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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 2017-2676 RESOLUTION NO.2017- 261 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL SENATE BILL 279 AND HOUSE BILL 833 TO AMEND SECTION 935 OF THE WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1986 TO FACILITATE THE USE OF FOREIGN OFFSHORE SAND IN BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECTS; URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO EXPEDITE AND FUND THE STUDY TO ALLOW FOREIGN SAND TO BE USED IN BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECTS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY; DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO TRANSMIT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE OFFICIALS STATED HEREIN; PROVIDING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY TO DO ALL THINGS NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THE TERMS OF THIS RESOLUTION; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, the City of Sunny Isles Beach ("City") wishes to express support for the Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project, and urging Miami-Dade County, the State of Florida and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) to provide recurring appropriations to advance beach renourishment in the City of Sunny Isles Beach and Miami-Dade County on or ahead of schedule; and WHEREAS, beaches and dunes serve as a vital buffer between coastal infrastructure and the destructive forces of ocean waves and surge during storm events; and WHEREAS,beach renourishment adds sand to the coastal system, helps keep the erosive power of strong waves from reaching dunes and structures, and buffers against the effects of sea level rise and climate change, thereby protecting coastal properties and the coastal environment; and WHEREAS, beach renourishment has been an ongoing practice in southeast Florida since the late 1970s, as part of the Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project providing essential economic, environmental and recreation al benefit to coastal communities; and WHEREAS, throughout the region, twenty-four federal and nonfederal beach nourishment projects provide storm damage reduction to infrastructure as well as incidental recreational opportunities; and WHEREAS, as part of the Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project, the City of Sunny Isles Beach is on schedule to be renourished in 2018; and WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County, the State of Florida and the Federal government are cost- sharing partners in the Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project; and WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County is running out of dependable, economical, and environmentally practicable sand sources; and Page1 of3 WHEREAS, Section 935 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 ("WRDA 1986") states that the Army Corps can only use domestic sources of sand for renourishment of this project, unless the Secretary of the Army provides written certification that domestic sources are not available for environmental or economic reasons; and WHEREAS, in March 2016 the Army Corps completed a Limited Reevaluation Report and Environmental Assessment with a Finding of No Significant Impact with updated economics to justify potential alternative sand sources for future renourishment projects to utilize new sand sources, which include Bahamas sand; and WHEREAS, the option to import offshore sand from the Bahamas to expedite beach nourishment projects in the City of Sunny Isles Beach and throughout Miami-Dade County is important because the sand may be closer to the quality of the sand on Miami's beaches than some of the alternatives listed by the Army Corps; and WHEREAS, foreign offshore sources may have a lower cost to import than purchasing sand from approved upland sources, and there may be fewer impacts on roads, such as reduced quality of life impacts resulting from truck traffic and fewer carbon emission from trucks hauling the sand; and WHEREAS, the City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida supports a recent decision by the federal government to study the benefits of replenishing Florida beaches with foreign sand; and WHEREAS, on February 2, 2017, United States Senator Marco Rubio introduced Senate Bill 279 and United States Congresswoman Lois Frankel introduced companion House Bill 833 to amend WRDA 1986 with respect to the acquisition of beach fill to eliminate the restriction against offshore sand; and WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City to support Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 to eliminate the restriction against offshore sand, and to urge the United States Congress to expedite and fund the study to expedite and fund the study to evaluate the benefits of replenishing Florida beaches with foreign sand. