Press-release-Brittany-Bay-Park-living-shoreline-w-GOB
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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
May 20, 2021
Miami Beach Commission Unanimously Awards
Contract for Living Shoreline
—The Brittany Bay Park project represents a partnership with The Nature Conservancy
supported by Florida Power & Light Company through the NextEra Energy Foundation—
Miami Beach, FL – The Miami Beach City Commission voted unanimously last week to award
a $1.8 million contract for the renovation of Brittany Bay Park. The project includes construction
of a living shoreline made possible by the Miami Beach General Obligation (G.O.) Bond
Program in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), with the support of Florida Power
and Light Company through its charitable arm, the NextEra Energy Foundation.
The foundation is providing $150,000 toward the construction of the city’s second hybrid
seawall. The project will not only preserve dozens of mangrove and buttonwood trees, but adds
additional mangrove trees, wetland vegetation and native species to the park while protecting
Miami Beach from future sea level rise.
“As a city, we are committed to incorporating living seawalls and other innovative solutions into
our structural seawall rehabilitation projects as appropriate,” Miami Beach City Manager Alina
T. Hudak said. “Brittany Bay Park is unique in that it uses a combination of the existing
concrete seawall and the much more environmentally desirable living shoreline.”
Living shorelines protect, restore, enhance and create natural habitats for fish and aquatic
plants through structural and organic materials, including wetland plants, mangroves,
submerged aquatic vegetation, oyster reefs, coir fiber logs, sand fill and stone.
“The Nature Conservancy is committed to engaging in projects that advance Florida’s coastal
resilience and climate adaptation while we continue to advocate for policies to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change and accelerate sea level rise,” observed
Temperince Morgan, executive director of TNC in Florida. “The Brittany Bay Park Hybrid Living
Shoreline and Seawall Rehabilitation Project is a great example of green-gray infrastructure
that can be replicated along our urban shorelines with impactful results.”
The Brittany Bay Park living shoreline will be hydraulically connected to Indian Creek and will
have an ADA-accessible scenic overlook that will allow park visitors to walk from the park to
the existing seawall. In addition to new trees, shrubs and ground cover, all of the exercise
equipment in the park will be replaced with new equipment. New walkways and lighting will
also be installed while new furnishings, benches and trash/recycle receptacles will be added
throughout. Brittany Bay Park is located at the southernmost entrance of North Beach near the
63 Street drawbridge.
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
“This collaboration with the City of Miami Beach, made possible by the support of Florida
Power & Light Company through its charitable arm, the NextEra Energy Foundation,
demonstrates how nature-based solutions like living shorelines can boost the benefits of
traditional infrastructure for the surrounding community, provide additional protection against
storm surge and high tides, and create habitat for wildlife,” Morgan added.
Miami Beach has approximately 53 miles of shoreline, and about 92% are private property. The
city’s G.O. Bond has committed $10 million toward resilient seawalls and living shorelines on
public property. Work on the Brittany Bay living shoreline project will be performed by Florida
Construction & Engineering, Inc.
“Environmental stewardship is ingrained in our culture at FPL and has been a driving force in
our conservation work over the decades,” explained Mike Sole, vice president of environmental
services with NextEra Energy, which is also FPL’s parent company.
“Supporting and engaging with environmental and conservation research partners and local
governments is essential to our environmental stewardship mission,” he said. “We are honored
to partner on this important collaboration between The Nature Conservancy and the City of
Miami Beach that will benefit the local community and help enhance and protect Brittany Bay
Park.”
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