Miami Beach Gives Mayors Front-Row Look at Climate Change

MIAMI BEACH, FL — As this urban resort town welcomes the 85th United States Conference of Mayors beginning on Friday, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine plans to give New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and his peers from the U.S. and Latin America a front-row seat to the climate change debate from the perspective of ground zero. Levine will take de Blasio on a walking tour of the Sunset Harbour neighborhood where the city has invested significant resources to combat rising sea levels. He will also lead a panel discussion on the issue.

“Across the U.S. and the world, our changing climate is amplifying damage to personal property, destroying infrastructure, disrupting communities’ social fabric and interrupting economic activity,” according to Levine, whose panel discussion on sea-level rise will take place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach prior to the walking tour. “As the sea level in South Florida is predicted to rise between two to three feet by the year 2060, Miami Beach has been at the forefront of climate change adaptation and mitigation.” (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Beach Patch.)

The panel will also feature a number of Miami Beach officials, who will highlight the city's efforts to combat sea-level rise through an ambitious public infrastructure program and policies aimed at promoting resiliency in zoning and building regulations.

Prior to the panel discussion, Miami Beach received an honorable mention at the conference's Climate Protection Awards ceremony in the small cities category for its work in this area. Specifically, the city was honored for incorporating a Sustainability and Resiliency Ordinance into land development regulations that establishes the highest standards for sustainable development in Florida.

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Titled: "The Miami Beach Rising Above: Our Story of Resilience panel," the resiliency panel is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. in the hotel's Sparkle Room, Upper Lobby. The walking tour will begin at 2:45 p.m. at 1930 Bay Road. It will finish at the Sunset Harbour Boat Ramp.

New York City and Miami Beach are both members of the 100 Resilient Cities — Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Miami Beach panelists will also include City Manager Jimmy L. Morales, Assistant City Manager and Chief Resiliency Officer Susy Torriente, Assistant City Manager and Public Works Director Eric Carpenter, City Engineer Bruce Mowry, Executive Vice President of City and Urban Solutions CH2M Robert W. Bailey and Chief Growth Officer for Global DCS and AECOM’s Global Director of Resilience Josh Sawislak.

Miami Beach last hosted the mayor's conference in 1962. This year's four-day event runs through Monday and will include mayors from the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The annual summer event brings together more than 250 mayors to discuss a wide range of issues who will hear from guest speakers that have in the past included the president and congressional leaders.

While the conference is held annually, Miami Beach will be the first host city to welcome dignitaries from Central America, South America and the Caribbean, with a special reception planned for Saturday.

"I am thrilled our tropical-metropolis will have the opportunity to host hundreds of mayors from across the country and, for the first time, mayors from cities in Latin America and the Caribbean," Levine said. "The city of Miami Beach is like no other — offering a plethora of natural beauty, a high quality of life, a thriving arts and cultural scene, and exhilarating business opportunities. Miami Beach is truly the center for creative collaboration.”

Conference events are planned at the Fontainebleau, Perez Art Museum Miami, Española Way in Old Havana, Faena Hotel Miami Beach and 1 Hotel South Beach.

“Our destination is alive and brimming with culture and opportunities for attendees to seek out and explore,” added The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO William D. Talbert, III. “We applaud the efforts of Mayor Levine and the city of Miami Beach team for their incredible work organizing this world-class event.”

In addition to the conference program, participating mayors and their families will have access to special private guided tours of the Miami area, family-friendly beach sports, heritage neighborhood experiences and other activities.

"As we gather to work on the many issues before our nation's cities such as comprehensive immigration reform, ensuring affordable healthcare access to our residents, making sure the federal budget addresses the needs of working families and tackling issues of public safety, we will continue, as we have for more than a decade, to harness the collective strength of mayors to reduce carbon emissions in U.S. cities across the country," observed conference CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett will preside over the conference and Levine will serve as the host. The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with a population of 30,000 or larger.

Initiated and sponsored by Miami Beach Commissioner Micky Steinberg, the city's Sustainability and Resiliency Ordinance requires all new development over 7,000 square feet or additions of 10,000 square feet to existing buildings be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified or International Living Future Institute Petals, Net Zero Energy, or Living Building Challenge certified.

If the building has not achieved the required certification by the time an application for a temporary certificate of ccupancy is submitted, the applicant must pay a sustainability fee or post a bond in the amount of 5 percent of the construction cost. The fee is based on the average estimated cost of achieving LEED Gold certification. The applicant then has a year from the time in which a Certificate of Occupancy Certificate of Completion is obtained, with the possibility of a one-year extension, to get a full or partial refund of the fee.

If the applicant achieves a level LEED certification that is lower than Gold, then a partial refund of the fee can be issued pursuant to the level of certification achieved. Any money not refunded is deposited into a sustainability and resiliency fund. The city can utilize this revenue to undertake improvements that increase the resiliency of the city, including environmental restoration projects, environmental remediation projects, environmental monitoring, green infrastructure, enhanced storm water quality and quantity improvements, and sustainability planning efforts.

For more information visitwww.miamibeachuscm.com.

Photo of Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine by Paul Scicchitano