The City engaged Cummins Cederberg Marine & Coastal Engineering to identify shorelines and street ends as candidates for living or hybrid shorelines. The report highlights the Julia Tuttle Causeway as a prime location due to its length and shallow region that is exposed during low tide and submerged during high tide.  It is an environment suitable for mangrove plantings as well.  A living or hybrid shoreline would help to protect the roadway from high tides, sea level rise and storm surge, as well as improve the health of Biscayne Bay. This is a shared priority for the City and Miami-Dade County and is an action identified in the shared Resilient305 Strategy and discussed monthly. 

While the Julia Tuttle Causeway is an optimal location, it is a State roadway, and is within the jurisdiction of Florida Department of Transportation.  The City met with State officials and Miami-Dade County to identify the feasibility of moving this project forward, including meetings with State Chief Resilience Officer Dr. Wesley Brooks, FDOT District Six Secretary Stacy Miller, and FDOT District Six Environmental Administrator Stephen Craig James.  During these meetings, the overall concept was welcomed, and the appropriate staff was identified for discussion purposes.  FDOT did express concerns that the creation of a mangrove shoreline will have permitting and mitigation constraints that could prohibit future uses of the property.

There was consensus that this is an opportunity, and the FDOT highlighted a long-term Planning Corridor Study for Julia Tuttle, which is moving forward into Planning, Design and Environmental.  To identify if there may be shorter term opportunities, the next steps are to provide cost estimates to FDOT as well as conceptual design examples from other Miami Beach living or hybrid shorelines.  In addition, this project may be eligible for federal and State grant funding. 

The following is presented to the members of the Land Use and Sustainability Committee for discussion and it is recommended that staff provide quarterly status updates.