City-of-Miami-Beach-Launches-Seawall-Revocable-Permit-Process
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, Tel: 305.673.7575 PRESS RELEASE
Tonya Daniels, E-mail: tonyadaniels@miamibeachfl.gov
Melissa Berthier, E-mail: melissaberthier@miamibeachfl.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2018
City of Miami Beach Launches Seawall Revocable Permit Process
— Ensuring Seawall Construction for Canal Fronting Properties is Economical and Adheres to
High Resiliency Standards —
Miami Beach, FL – Of the 63 miles of Miami Beach’s coastline protected by seawalls, 60 of
those miles are privately-owned. Understanding the burden that property owners may face
when needing to bring their older seawalls up to modern standards because of the expense or
finding a reliable contractor, the City has taken two important steps to make this easier for
residents as they adapt to rising seas.
The city has recently launched a new seawall revocable permit process that relieves residents
of the costly and paper-heavy option of replacing their seawall and grants them the opportunity
to simply re-build past their current one into City-owned canals.
“We recognize upgrading seawalls can be daunting for residents, and it is our hope that this
process will help in safeguarding residents against ineffective infrastructure or high costs, while
also conserving our public waterways,” noted Commissioner John Elizabeth Alemán. “This new
initiative gives the supportive policy property owners need to be able to take the faster, more
economical route when upgrading their seawalls, that is equally as effective.”
Although the City encourages property owners to conduct their own due diligence in selecting a
contractor, the City has also provided a list of construction companies that have performed work
with the City in the past for residents to utilize. The list can be accessed by clicking here.
To ensure that property owners don’t build at a location that would impact navigability for
boaters, seawalls that intend to encroach more than four feet into the City’s canals will undergo
a public hearing process before the City Commission to be granted authorization.
The permitting process requires that applicants provide a 15-day prior written notice to all
properties adjacent to the property where the seawall is being placed. Currently, the
construction of any seawall requires the approval of the County, State and Federal Government
– all of which would need to grant the property owner permission prior to considering the
permitting process complete. The legislation does not apply to bayfront properties as the
waterway is regulated by other parties.
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