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Initiatives Announced To Reduce Pollution In Miami-Dade County

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - On this Earth Day, a push in Miami-Dade to reduce pollution, and to preserve the quality of life for residents and visitors.

Two local mayors on Thursday unveiled plans to tackle an environmental concern that we can no longer afford to ignore.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced a new initiative, aimed at monitoring the health of the bay waters.

"We're holding this press conference to officially announce two of the greatest environmental initiatives so far in my administration," said Levine Cava.

"We launched our Biscayne Bay report card and a new web tool that's interactive, and easy to use."
The mayor stressed the importance of preserving the ecology of the bay and keeping trash and other pollutants out of the water.

"We've seen coral reefs die off, fish killed in Biscayne Bay, seagrass die-off, sunny day flooding, and an increase in extreme heat, and overflowing septic tanks," said Levine Cava.

"All of these are putting our environment at risk, polluting our waterways and our neighborhoods."

Meanwhile, on the heels of Mayor Levine Cava's announcement, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced a plan of his own, to protect marine life, and address flooding issues ahead of hurricane season.

"Today, we're releasing an updated plan, and a comprehensive assessment of the city's roads, drainage infrastructure, and water management features to identify the improvements we need to make, to address capacity and flooding issues," said Suarez.

Suarez said he is pushing to make South Florida completely green in the very near future and hopes that preserving Biscayne Bay is just the first of positive environmental changes.

"Today, we're restoring our commitment to restoring the bay, and protecting our environment."

Suarez also said, through a series of environmental initiatives, he hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60 percent in Miami by the year 2035.

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