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RESOLUTION URGING THE GOVERNOR AND FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO MAINTAIN STATE FUNDING FOR THE REMAINING ALLOCATIONS PROGRAMMED FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2014-2015 FOR THE -50/52 FEET PORT OF MIAMI DEEP DREDGE PROJECT

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WHEREAS, the Port of Miami is the second largest economic engine contributing to the local economy of the County; and
WHEREAS, the Deep Dredge Project, now in the dredging stage, entails dredging the Port of Miami channel to minus 50 feet from its former depth of minus 42 feet; and
WHEREAS, the Port of Miami has received authorization to dredge to the minus 50/52 feet level and has the ability to complete the project by 2015; and
WHEREAS, this timetable would coincide with the scheduled opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2015; and
WHEREAS, beginning in 2015, large numbers of Super Post-Panamax megaships that previously offloaded cargo on the West Coast of the United States will instead be able to traverse the expanded Panama Canal, presenting an unprecedented, one-time opportunity for the Port of Miami to significantly expand its cargo business; and
WHEREAS, three East Coast ports, New York, Baltimore and Norfolk, already have deepened their waters to meet the necessary -50/52 feet depth; and
WHEREAS, without additional East Coast deep draft capacity in place by 2015, the U.S. is at risk of losing jobs to other seaports overseas, as the larger Super Post-Panamax ships have the option of calling at nearby foreign ports such as Freeport, Bahamas; and
WHEREAS, the Port of Miami has approximately 6,200 lineal feet of berth space, supported by Super Post-Panamax cranes capable of serving the largest ships in the world; and
WHEREAS, the deepening of Miami�s channel is estimated to create 33,000 new jobs, double cargo throughput, and increase the Port of Miami�s annual economic impact to more than $34 billion; and
WHEREAS, the dredging project includes the restoration of more than 16 acres of seagrass and the creation of over nine acres of artificial reef; and
WHEREAS, Florida Governor Rick Scott has pledged a total of $112 million in Florida Department of Transportation funds for the Deep Dredge Project and Miami-Dade County is providing an additional $108 million for the project; and
WHEREAS, the Board expresses its strong support for maintaining the remaining allocations programmed for 2014 in state funding in the Florida Department of Transportation Five-Year Work Program,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Governor and Florida Legislature to maintain state funding for the remaining allocations programmed for the fiscal year 2014-2015 for the -50/52 feet Port of Miami Deep Dredge Project.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to Governor, Senate President, House Speaker and the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County's state lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the appropriation as set forth in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2014 State Legislative Package when it is presented to the Board.