HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter - Vice Chair RussellCity of Atiami,
KEN RUSSELL
COMMISSIONER - DISTRICT 2
CITY HALL
3600 PAN AMERICAN DRIVE
MIAMI, FLOF21DA33133
(3061260-5333
Esteemed colleagues:
15 months ago, the city commission created the Sea Level Rise Committee in an effort to study and
assess the risk our city faces from sea level rise. So far, the committee has done the difficult and
commendable work of looking at the challenges before us with a sober eye, performing probing research
into the effects sea level rise will have in the areas of insurance affordability and emergency
management.
To further the work of the committee, I am presenting for your consideration a resolution to study what
resources, staff and funding can be provided to this all -volunteer panel. I am additionally presenting a
resolution that would create a new seat on the Sea Level Rise Committee; a community representative
who can specifically advocate for the needs oflow-income and socioeconomically vulnerable
communities.
Over the past few years and months, the conversation on sea level rise has seen a significant shift. In
South Florida and increasingly at the national level, it is impossible to be a sea level rise skeptic,
something that was not the case until very recently. Leaders at the municipal, state and federal level
have more recently gone even further, advocating not just for a recognition of the issue before us, but
also for actual commitment of resources to address the challenges now. I believe the next step will be to
advocate that those resources be distributed in a way that embraces equity and socioeconomic justice,
that prioritizes creating resilient communities, and that understands risk is not just how many inches
the seas might rise in a certain area, but also whether the communities affected by that event will
survive once it occurs.
The new board member to the Sea Level Rise committee could prove a valuable asset, serving as a
liaison to communities and community -based organizations, as well as working to influence City of
Miami climate -resilience planning, policy development and implementation to take into account the
priorities and needs of low-income people.
It is time to elevate the status of the Sea Level Rise committee. The work of this committee is vital to
the future of Miami. In the next few months, I hope to bring forward an ordinance to establish the
committee as a permanent standing board of the City of Miami and to give it the resources it needs and
deserves.
I look forward to discussing it with you further.
Sincerely,
Ken Russell
City of Miami Commissioner