LTC 005-2020 TOWN OF SURFSIDE RESOLUTION NO. 2019-2659MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
No. 005-2020
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Rafael E. Granado, City Clerk 72d
DATE: January 8, 2020
SUBJECT: TOWN OF SURFSIDE RESOLUTION NO. 2019-2659
Attached for your information is Resolution No. 2019-2659, adopted by the Mayor and
Commission of the Town of Surfside on December 10, 2019.
A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN COMMISSION OF THE TOWN OF
SURFSIDE, FLORIDA, DECLARING A CLIMATE EMERGENCY; URGING THE
STATE OF FLORIDA AND THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO
DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY; REQUESTING REGIONAL
COLLABORATION ON A TRANSITION PLAN AND EMERGENCY
MOBILIZATION EFFORT TO RESTORE A SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE
CLIMATE; PROCLAIMING A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE TOWN TO
CONTINUE EFFORTS TOWARDS ADAPTATION, MITIGATION AND
RESILIENCY STRATEGIES, INCLUDING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
TOWN'S CLIMATE CRISIS REPORT; PROVIDING FOR TRANSMITTAL; AND
PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
The Town Clerk of Surfside 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. 7 411.
REG/le
Attachment
F:\CLER\$ALL\LILIA\L TC's - Transmittal's\Surfside\Resolution 2019-2659 Town of Surfside.docx
RE SOLUTI ON NO. 2019- 2659
A RE SOLUTI ON OF THE TOWN COMMI SSION OF THE
TOWN OF SURF SID E, FLORID A, DECLARIN G A
CLIMA TE EME RGENCY; URGIN G THE STATE OF
FL ORID A AND THE UNI TED STATES GO VE RNME NT TO
DECLARE A CLIMA TE EME RGENCY ; RE QUE STIN G
RE GIONAL COLLAB ORA TION ON A TRAN SIT ION PLAN
AND EME RGENCY MOBIL IZA TION EFF ORT TO
RE STORE A SAF E AND SUSTAIN AB LE CL IMA TE ;
PROCL AIMIN G A CAL L TO ACTION FOR THE TOWN TO
CONTINUE EFF ORTS TOWARD S AD APT ATION,
MI TIGATI ON AND RE SIL IE NCY STRA TEGIE S,
IN CLUD IN G IMP LEME NTATION OF THE TOWN 'S
CLIMA TE CRI SIS RE PORT; PROVID IN G FOR
TRAN SMITT AL ; AND PROVID IN G FOR AN EFFE CTIVE
DATE.
WHE RE AS, in April 2016, world leaders from 175 countries recognized the threat of
climate change and the urgent need to combat it by signing the Paris Agreement, agreeing to keep
the increase in global average temperature to ''well below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels," and to
"pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to l .5ºC"; and
WHE RE AS, the Town of Surfside (the "Town") has experienced the disruption and
destruction already wrought by climate change through hurricanes, flooding, and other climatic
events, that are also evidenced nationwide and worldwide by increased and intensifying wildfires,
floods, rising seas, diseases, droughts, and extreme weather; and
WHE RE AS , the ecological effects of climate change are driving an increased rate of
extinction of species, which could consequently devastate ecological stability and much of the
biological life on Earth for future generations; and
WHE RE AS , reaching zero greenhouse gas emissions around the globe will require a
drawdown or removal of all the excess carbon from the atmosphere, and to implement measures
to protect all people and other biological species, requiring a coordinated emergency mobilization
on a global scale; and
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WHE RE AS , the Town is directly impacted by climate change through climatic events of
increased number and size and has engaged in a series of efforts on climate adaptation, mitigation
and resiliency initiatives, as detailed in the Town's Climate Crisis Report; and
WHEREAS, the Town has forged strategic relationships with the Southeast Florida
Regional Climate Change Compact, the Resilient 305 Program through the 100 Resilient Cities
Initiative of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Compact of Mayors, the American Flood Coalition,
the Youth Environmental Alliance, Florida International University, the University of Miami,
Environment America's "Mayors for Solar Energy," Solar United Neighbors, ICLEI-Local
Governments for Sustainability and The CLEO Institute to build a broad coalition to support
strengthening the Town's adaptation, mitigation and resiliency initiatives; and
WHEREAS, the Town has focused its attention on safeguarding our community through:
1) adaptation including such initiatives as revamping its floodplain management regulations,
improving its stormwater system, advocating for beach re-nourishment and enhancing its Zoning
Code; 2) mitigation including such initiatives as creating a Property Assessed Clean Energy
