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RESOLUTION URGING THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AND U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO FULLY IMPLEMENT AND OPERATE THE MODIFIED WATER DELIVERIES PROJECT AND THE C-111 PROJECT TO END FLOOD IMPACTS TO AGRICULTURAL PROPERTIES IN SOUTHERN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY CAUSED BY WATER MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

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WHEREAS, southern Miami-Dade County has had a thriving agricultural economy for over a century, providing fresh fruit, vegetables and horticultural products to the residents of this County and to the nation as a whole; and
WHEREAS, a healthy agricultural sector is important to the economy of Miami-Dade County and quality of life of its residents, employing 20,000 people and generating $2.7 billion in annual economic impact; and
WHEREAS, high water tables flood the root zone of the agricultural crops, which causes rot, fungus, bacteria and other issues to develop which kill both trees and row crops; and
WHEREAS, several revisions to the regional water management system were designed to simultaneously increase water levels in Everglades National Park, maintain water supplies for agriculture and the public, and provide additional flood protection for agricultural areas in southern Miami-Dade County, including the C-111 Project and the Modified Water Deliveries Project; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County has supported South Florida ecosystem restoration projects because they are designed to both protect natural areas and provide for the other water related needs of South Florida, including agricultural flood protection; and
WHEREAS, more than 10,000 acres of viable agricultural land have been transferred to government ownership to implement these restoration projects; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has yet to fully implement either the C-111 Project or the Modified Water Deliveries Project to increase water levels in Everglades National Park and provide adequate flood protection to agricultural lands in southern Miami-Dade County, despite those projects having been approved more than 20 years ago; and
WHEREAS, fruit orchards in southern Miami-Dade County have suffered extensive damage as a result of higher water levels in recent years, including the loss of hundreds of acres of avocado groves to root fungus; and
WHEREAS, the high water table resulted in extensive agricultural flooding in the past six months which prevented the growing of crops on hundreds of acres of agricultural land across southern Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, farmers in Miami-Dade County have not seen this level of flood damage, except during years where tropical storms or hurricanes have affected South Florida, and continued flood impacts such as those currently being experienced threaten the long-term viability of southern Miami-Dade County�s agricultural economy; and
WHEREAS, the C-111 Project will improve conditions in Everglades National Park Taylor Slough, which in turn will improve the timing, distribution, and quantity of water in Florida Bay, while initiating crucial environmental restoration in the Southern Glades and Model Lands,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the South Florida Water Management District and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take immediate short-term measures to provide flood relief for agricultural areas in southern Miami-Dade County, and to develop long-term measures to minimize agricultural flooding in the future, while maintaining water supplies for the environment, agriculture and the public.
Section 2. Urges the South Florida Water Management District and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fully implement and operate the C-111 Project and Modified Water Deliveries Project to increase water levels in Everglades National Park while decreasing water levels in agricultural areas of southern Miami-Dade County.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to send a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Miami-Dade County�s Congressional Delegation, Governor Rick Scott, the Chair and Members of Miami-Dade County�s State Legislative Delegation, the District Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, and the Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District.