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Resolution in Support of the Port
of Miami River
Whereas this shallow draft ability makes of the Port of Miami River a lifeline for staples and aid to countries lacking in infrastructure to truck goods to points of distribution and serves international port cities unreachable by larger carriers; and Whereas the Port of Miami River has been recognized as Florida’s 4th largest port by economic analysts and numerous academic evaluators (Economic Analysis of the Miami River Marine industry, FAU, April 2008); and Whereas the Port of Miami River provides approximately 6,100 jobs in the marine industry that are multicultural and blue collar, with average earnings per job exceeding $60,000 (Hazen & Sawyer, 2005); and Whereas the Port of Miami River is recognized as a port by the United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and has successfully competed for awards totaling $6,248,168 in the DHS Port Security Grant Program since 2003; and Whereas the Port of Miami River is currently undergoing a $76 million dredging project by the Army Corps of Engineers for the purposes of commerce; and Whereas the 20 terminals of the Miami River were collectively responsible for moving $4 billion in cargo in 2004 (the last time cargo value was measured); and Whereas the Port of Miami River has lost over half of its 80 acres of marine industrial zoning due to residential development since 2002, leaving just 39 acres left for operations with 25 of those placed in jeopardy by proposed changes to the City’s Comprehensive Plan; and Whereas protections for the marine industrial lands along the river found in the City’s Comprehensive Plan for the past 20 years have been proposed for removal by the City of Miami Commission in order to accommodate developers’ requests for more residential zoning; and Whereas since 2000 new residential units on the Miami River – either completed, under construction, or in the design/permitting phase -- total 15, 971, of which thousands are empty, with 4,208 of these completed; 5,215 under construction, and 6,548 in final design/permitting (Miami River Commission); and Whereas the Port of Miami River cannot defend itself from residential encroachment without policy to protect its working waterfront which occupies less than a third of the river’s 5.5 miles of riverbank; and Whereas such policy is consistent with the State of Florida’s and the U.S. Congress’ most recent legislative goals (Florida Working Waterfronts, 2005; Congressional “Keep our Waterfronts Working Act, 2007”); Now therefore, be it resolved, that the World Trade Center Miami urges the South Florida Regional Planning Council and Florida’s Department of Community Affairs to instruct the City of Miami to return the Port of Miami River sub-element to its Comprehensive Plan with all of the protections for the port that have been recommended by the City’s official land planning agency, the Planning Advisory Board. Approved by the World Trade Center
Miami’s Board of Directors on May
27, 2008 |