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CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ba Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc. Professional General Engineering Consultant for the North Bay Road Pedestrian and EmergencyVehicle Bridge. and the Town Center Park Observation Deck and Boardwalk Miami-Dade County Riparian and Navigation Rights A key factor associated with this project is establishing the ownership of the submerged lands as well as those lands along the banks of the canal. For this project in particular, the City of Sunny Isles owns the property along the southern bank of the canal on which the mangroves are located, However, the central portion of the canal (submerged lands) is owned by a private corporation, Because the bridge passes through these submerged lands, the owner must be a co-applicant with the City on the applications for the above referenced environmental permits, In addition to riparian rights and submerged land ownership issues, the navigational rights of property owners must be addressed, The City of Sunny Isles has indicated that their preference is an at grade bridge. Construction of such a bridge may prevent the ingress and egress of vessels to the canal. particularly as a safe harbor to vessels during hurricanes. This issue will have to be carefully addressed in coordination with the City and property owners on or abutting the canal. foes Variance The proposed bridge is not a water dependent use. Therefore, before DERM's staff recommends approval of the Class-I permit to the County Commission, a variance from Chapter 24 of the Miami-Dade County Administrative Code will have to be obtained from the Environmental Quality Control Board (EQCB), The City will have to submit a request for a variance from Chapter 24-48,3(2) to fill coastal wetlands and demonstrate that the proposed bridge is necessary to protect public or private property, The EQCB is an independent board composed of members appointed by the County Commission that will weigh the validity of the argument presented to them by the City's attorney and expert witnesses, Therefore, there is no guarantee that the variance will be approved, However, we recommend making the case that the proposed bridge is required because in the event of an emergency such as a hurricane, Collins Avenue may be impassable, The proposed bridge will offer a secondary access route to the north for the emergency vehicles operating from the fire station located on NE 172nd Street. Mitigation For this type of project, we propose purchasing salt water credits at the Florida Power and Light (FPL) mitigation bank. The fee for FPL credits is approximately $70,000 per acre purchased at the bank. www.bermelloajamil.com 8