A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RESILIENCY COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE'S ANNUAL EVALUATION REPORT, ATTACHED HERETO AS EXHIBIT A, AND RE-CREATING AN AD HOC, ADVISORY RESILIENCY COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE TO SERVE AS A PROGRAM FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION (PPI) COMMITTEE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR CREDIT UNDER THE COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM, TO IMPLEMENT, MONITOR, AND EVALUATE THE PPI, AND PRESCRIBING THE PURPOSE, DUTIES, APPOINTMENTS, AND TERMS OF THE COMMITTEE'S MEMBERS WHICH SHALL COMMENCE ON JANUARY 1, 2019 AND EXPIRE ON DECEMBER 31, 2019.

The City of Miami Beach Administration recommends that the City Commission accept the  Resiliency Communications Plan Annual Evaluation Report prepared for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) and to reconvene the annual ad hoc Resiliency Communications Committee starting on January 1^st of 2019 and ending on December 31^st of 2019.  The Committee’s continuous participation and work is required to monitor the implementation of flood awareness projects, which provide valuable activity points for the CRS program. 

This program helps the City to reduce flood risk and earn flood insurance discounts for residents and businesses. This year, the Committee focused on monitoring and evaluating the Resiliency Communications Plan, approved on March 1, 2017 via Resolution No. 2017-29771. On October 16, 2018, the Committee approved the Annual Evaluation Report to be transmitted to City Commission, as required by the Community Rating System (CRS).

The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allowing communities to earn flood insurance discounts.  Under FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), cities earn points for conducting activities promoting flood insurance and reducing flood risk.   The CRS rating scores range from 1 to 10 (1 being the highest and 10 the lowest). The City of Miami Beach falls under a Class 6 rating, providing residents with a 20% insurance premium discount, translating into $6,495,291 in savings. The City is working hard to improve its rating to a Class 5, which represents $8,110,022 in total savings, and a discount of 25% for residents.

The mission of the Resiliency Communications Committee is to create and monitor a Program for Public Information (PPI), referred to as the Resiliency Communications Plan with the purpose of reducing flood risk and ultimately reducing the cost of flood insurance.

The program complements the City’s approach to public participation and is a key part of the Miami Beach Rising Above Resiliency Communications.  Integrating this communication strategy with activities to improve our CRS score will leverage both efforts to the benefit of our residents by raising awareness, improving preparedness in the community and reducing the cost of flood insurance premiums.

The Committee meets twice a year to address CRS requirements as well as monitoring and evaluating the Plan.   The Committee’s expertise is specified by the CRS program, which requires representation from the City’s Communications Department, the City’s Floodplain Office, real estate, banking, and insurance. The Committee was previously created by the City Commission through Resolution No. 2017-30104 on November 29, 2017. Based on the excellent work accomplished by the Committee, experience and qualifications, the recommended Resiliency Communications Committee members for 2019 are:

The Resiliency Communications Plan Annual Evaluation Report highlights the progress made toward desired outcomes established on the plan adopted on March 1, 2017 via Resolution No. 2017-29771. It provides data and details regarding project implementation status and recommendations for future improvements.

The Annual Evaluation Report, Attachment 1, includes:

• A review of projects conducted in 2017 and 2018;

• Progress towards the desired outcomes;

• Recommendations for improvement; and

• Changes in the target audiences.

The Administration recommends the City Commission accept the Resiliency Communications Committee Annual Evaluation Report and reconvene the annual ad hoc Resiliency Communications Committee for 2019 to continue reducing flood risk through awareness communications as well as earning flood insurance premium discounts for residents and businesses. Through this report, the Committee has shown its accomplishments, progress made toward outcomes and recommendations for improvement. In 2019, the Committee will continue working on projects that advance not only the CRS program, but also the City’s wider stormwater program and resilience initiatives.