North Miami, FL — September 3, 2020
The city of North Miami is among 34 recipients throughout Florida to be awarded grant funding to strengthen resilience initiatives in coastal communities. The grant is provided through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) highly competitive Florida Resilient Coastlines Program (FRCP).
North Miami’s winning proposal earned the City the Resilience Planning Grant (RPG) in the amount of $75,000. RPGs provide financial assistance to help cities and counties promote resilience planning. This includes analyzing vulnerabilities and risks, and developing plans and policies that allow communities to better handle changing coastal conditions that support faster post-disaster recovery.
In North Miami, the grant will be used to fund a city-wide vulnerability study focused on climate change and sea level rise. There will be a special emphasis on vulnerable populations, flooding and septic systems. The City’s goal is to develop adaptation and implementation strategies; engage and inform the public about risks and adaptation opportunities; and build the capacity of the city to include climate change and sea level rise data in decision making.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our City to further extend our efforts in environmental sustainability and resiliency,” said North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime. “We are one of this area’s coastal communities and it is imperative that we as a local governing body take measures today to preserve our City and the diverse ecosystems found here. Our Community Planning and Development Department is definitely leading the charge to create a sustainable North Miami. I am looking forward to seeing this grant put to good use.”
As a green certified local government, North Miami has made resilience one of its top priorities. Efforts have included studying the impacts of sea level rise on the City’s septic systems; creating a Citizens Guide to Resiliency; installing electric vehicle charging stations; planting over 600 trees in the past five years, with a goal of annually planting 300 trees throughout the City to reduce heat island effects; installing a community garden; and requiring new construction and redevelopment projects to incorporate green building practices.
For more information about sustainability initiatives, visit the City of North Miami’s Community Planning and Development Department online.
