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Home My WebLink AboutO-12910City of Miami Legislation Ordinance: 12910 City Hall 3500 Pan American Drive Miami, FL 33133 www.miamigov.com File Number: 07-00488 Final Action Date: 4/26/2007 AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER 2/ARTICLE IV, OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED "ADMINISTRATION/DEPARTMENTS," BY ADDING NEW CODE SECTIONS CREATING A DEPARTMENT ENTITLED "MIAMI OFFICE OF SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES," TO FOCUS ON COORDINATING CITY DEPARTMENTS, FACILITATING COMMUNICATION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS, AND ASSURING THAT THE CITY OF MIAMI IS WORKING TOWARD BECOMING A MODEL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTICES; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, during the past five (5) years, the City of Miami ("City") has launched a comprehensive and aggressive environmental program to clean streets, waterways, brownfields, storm drains, and improve air and water quality, thus reversing decades of environmental neglect; and WHEREAS, in furtherance of this environmental program, Mayor Manuel A. Diaz ("Mayor") was one of the first United States Mayors to sign the Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement (the "Agreement") committing cities to take actions to reduce global warming pollution by striving to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets; and WHEREAS, the Mayor's commitment to join other mayors throughout the country (today 400 mayors representing over 58 million people have signed the Agreement), brought the issue of environmental policy to the forefront of south Florida priorities; and WHEREAS, during the Mayor's 2006 State of the City Address, steps for a core environmental policy were etched out, increasing the level of focus on innovation, and development of a strong foundation for environmentalism; and WHEREAS, the Inter -Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), international communities' most respected assemblage of scientists, has found that climate disruption is a reality and that human activities are largely responsible for increasing concentration of global warming pollution; and WHEREAS, recent, well -documented impacts of climate disruption include average global sea level increases of four to eight inches during the 20th century; a 40 percent decline in Arctic sea -ice thickness; and nine of the ten hottest years are on record occurring in the past decade; and WHEREAS, climate disruption of the magnitude now predicted by the scientific community will cause extremely costly disruptions of human and natural systems throughout the world including; increased risk of floods or droughts; sea level rises that interact with coastal storms to erode beaches, inundate land, and damage structures; more frequent and extreme heat waves; and more often greater concentrations of smog; and City of Miami Page 1 of 4 File Id: 07-00488 (Version: 2) Printed On: 3/27/2017 File Number: 07-00488 Enactment Number: 12910 WHEREAS, on February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to address climate disruption, went into effect in the 141 countries that have ratified it to date; 38 of those countries are now legally required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5.2 percent below the 1990 levels by 2012; and WHEREAS, the United States of America ("US"), with less than 5% of the world's population, is responsible for producing approximately 25% of the worlds global warming pollutants; and WHEREAS, the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction target for the US would have been 7 percent below the 1990 levels by 2012; and WHEREAS, many leading US companies that have adopted greenhouse gas reduction programs to demonstrate corporate responsibility have also publicly expressed preference for the US to adopt precise and mandatory emissions targets and timetables as a means by which to remain competitive in the international marketplace, to mitigate financial risk and to promote sound investment decisions; and WHEREAS, leaders of state and local governments throughout the US are adopting emission -reduction targets and programs and that this leadership is bipartisan, coming from Republican and Democratic governors and mayors alike; and WHEREAS, many cities throughout the nation, both large and small, are reducing global warming pollutants through programs that provide economic and quality of life benefits such as reduced energy bills, green space preservation, air quality improvements, reduced traffic congestion, improved transportation choices, and economic development and job creation through energy conservation and new energy technologies; and WHEREAS, mayors from around the nation have signed the US Conference of Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement including the Mayor of the City; and WHEREAS, the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives would assure that all aspects of the Miami Climate Protection Agreement are addressed and appropriately prioritized. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Ordinance are hereby adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section. Section 2. Chapter 2, Article 4 of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended, entitled "Administration/Departments," is amended in the following particulars: {1} "Chapter 2 ADMINISTRATION City of Miami Page 2 of 4 File Id: 07-00488 (Version: 2) Printed On: 3/27/2017 File Number: 07-00488 Enactment Number: 12910 ARTICLE IV. DEPARTMENTS DIVISION 16. MIAMI OFFICE OF SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES Sec. 2-5xx. Created. There is hereby created a department to be known as the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives. Section 2-5xx. Appointment, duties of director. The city manager is authorized to appoint a director of the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives. The director shall administer the affairs of the department subject to the supervision and control of the city manager in all matters. Section 2-5xx. Functions and duties of the department. The functions and duties of the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives department are to: (1) Establish and maintain programs that provide the city and its residents with economic and quality of life benefits such as reduced energy bills, green space preservation, air quality improvements, reduced traffic congestion, improved transportation choices, and economic development and job creation through energy conservation and new energy technologies. (2) Develop and administer a baseline emissions inventory and timetable by calculating greenhouse gas emissions for a base year and a forecast year, capturing emissions levels from all municipal operations and from all community related activities. (3) Propose resolutions establishing emission reduction targets for the city. (4) Coordinate the cooperation of city departments to take action to reduce global warming pollution by striving to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets. (5) Ensure that sustainable initiatives set by this department are administered and followed by city departments. (6) Facilitate communication between environmental experts and city departments for the adoption and enforcement of environmentally sustainable initiatives. *11 Section 3. If any section, part of section, paragraph, clause, phrase of word of this Ordinance is declared invalid, the remaining provisions of this Ordinance shall not be affected. Section 4. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and signature of the Mayor.{2} Footnotes: City of Miami Page 3 of 4 File Id: 07-00488 (Version: 2) Printed On: 3/27/2017 File Number: 07-00488 Enactment Number: 12910 {1} Words/and or figures stricken through shall be deleted. Underscored words and/or figures shall be added. The remaining provisions are now in effect and remain unchanged. Asterisks indicate omitted and unchanged material. {2} This Ordinance shall become effective as specified herein unless vetoed by the Mayor within ten days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Ordinance, it shall become effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission or upon the effective date stated herein, whichever is later. City of Miami Page 4 of 4 File Id: 07-00488 (Version: 2) Printed On: 3/27/2017