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RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO ENACT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD CREATE THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION AREA AND AUTHORIZE THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO PARTNER WITH THE FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION TO DEVELOP A SOUTHEAST FLORIDA CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLAN

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WHEREAS, coral reefs are centers of high biodiversity that provide coastal protection and are an essential habitat to a wide range of recreational and commercially important species of fish and invertebrates; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Reef Tract is vital to Florida�s economy, supporting over 71,000 jobs and contributing over $6 billion to Florida�s economy annually; and
WHEREAS, the Southeast Florida Reef Tract comprises the northern portion of the only coral reef in the continental United States, extending from Miami-Dade to Martin Counties; and
WHEREAS, this economically and ecologically critical habitat is suffering from an unknown blight; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection�s (�FDEP�) Coral Reef Conservation Program (�CRCP�) confirmed significant coral disease spread to multiple sites across Miami-Dade County from fall 2014 to summer 2016; and
WHEREAS, within those two years, coral diseases spread to reefs as far north as Palm Beach County and as far south as Upper Florida Keys; and
WHEREAS, while disease outbreaks are not unprecedented along the Florida Reef Tract, this disease event is especially concerning as it has quickly spread and includes multiple diseases which have impacted over 18 species of reef-building stony corals including several listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act and the State Imperiled Species Management Plan; and
WHEREAS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration�s (�NOAA�) Coral Disease and Health Consortium (�CDHC�) reports that diseases and diminishing health condition among corals in the Southeast Florida Reef Tract have dramatically increased in frequency and severity during the past decade; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade has partnered with Martin, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties through the Southeast Florida Coastal Oceans Forum to address issues of coral reef management; and
WHEREAS, the member counties have joined together to urge the State to identify the causes of the coral reef disease epidemic, implement effective management plans and mitigate damages to Florida�s coral populations through legislation that would create the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Protection Area and authorize the FDEP and FWC to develop a Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Management Plan,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Legislature to enact legislation that would create the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Protection Area and would authorize the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to partner with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to develop a Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Management Plan.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, and the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Section 3. Directs the County�s state lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the legislation set forth in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2017 State Legislative Package to include this item.