Miami Climate Resilience Committee endorses seven-item budget memo, members take symbolic straw vote to forward to Commission

The City of Miami Climate Resilience Committee on July 7 reviewed and tentatively endorsed a seven-item budget memorandum asking the City Commission to consider funding pilot programs, consultant work and staffing to advance resilience goals.

Because the committee lacked a quorum, members could not take a formal vote. The committee instead conducted a symbolic straw vote and agreed, 3–0, to forward the memorandum to the City Commission “subject to a quorum vote, hopefully in August, if not September,” a committee member said during the meeting.

The memorandum groups seven recommendations intended to be presented together to commissioners: a one‑year compost pilot (10 public sites, $45,000–$81,000 estimate); funding for a citywide zero‑waste plan consultant ($120,000); an electric leaf‑blower purchase program for residents and small landscapers ($150,000 total proposed split); a full‑time urban forester position ($125,000); a phased cost‑estimator for green vs. gray infrastructure for the Southwest Streetscape Master Plan ($75,000 phased); implementation funding for an inland street pilot tied to the Southwest Streetscape Master Plan (amount not specified in the memorandum summary); and initial funding toward targeted land acquisition to convert flood‑prone properties into stormwater parks (amount and phased approach described generally for site identification and pilot acquisitions).

Why it matters: the recommendations are framed to align with existing city plans — including the Stormwater Master Plan, the City’s park planning (Reimagine Parks), and resilience strategies referenced in the memorandum — and to position the City to leverage outside grants and resilience bond funding. Committee members repeatedly emphasized piloting and phasing to generate measurable results that can guide future capital decisions.

Substantive details and supporting remarks: - Compost pilot: The memorandum proposes 10 collection sites on city land, an opt‑in, externally operated program for collection/processing/education, and cited public comment in May as strong support for the item. - Zero‑waste consultant: The memo recommends retaining a consultant to develop implementation timelines, funding models and operational reforms and cites a CRC resolution adopted April 7, 2025, in support of a comprehensive waste strategy. - Electric leaf‑blower program: The committee proposes dedicating funds to purchase residential and commercial electric blowers to spur adoption as an alternative to gas blowers; committee discussion noted interest in vendor sponsorships to lower costs. - Urban forester position: The committee recommends $125,000 to fund a full‑time urban forester focused on canopy planning, program coordination, community engagement and long‑term strategy; committee members suggested placing the role under the Office of Resilience or Public Works to ensure cross‑departmental coordination. - Cost estimator (green vs. gray): Suggested $75,000 phased over several years to compare upfront and life‑cycle costs and performance for alternatives in the Southwest Streetscape Master Plan (Jose Marti area referenced as a potential test site). - Inland street pilot: A recommended inland corridor pilot to test a design typology that responds to distinct flood risk and topography, intended to run alongside the river‑adjacent streetscape project so results can be compared. - Land acquisition for stormwater parks: The memorandum cites the City’s Stormwater Master Plan and FEMA repetitive‑loss parcel mapping to argue for targeted buyouts and conversion to stormwater parks in low‑lying, flood‑prone neighborhoods; the memo notes alignment with Reimagine Parks goals for improving park access in underserved districts.

Public comment and technical follow‑up: A private-sector speaker, Andres Restrepo of AdiPlanet LLC, asked about on‑site storage capacity and reinfiltration approaches. Committee members noted the memo’s intent is to start site identification and strategy development and to follow the Stormwater Master Plan’s recommendations on exfiltration trenches, pumps and other measures.

Next steps and procedural matters: The committee chair said the staff lead (Miriam Flores, Office of Resilient Sustainability) will circulate an edited version of the memorandum and coordinate an August meeting date to seek a formal vote when a quorum is present. The committee’s symbolic straw vote result will be included in the packet submitted to commissioners, “subject to approval,” the chair said.

Ending: Committee members asked staff to add links in the memorandum to the supporting documents referenced (e.g., Southwest Streetscape Master Plan, Stormwater Master Plan) and to clarify departmental reporting lines for the urban forester before the item is transmitted to commissioners.