I would like for the City to accept the Biscayne Bay Task Force recommendations and additionally I would like to direct the city administration to find two or three areas within our purview to reduce nutrient load, reduce trash input or enhance the natural ecosystem and bring them back to the October meeting for a decision and immediate implementation. Included in this analysis should be policies or program recommendations that help to reduce fertilizer runoff from both public and private property, including exploring creating a program to educate private properties on proper fertilizer application that connect into the city’s stormwater system.
Furthermore, recognizing that habitat restoration and natural infrastructure such as living shorelines are an important component to restoring the ecosystems functions, I propose that the administration conduct research and come up with a proposal and budget for enhancing habitat and natural shorelines in the city, including the creation of a mangrove nursery and evaluating expanding the mangrove shoreline along the Julia Tuttle.