Miami-Dade Port and Resiliency Committee Meeting: June 11, 2025

The Miami-Dade Port and Resiliency Committee convened on June 11, 2025, at 1:00 PM in Commission Chambers. Led by Chairwoman Micky Steinberg, the committee addressed several items including a major ordinance overhauling seawall and bulkhead permitting, pilot programs, infrastructure contracts, and board appointments. The meeting featured significant public testimony, committee debate, and unanimous votes on most agenda items before losing quorum.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Peter Mazio (600 NE 27th St, Miami): Described a 12-month delay in getting a seawall permit, noting that a modification for living seawall panels was promised as "very quick" but remained unresolved after 75 days, impacting his construction timeline and property security during king tides.
• Scott Polowitz (Friends of Biscayne Bay): Thanked Commissioner Higgins for amending the ordinance to limit public hearing removal to seawalls and bulkheads only, but expressed concern about a provision allowing seawalls to protrude 1.5 feet into the bay, requesting consultation with DEP on potential conflicts with state statute protecting aquatic preserves.
• John Korvick: Expressed support for the proposed changes, noting that current seawall conditions pose permitting and construction problems that increase costs for waterfront property owners.
• Glenn Larson (Dock and Marine Construction): 100% supported the ordinance, emphasizing that new living seawall technology is the first material he has seen in 30 years that directly benefits benthic marine life.
• Trulie Burton (Builders Association of South Florida): Supported the ordinance as a considerable improvement to the slow permitting process, which is unacceptable to the public and the industry.
• Solomon Arroyo (Red Line Marine Construction): Supported efforts to expedite seawall permits, noting the frustration of homeowners who wait 15 months for permits, and supported living seawall technology.
• Alex Fernandez (Miami Beach City Commissioner): Supported the ordinance, noting that Miami Beach has 55 miles of seawalls, over 90% privately owned, and that seawall permits in Miami-Dade take 18–24 months versus 3–6 months in other counties. He tied permitting delays directly to climate risk and lost revenue during events like Hurricane Irma.
• Kirk Lofgren (Ocean Consulting): Supported the ordinance, citing a four-year permitting example in Bell Harbor and arguing that removing king piles can cause wall failure, causing more environmental damage than allowing projections.
• Tim Blancinship (Moffatt & Nichol, advisor to Kind Design): Supported the item for streamlining environmental permitting and promoting green infrastructure technologies.
• Bree Kocus (Ocean Consulting, Senior Marine Biologist): Supported the item, particularly the riprap rule change, and noted over 25 years of diving experience in Biscayne Bay observing the rapid proliferation of the excavating sponge Cliona.
• Maria Nassiz (Miami Waterkeeper): Thanked Commissioner Higgins for amendments but expressed remaining concerns that the ordinance could eliminate public hearings for broad categories of standard form permits and that allowing seawall projections up to 40 inches could authorize incremental filling of Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve and impede navigation and tidal exchange.

Discussion Items

• Item 1G1 (Ordinance No. 250736, Substitute No. 251186) – Seawall & Bulkhead Permitting Reform: Committee members discussed amendments to the original item, which were presented by Prime Sponsor Commissioner Eileen Higgins. The substitute ordinance was amended with five specific changes: (1) deleting the phrase "without the need for public hearing" from a recital; (2) adding recital clauses regarding federal/state permitting authority; (3) limiting short-form permit eligibility for seawalls with structural piles extending no more than 14 inches waterward, with total projection no more than 18 inches; (4) ensuring public hearings for short-form applications not limited to seawalls/bulkheads upon written request; and (5) setting the new permitting timelines to take effect upon full implementation of the gold key software system or by January 1, 2026, whichever is earlier.

Key Outcomes

• Item 1G1 (Substitute) – Passed unanimously (3–0) as amended; forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners with a request to delay effective date to July 1, 2025.
• Item 2A (Rain barrel pilot program in District 7) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 3–0.
• Item 3A (Resilient Florida Grant Program funding, up to $25,384,316) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 4–0.
• Item 3B (Moffatt & Nichol planning contract, $3,750,000) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 3–0.
• Item 3C (Jacobs Engineering planning contract, $3,750,000) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 3–0.
• Item 3D (Paul Bridges & Associates cargo/cruise equipment contract, $4,400,000) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 3–0.
• Item 3E (North Bulkhead Berths 1–6 Realignment, OHLA USA interim agreement, $29,998,110) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 3–0; requested expedited hearing at June 26 BCC meeting.
• Item 3F (Appointment of Dr. John D. Stiglitz to Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 3–0.
• Item 3G (Appointment of Dr. Jed R. Redwine to Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation as corrected (scrivener's error fixed), 3–0.
• Item 3H (Certification of financial responsibility for North District WWTP injection wells) – Forwarded to BCC with a favorable recommendation, 3–0.