Item O4BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: _October 17, 2012 Division: _ County Administrator___________
Bulk Item: Yes ____ No X Staff Contact /Phone #: Roman Gastesi/292-4441_
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Presentation and update on the RESTORE Act activity by Peggy Mathews of MW Consultant.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
BOCC approved the agreement between MW Consultants and Monroe County on August 15, 2012.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
N/A
__________________________________________________________________________________
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approval
TOTAL COST: INDIRECT COST: __BUDGETED:
Yes No __X___
DIFFERENTIAL OF LOCAL PREFERENCE: _______________________________________
COST TO COUNTY:SOURCE OF FUNDS:
______________
REVENUE PRODUCING:AMOUNT PER MONTHYear ____
Yes No
APPROVED BY:
County Atty OMB/Purchasing Risk Management ____
DOCUMENTATION:
Included Not Required____
DISPOSITION:AGENDA ITEM #
Revised 7/09
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Distinguished Secretaries and Administrators: 1
On behalf of the elected members of the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners, I am
writing today to call your attention to several areas of critical environmental concern for the Florida
Keys. These issue areas,which I will outline briefly below, could be addressed through resources soon
to be made available by the passage of the RESTORE Act.
Once your offices designate your official representatives to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration
Council, we hope to begin a dialog with those administrators to discuss ways that Monroe County,
Florida can help fulfill the mission and spirit of the law.
Monroe would like to explore possibilities for RESTORE Act resources to support the Water Quality
Protection program of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Sanctuary waters on the north
side of the Keys encompass a large area of the Gulf!of Mexico. The Sanctuary's Water Quality
Protection program was mandated by Congress and developed jointly by EPA, NOAA, the State of
Florida and Monroe County.
The program's goal is to protect the fragile and unique Florida Keys ecosystem that supports habitat
and sea life throughout the Gulf region. This marine ecosystem supports over 6,000 species of plants,
fishes and invertebrates, and includes the nation's only livingt coral reef.
The Water Quality Protection program consists of scientifically-based, publicly vetted projects
centered on these critical components of the ecosystem: Water quality, coral reefs, seagrasses, and
fisheries:
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1) Wastewater and storm water pollutant impacts:;Water quality is critical to maintaining the
marine ecosystem of the Sanctuary. Scientific studies concur that the quality of the waters
throughout the Sanctuary is significantly impacted by increased nutrient loadings due to
inadequate wastewater and storm water treatment'into canals and near shore waters. Near shore
water quality impacts important nursery and juvenile habitat for a variety of reef species, and
the overall health and structure of offshore coral reefs. The Sanctuary's Water Quality
Protection Plan includes the implementation of advanced waste water treatment infrastructure
and storm water runoff retrofits. The price tag forwastewater alone is over $900 million; all but
the last phase of construction has been completed with the majority of costs borne at the local
level.
We hope to engage the Council on ways in which RESTORE Act funds can be utilized to
complete the last phase of wastewater treatment infrastructure and storm water retrofits
throughout the Keys. Completion of these projects would be tremendously beneficial to the
overall water quality in the Gulf.
2) Coral Reef Preservation: The coral reef tract in the Florida Keys is one of the largest systems
of coral reefs in the world, and a unique system of coral reefs in the continental US. The reef
tract arches in a southwesterly direction for 220 miles from the Southern tip of Florida. Over
6,000 patch reefs occur in near shore and offshore en ironments, containing 65 species of stony
coral, 55 species of soft coral and 2 species of fire co al.
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We hope to engage the Council on funding aven es for critical research, restoration, and
monitoring activities that are required in order to 1 document, quantify and understand the
impacts of environmental stressors, and other factors that threaten the health of the coral reef
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ecosystem, including the effects of the Deep Wate Horizon spill. This information would
enhance the protection of the reef and the near shore e vironment in the unfortunate occurrence
of a future spill. I
3) Seagrass: The Keys ecosystem includes one of thie largest seagrass communities in this
hemisphere; it is estimated that 12,800 square kilometers of seagrass beds lie here. Sea grass
beds are among the richest, most productive, and most important submerged coastal habitats,
providing food and habitat for commercially and;recreationally important species of fish and
invertebrates.
Seagrasses are comprehensively monitored by Florida International University; RESTORE Act
funding for continued research will be invaluable for detecting oil and disperant effects on
seagrass communities.
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4) Fisheries: The Florida Keys ecosystem is a known habitat and spawning ground for many of
the commercially and recreationally-harvested fish species that populate the Gulf. The Keys
are home to 520 species of fish, including over 260 species of reef fish, as well as spiny lobster,
queen conch and other invertebrates.
It is our hope that funds could be made available to track and survey key fish populations in
and around the National Marine Sanctuary, for an improved fisheries sampling program, and
research activities to understand the potential impact of oil, dispersants, and other man made
pollutants, such as acidification, on yearly fish stocks.
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5) Early Warning: We understand that oil exploration wi 1 continue in the Gulf for the foreseeable
future. However, there is now a new participant not less than 50 miles from US waters, the
Republic of Cuba. The Cubans have begun to partner with foreign companies not subject to US
sanction. Should a spill occur in Cuban waters; it 'would be days if not hours before the
detrimental effects would leech into US territorial)waters. Monroe County would welcome the
opportunity to partner with Federal agencies or al public-private partnership to house an early
warning system to alert relevant agencies.
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The environment and the economy of the Gulf waters land their natural resources are inextricably
linked in the Florida Keys. Tourism is the number one industry in the Florida Keys, with over $1.2B
spent annually by over 3 million visitors. The majority of visitors participate in activities such as
snorkeling, SCUBA diving, sport fishing, water sports; and viewing/studying wildlife and nature.
Recreation and commercial fishing are the next most important sectors of the local economy, annually
contributing an estimated $500M and$57M respectively.;(marineeconomics.noaa.gov.) Protecting and
restoring the Gulf's resources are important not only for T the environment but also for the local, state
and regional economies. _
Monroe County is fortunate to have dedicated staff with;decades of experience. Being a small, local
government consisting of a chain of small islands extendin into the Gulf of Mexico has given us a
tremendous depth of scientific understanding of our enviro ent and its challenges, and well as deep
appreciation for partnerships in meeting those challenge. Our staff is looking forward to the
opportunity to discuss these policy proposals and their potenti solutions.
Sincerely,