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Recitals Adopted. That each of the above stated recitals are hereby adopted, confirmed, and incorporated herein. Section 2. Support by the City of Sunny Isles Beach Commission for United States Congressional Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 to Amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1 986 and Urging Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation to Expedite Efforts to Allow Foreign Sources of Sand to be Utilized in Beach Nourishment Projects in Miami-Dade County. The City of Sunny Isles Beach supports Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 to amend Section 935 of the WRDA 1986 to eliminate the Restriction promulgated by Section 935 of the WRDA 1986 in order to facilitate the use of foreign offshore sand in Beach Nourishment Projects. The City urges the United States Congress to expedite and fund the study to evaluate the benefits of replenishing Florida beaches with foreign sand. Section 3. Direction to the City Clerk. The City Clerk is hereby directed to send a copy of this Page 2 of 3 Resolution to sponsoring legislators, United States Senator Marco Rubio and Congresswoman Lois Frankel, and United States Senator Bill Nelson, the Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, the Secretary of the Army, the Governor of Florida, and Mayors of Coastal Communities throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie Counties. Section 4. Authorization of the City Manager and City Attorney. The City Manager and City Attorney are hereby authorized to do all things necessary to effectuate this Resolution. Section 5. Effective Date. This Resolution shall become effective upon adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of March 2017. Al° •George r . Scholl, Mayor , A .E`1 ed.�f , . Jane A. f •s MC, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM AND ,G • r S F4. CIENCY: osivZ AII ans •ttinot, City Attorney Moved by: Cum. G Vk-rO Seconded by: V li,'.Etiukkoc 6,70,0_0 Vote: Mayor Scholl (Yes) (No) Vice Mayor Goldman (Yes) (No) Commissioner Aelion _(Yes) (No) Commissioner Gatto I-(Yes) (No) Commissioner Svechin - (Yes) (No) Page 3 of 3 v14NY iso Cityof SunnyIsles Beach City Commission Mayor s Fs George`Bud"Scholl,A/ayor ° :,,, 18070 Collins Avenue, Suite 250 Dana Goldman,Vice Mayor F, _' "79 Isaac Aelion, Commissioner Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 33160 6- k, x Jeanette Gatto,Commissioner a Larisa Svechin,Commissioner rt i (305)947-0606 City Hall i (305)949-31 13 Fax * Christopher J.Russo Ci Manager r r s " iOP (305)947-2150 BuildingDepartment FL°R5, Hans Ottinot,City Attorney c'''-'- OF SUN Pao (305)947-5107 Fax .lane A.Hines,Mi1C,City Clerk MEMORANDUM TO: The Honorable City Commission FROM: Mayor George H. Scholl DATE: March 16,2017 RE: Resolution supporting United States Congressional Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 to amend Section 935 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to facilitate the use of foreign offshore sand in beach renourishment projects RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Commission approve the proposed Resolution supporting United States Congressional Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 to amend Section 935 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to facilitate the use of foreign offshore sand in beach renourishment projects. REASONS The City of Sunny Isles Beach wishes to express support for the Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Projection Project, and urging Miami-Dade County, the State of Florida and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to provide recurring appropriations to advance beach renourishment in Sunny Isles Beach and Miami-Dade County on or ahead of schedule. Beach renourishment adds sand to the costal system, helps keep the erosive power of strong waves from reaching dunes and structures, and buffers against the effects of sea level rise and climate change, thereby protecting coastal properties and the coastal environment. As part of the Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project, the beach area in Sunny isles Beach is on schedule to be renourished in the near future. Miami- Dade County is running out of dependable, economical, and environmentally practicable sand sources. However, Section 935 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 states that the Army Corps can only use domestic sources of sand for beach renourishment, unless the Army Secretary certifies that domestic sources are not available for environmental or economic reasons. The option to import offshore sand from the Bahamas to expedite beach renourishment projects in Sunny Isles Beach and throughout Miami-Dade County is important because the sand may be closer to the . quality of sand in Miami-Dade County's beaches than alternatives listed by the Army Corps. Foreign offshore sources may also have a lower cost to import than purchasing sand from approved upland sources, and there may be few environmental impacts. The City of Sunny Isles Beach supports a recent decision by the federal government to study the benefits of renourishing Florida beaches with foreign sand. The City of Sunny Isles Beach supports recent bills filed by United States Senator Marco Rubio and United States Congresswoman Lois Frankel to amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to facilitate the use of foreign offshore sand in beach renourishment projects.