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While our coastal wetlands may be frequented by disliked mosquitos and no-see-ums, they are part of a biologically diverse three-part ecosystem that sustains a wide variety of Florida’s marine and plant life. Those gigantic mahi-mahis caught in the Florida Keys were at one point minuscule larvae hiding in a mangrove hammock’s root system. Our wetlands function as fish nurseries that not only feed our state and source delicious fish sandwiches, but they also help fuel our recreational and sport fishing economy. This same ecosystem also provides physical buffering from storm surge and wave action brought by major storms and hurricanes while minimizing the impacts of flooding and erosion on our canals and our beaches.
Cutler Bay looks to restore 8.435 acres of wetlands that buffer the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands to serve as a conservation area that will offer an opportunity to immerse one’s self in this unique South Florida habitat. Having secured $36 million for coastal resiliency and Biscayne Bay conservation-related projects during the 2021 Legislative Session, I wrote to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection recommending that they assist in funding Cutler Bay’s mission to increase environmental stewardship. In addition to this project, Cutler Bay seeks to curb the erosion impacting canal-side homeowners while integrating living shoreline concepts to further boost conservation efforts.
Prioritizing the health of Florida’s sawgrass and mangroves is a victory not just for Cutler Bay residents, but also for the overall resiliency of South Florida’s iconic waterways. Local municipalities should look to Cutler Bay’s push for wetland conservation as an example that the Greater Miami Area can offer both a dynamic urban environment and unforgettable sub-tropical forests and wetlands unseen anywhere else in the country.
Senator Ileana Garcia represents Cutler bay, Palmetto Bay, South Miami, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, West Miami, Key Biscayne, Fisher Island, and parts of the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County in the Florida Senate. To send her an email, please visit www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S37 and click the “Email this Senator” option.
Written by Senator Ileana Garcia and Mayor Tim Meerbott
