INNOVATION & CHANGE
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY:
CLIMATE ACTION BY DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA
Miami-Dade County has a plan to finance the green industry to accelerate public and private investment, increase the supply of businesses and skilled labor, harness transformational opportunities and economic benefits for historically disadvantaged communities, and grow South Florida’s expertise as a global leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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iami-Dade County is the poster child of what a diverse, thriving metropolis can do to excel in the face of climate change. Thanks to everyone in our community, we are taking bold actions to ensure that we not only survive but actually thrive as a sustainable city. We have so many powerful demonstrations of collaboration, commitment, and sheer determination to find great climate solutions. In November, I was proud to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland. It was inspiring to see tens of thousands of people from all around the world gathered in one place, so full of energy, ideas, and incredible drive to tackle the challenges we are facing. In speaking on a panel with the mayors of Athens, Greece, and Freetown, Sierra Leone, we realized that urban areas have a growing voice in developing national and international goal-setting. More often than not, action at the local level is where big ideas and wellintentioned promises are actually converted
into boots-on-the-ground transformations. And all these positive changes improve the health, stability, and equitable transition to a prosperous economy. One of the most important lessons I learned is that local governments, community partners, smart entrepreneurs, and tech innovators are often the best starting point for us to take immediate action around the world. Working together, we can have a dramatic impact in a short amount of time. Bold ideas are often best launched at the local level and then scaled up to the state, national, and international levels, and Miami-Dade County is the ideal place for this innovation to happen. The county recently submitted our plan for financing $2 billion in green industry investment, which serves as the foundation for our application to a new federal Build Back Better Regional Challenge Grant. The vision is to launch transformational public and private investments to create new jobs and opportunities while simultaneously sustaining an aggressive regionwide program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This
plan gives our county the strong financial framework to focus on three targeted industries: alternative energy, energy efficiency improvements, and sustainable, emission-free transportation. As we move forward, our key goals are accelerating public and private investment, increasing the supply of businesses and skilled labor, harnessing transformational opportunity and economic benefits for historically disadvantaged communities, and growing South Florida’s expertise as a global leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By doubling down on these areas, we’re building on our existing industry strengths. In fact, employment in these areas grew by 18% from 2015 to 2020, with alternative energy expanding by a whopping 110% over the same five years. Our piece of these industries in Miami-Dade are some of the most productive in the entire nation, and the opportunity here is huge. Conservatively, the total market scale opportunity is more than $24.3 billion, while transitioning the region to carbon neutrality is worth well more than
Daniella Levine Cava Mayor, Miami-Dade County Miami, Florida Daniella Levine Cava was elected Miami-Dade County’s first-ever female mayor in November 2020 following a 40year career as a relentless advocate for South Florida families in public service and elected leadership. She oversees a metropolitan government with more than 28,000 employees serving nearly 3 million residents and managing an annual budget of approximately $9 billion. Mayor Levine Cava’s administration is focused on building a stronger, more inclusive, more resilient Miami-Dade by prioritizing reforms to make our county safer, restoring and reinvigorating a thriving economy that delivers economic security for businesses and families, saving Biscayne Bay and our environment, and engaging with residents to make local government more responsive, transparent, and accountable.
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