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RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL AND STATE GRANTS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, INCLUDING THOSE AFFECTING BISCAYNE BAY; AND DELEGATING AUTHORITY TO COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO APPLY FOR SUCH GRANTS UP TO $1,000,000.00, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES

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WHEREAS, the health and well-being of Biscayne Bay are of the utmost importance, due in large part to the ecological and environmental benefits, beauty, and serenity that Biscayne Bay may provide, together with industries and employment in tourism, commercial and recreational fishing, and other water-based recreational activities related to Biscayne Bay; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County may have opportunities to apply for federal and state grants for funding to address environmental issues in our County, including, for example, issues affecting Biscayne Bay; and
WHEREAS, the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee should be actively pursuing such grant opportunities in order to avail ourselves of funding and support that may be available now or may become available in the near future; and
WHEREAS, actively pursuing and applying for such federal and state grants was also recommended by the Biscayne Bay Task Force, which this Board created through Resolution No. R-165-19, in the Task Force�s resulting Report and Recommendations, entitled �A Unified Approach to Recovery for a Healthy & Resilient Biscayne Bay;� and
WHEREAS, this Board, through Resolution No. 1170-06, previously delegated authority to the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to apply for grants that meet certain criteria, provided that the grant is subsequently brought before this Board for ratification; and
WHEREAS, in order to qualify under Resolution No. 1170-06, the grant must meet the following criteria: (1) the amount of funds provided under the grant is less than $100,000.00; (2) the grant is for a single department; (3) the grant does not require the provision of new funds to match the grant funds; (4) the terms of the grant will not hinder another County department or the County from seeking other funds; and (5) the granting agency does not require County Commission approval; and
WHEREAS, in order to apply for some grants, the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee may need to apply quickly, and therefore a greater delegation, for grants up to $1,000,000.00 that are related to environmental issues, may help to facilitate such County grant applications, provided that no matching funds are required and provided that the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee does not need to seek any funding authorization from this Board; and
WHEREAS, as such, this Board wishes to direct the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to apply for grants from the federal and state governments, related to environmental issues including those affecting Biscayne Bay, and this Board wishes to grant additional delegated authority to the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee in order to facilitate said grant applications,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Directs County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to actively pursue and apply for federal and state grants related to environmental issues, including, but not limited to, those affecting Biscayne Bay.
Section 2. Delegates authority to the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to apply for such federal and state grants, without prior County Commission approval, provided that: (1) the amount of funds provided is less than $1,000,000.00; (2) the grant does not require the provision of new funds to match the grant funds, and the administration does not need to seek any funding authorization from this Board in connection with the grant; (3) the terms of the grant will not hinder another County department or the County from seeking other funds; and (4) the granting agency does not require County Commission approval. For any grants applied for by the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee under the authority of this resolution, the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee shall bring said grant application to this Board for ratification within 180 days of application.