielchninsky
Commissioner Michael Karukin
Commissioner Tina Paul
Vice Mayor Barry Cohen
Mayor Daniel Dietch
ATTEST:
*1
Sandra Novo: i*erk
Daniel Dietch, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGAL SUFFICIENCY FOR THE TOWN OF
SURFS ONLY:
ss Scrota Hel n Cole & Bierman P.L.
Town Attorney