'This Is Our Existential Challenge': Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava On Sea Level Rise Strategy

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava marks one hundred days in office on Friday with a call to action on rising sea levels and makes a pledge that fixing the pressing problem is now a priority.

"This is our existential challenge. This is the one that trumps them all," said Levine Cava. "We must attend to our future, our resilient future, to continue to have all the success and enjoyment of paradise in our beautiful home."

Mayor Levine Cava was joined in El Portal on Friday with other local leaders including Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin, and others to unveil details about the strategy.

Their focus is on how local communities can adapt to rising sea levels and what approaches each community should take.

"We will be together investing billions of dollars, billions of dollars, in our infrastructure so we can lift this community and others that are so affected by sea level rise through economic hardships, especially now through the pandemic, and we are going to ensure that these communities can thrive far into the future," said Levine Cava.

Some ideas include raising the land on artificial fill, elevating structures on pilings like they do in the Florida Keys, build on high ground around transit, expand greenways and blueways, and create green and blue neighborhoods, which means creating a network of small spaces for water in our yards, streets and parks.

Click here to see more of the County's sea level rise strategy.