Dade Mayors Unite To Respond To Global Challenges

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The mayors of Miami Beach, Miami, and Miami-Dade County met on Monday in partnership to discuss how they respond to global challenges.

The idea is to create a plan for Greater Miami and the beaches to literally become more resilient.

"It's something that we need to do in order to make sure that we are prepared and preparing our children and ourselves and our children and our grandchildren for the future, said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Gimenez stood alongside the newly elected mayors of Miami Beach, Dan Gelber, and City of Miami, Francis Suarez, and announced that together they planned to plant seeds to make Miami among the greatest cities in the U.S.

Climate change and sea level rise are among the challenges they face but it goes beyond that.

"It means our economy and what kind of jobs we have in this community. It means so many things, like affordable housing," said Gimenez.

It's all part of the 100 Resilient Cities Plan funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. The plan includes resources, an exchange of ideas with cities around the world facing similar problems, and sharing solutions.

"It really shows our interdependency and our ability to work together to solve what is not only an existential threat but the long-term consequences of not acting," said Suarez.

It also means changing focus, looking at projects through the new lens of resiliency. Some of those projects are already underway. Take for example the new multi-million dollar pumping system in Miami Beach and the raising of roads to handle seasonal flooding.

The mayors say they're focused on the future, stressing this is a long-term plan with results that may not be seen until long after they're out of office.

"You can't just think about election cycles, you have to think generationally," said Gelber.