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Climate Resilience Committee adopts resolution to defend NOAA funding after hurricane-season briefing
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Summary
After a presentation on degraded forecast capacity, the City of Miami Climate Resilience Committee unanimously approved a resolution urging federal and state support for NOAA and steps to reduce local dependence on single sources of weather data.
The City of Miami Climate Resilience Committee voted unanimously to approve a resolution urging preservation of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) funding and to direct the city manager to audit local dependencies on federal weather data and pursue supplemental data and technology.
The action followed a presentation by John Morales, founder and chief atmospheric environmental scientist at ClimateData, who warned that staffing and observational cuts at NOAA and the NWS have degraded forecasting capacity and increased the risk that rapidly intensifying storms may be under-forecasted. "They've got only 50% of the number of forecasters that they normally have," Morales said of the Miami NWS office, describing nationwide cuts and lost radiosonde (weather balloon) releases.
Why it matters: The committee framed the resolution as an early, local step to protect public safety and economic activity by preserving observational systems and investing in backups if federal capacity is reduced. The resolution cites the President's proposed fiscal 2026 budget and documents from congressional appropriations committees and specialist analyses describing staffing and equipment reductions that, the committee said, could degrade regional forecasting.
Following Morales's presentation, committee members discussed specific city-level options such as integrating state, academic and private-sector data; exploring simulation and projection tools; and coordinating regionally with Miami-Dade County, the Southeast Florida Climate Compact and state emergency management. Sonny Brubaker, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Miami, said the committee should "prepare for at least one category worse" than current forecasts when planning for rapid intensification and other extremes.
The resolution (titled "Science-based tracking and operational resilience for Miami storm initiative") asks the City Commission to: (1) advocate at federal and state levels to preserve NOAA/NWS funding and capacity; (2) audit the city's reliance on NOAA data and integrate supplemental data and technology from state, academic and private providers (including FEMA, USGS, University of Miami and Florida International University) and simulation/projection tools; (3) coordinate a strengthened regional emergency-data and public-messaging effort; and (4) direct the city to announce a commitment to science-based weather tracking as the foundation for emergency preparedness.
Robert Garcia, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami, addressed the committee during public comment and emphasized continued local service: "Your emergency manager doesn't have to go to the county or to the state or even higher to get us. All he has to do is pick up the phone, send an email." Garcia said the Miami forecast office remains committed to supporting local emergency management and to expanding observation networks in partnership with local governments.
The committee amended the draft resolution in committee discussion to explicitly include state-level advocacy and to broaden language around supplemental data to reference technology and simulation/projection capabilities. Committee member Abra moved the amended resolution; a second was provided and members voted in favor.
Next steps: The committee asked the city manager to work across departments to implement the resolution's directives and to convene the appropriate regional partners. Members also requested follow-up briefings to identify concrete technology and funding options for the administration to consider.
Votes at a glance: The committee recorded the motion to adopt the amended resolution as approved (motion made by Committee member Abra; second noted in the record). The vote was recorded as unanimous by the committee at the meeting.
Sources: City of Miami Climate Resilience Committee meeting transcript; presentation by John Morales; public comment by Robert Garcia, NWS Miami.
