Item Coversheet

 Item 1.
COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

TO: Sustainability Resiliency Committee Meeting


FROM:
Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager


DATE: February 21, 2018


SUBJECT:DISCUSSION ON THE SEAWALL COALITION MEMBERSHIP FOR THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH 

RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT:
Susanne Torriente, Assistant City Manager/ Chief Resiliency Officer
LEGISLATIVE TRACKING:
Item C4H - January 17, 2018 Commission Meeting
SPONSORED:
City Manager's Office
BACKGROUND:
At the City Commission meeting on January 17, 2018, the Mayor and City Commission referred a discussion to the Sustainability and Resiliency Committee (SRC) regarding the seawall coalition membership for the City of Miami Beach. This item was sponsored by the Office of City Manager.
Analysis
The Seawall Coalition is a nonpartisan group of elected officials, military groups, businesses, and local leaders that have come together to unlock national solutions to sea level rise and flooding that support coastal and riverfront communities and protect our nation’s residents, economy, and military installations.

The Seawall Coalition advocates for practical national solutions to serve our communities. They support policies that strengthen the economy, invest in coastal communities, and safeguard the national security. The Coalition will support states and communities that are investing to make their infrastructure resilient to sea level rise by creat¬ing a source of dedicated federal funding and incentives. This could include adaptation trust funds, a revolving loan fund, tax breaks and incentives, and other programs that help drive investment in planning and infrastructure to prevent flood damage.

The Coalition is a social welfare 501(c)(4) non-profit, allowed under the tax code to engage in politics, unlimited lobbying and promotion of candidates, provided that these efforts dovetail with the purpose of the organization, without any legal obligation to disclose their donors.

The Coalition met with the Mayor and staff in December and is requesting the City of Miami Beach to become a member. Attached is a draft resolution that the Coalition prepared for cities to review and adopt. Representatives of the Coalition will attend the SRC meeting and further discuss what the membership entails.

CONCLUSION:
The following is presented to the members of the Sustainability and Resiliency Committee for discussion and further direction.

ATTACHMENTS:
DescriptionType
Attachment A: Draft ResolutionResolution
Attachment B: Seawall Coalition Mission and PoliciesOther