HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-25-0428City of Miami
Resolution R-25-0428
Legislation
City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
File Number: 18188 Final Action Date: 10/9/2025
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI COMMISSION, WITH
ATTACHMENT(S), UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE CLIMATE
RESILIENCE COMMITTEE, DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO TAKE
STEPS NECESSARY TO AFFIRM THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO SCIENCE -
BASED WEATHER TRACKING AS THE FOUNDATION FOR EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, AND TO ADVOCATE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF
FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL FUNDING, TO MITIGATE LOCAL RISKS, TO
COORDINATE WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS TO ADDRESS POTENTIAL
FEDERAL BUDGET CUTS TO NOAA, AND TO ADOPT THE "SCIENCE -BASED
TRACKING AND OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE FOR MIAMI" (STORM)
INITIATIVE.
SPONSOR(S): Commissioner Damian Pardo
WHEREAS, the City of Miami's ("City") resilience and public safety are critically
dependent on science -based forecasts and data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration ("NOAA") and the National Weather Service ("NWS"), whose "primary mission" is
the "protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy"; and
WHEREAS, the Miami metropolitan area is home to over 6.4 million people and has a
regional economy exceeding $533 billion, with more than 85,000 residents in Miami -Dade
County living in low-lying land below three feet of elevation, making reliable preparedness
information essential to protect this significant population and economic hub; and
WHEREAS, the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request proposes a 27%
reduction to NOAA's budget, and while the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have
rejected the most severe cuts, expert hurricane meteorologists, including Miami's John Morales,
Dr. John Cortines, Dr. Robert Atlas, and James Franklin warn that even potential decreases
could lead to a loss of essential observational systems and a 20-40% reduction in staffing in
South Florida forecast, monitoring, and research offices; and
WHEREAS, the immense economic value of NOAA's services is well -documented, with
multiple studies from sources including the American Meteorological Society and the Internet of
Water Coalition estimating that the benefit -to -cost ratio of federal weather forecasting is up to 15
to 1, which enables a thriving private weather sector, and that a 2022 study estimated that
forecast improvements since 2009 alone have generated savings of $7 billion, which is 20 times
the agency's hurricane forecasting system budget during that period; and
WHEREAS, the increasing frequency of extremely rapid intensification events, such as
Hurricane Milton in October 2024, which intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane
in just over 7 hours, drastically reduces the lead time for public preparation and safe evacuation;
and
WHEREAS, this compressed timeline, combined with a potential degradation of federal
City of Miami Page 1 of 2 File ID: 18188 (Revision:) Printed On: 10/20/2025
File ID: 18188 Enactment Number: R-25-0428
forecasting, creates a problematic situation for decision -makers and a heightened risk of
"warning fatigue," a phenomenon where residents may disregard alerts after repeated, less -
precise warnings, leaving them dangerously unprepared for catastrophic events; and
WHEREAS, the increasing intensity of rainfall, as seen during Hurricane lan in 2022
where some areas of Florida received over 20 inches of rain, there was unprecedented storm
surge of 12 to 18 feet reported along the southwestern Florida coast, and approximately 2.7
million customers in Florida lost power, has demonstrated that water -related damage from
inland flooding and storm surge is a serious cause of loss of life and property; and
WHEREAS, the City's emergency management hierarchy, from municipal departments
to Miami -Dade County, the South Florida Regional Planning Council, and the Florida Division of
Emergency Management, relies on a coordinated regional approach to ensure consistent and
reliable information is available for all of South Florida, which ultimately depends on data from
NOAA and NWS, as established by Florida Statutes § 252.38; and
WHEREAS, the City's Climate Resilience Committee ("CRC"), adopted a resolution,
attached hereto as Exhibit "A" urging the City, through the City Manager, take certain steps to
adopt the Science -based Tracking and Operational Resilience for Miami Initiative ("STORM");
and
WHEREAS, the City Commission seeks to adopt those recommended steps to adopt
STORM;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are
adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. The City Commission directs the City Manager to any and all steps necessary
to undertake the initiatives outlined in CRC's resolution, attached hereto and incorporated by
reference, as Exhibit "A."
Section 3. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS:
ge . Wy y>ng III, C ty ttor -y 9/16/2025
City of Miami Page 2 of 2 File ID: 18188 (Revision:) Printed on: 10/20/2025