(PACE) District, establishing Florida Friendly landscaping requirements, enhancing our urban
canopy, incentivizing the installation of solar PV systems, and completing a greenhouse gas
emissions inventory; and 3) resiliency including such initiatives as creating a community garden
and dog park, various programs that build a sense of community, creating the Sustainability and
Resiliency Committee, and hiring a Sustainability and Resiliency Officer; and
WHEREAS, the Town is committed to pursuing policies and programs that are
ecologically sustainable, equitable and just for all such as prohibiting the use of plastic straws,
certain fertilizers, and polystyrene food service articles that negatively impact the Town's
environment; and
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WHE RE A S , the Town wi shes to act as a global leader by both convertin g to an
ecologically, socially an d economi cally regenerative economy at emergency speed and by
catalyzin g a uni fied and coordinated climate emergency mobilization effort; and
WHEREAS, the Town commi ts to Town -wi de climate emergency mobilization efforts to
reverse climate change, aim ing, wi th appropriate financial and regu latory assistance from Miam i-
Dade Coun ty, the State of Florida, an d Federal authorities, to decreas e and mini mize Town-wide
greenhouse gas emi ssions as quickly as possible to safely drawdown carbon from the atmosphere
an d accelerate adaptation and resiliency strategies in preparation for intensifyin g climate impacts;
an d
WHEREAS, the Town furth er comm its to educating its residents about the climate
emergency and workin g to catalyze clim ate emergency mobilization efforts on local, state,
national, and global levels to provide maxi mum protection for its residents and property owners;
an d
WHEREAS, the Town un derstands the need for full communi ty parti cipation, inclusion,
an d support an d recogniz es that Town residents, property own ers and communi ty organiza tions
that include faith, youth, labor, academi c institutions, condominium associations, and a diverse
ran ge of civil society institutions will be integra l to an d in the leadership of the mobilization effort;
and
WHEREAS, the Town furth er comm its to keeping the concerns of vuln erable
comm unities centra l to climate emergency mobilization efforts and invitin g and encouraging such
communi ties to actively parti cipate in order to advocate directly for their needs; and
WHEREAS, the Town Commi ssion finds that this Resolution is in the best interest and
welfare of the residents an d property owners of the Town.
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N O W , T HE RE F O RE ,B E I T RE S O L VE D B Y T HE T O WN C O MMISS I O N O F T HE
T O WN O F S URF S ID E , F L O RID A , A S F O L L O W S :
S e c ti o n 1. Recitals. That each of the above-stated recitals are hereby adopted,
confirmed, and incorporated herein.
Section 2. Declaration of Climate _Emergency:z Cal]_ tg Action. That the Town
Commission hereby declares a climate emergency, urges the State of Florida and the United States
government to declare a climate emergency, and requests regional collaboration on an immediate
emergency mobilization effort to restore a safe climate. The Town Commission hereby declares
an immediate call to action, consistent with the Town's Climate Crisis Report, to mobilize and
engage in continued efforts to achieve adaption, mitigation and resiliency initiatives aimed at
addressing climate impacts.
Section 3. Transmittal. That the Town Clerk is directed to send a copy of this
Resolution to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of
the United States Senate, each Florida Senator and Representative in the United States Congress,
the Mayor and members of the Commission of Miami-Dade County, all municipalities within
Miami-Dade County, all members of the South Florida Legislative Delegation, the Florida League
of Cities, and the Miami-Dade County League of Cities.
Section 4. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon
adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED on this 10 day of December, 2019.
Moved By: Commissioner Paul
Second By: Vice Mayor Gielchinsky
FINAL VOTE ON ADOPTION
Commissioner Barry Cohen
Commissioner Michael Karukin
Commissioner Tina Paul
Yes
Yes
Yes
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Vice Mayor Daniel Gielchinsky Y es
Mayor Daniel Di etch Y es
Daniel Dietch
Mayor
APPROVEIJ AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY FOR THE USE
AND BENEFIT OF THE TOWN OF SURFSIDE ONLY:
Wei
Town Attorney
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