Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s top five strategies to save our planet

To celebrate Earth Day in 2023, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava shares the top five strategies Miami-Dade County has launched to protect the environment as part of her administration.

Since taking office, the mayor has made a healthy environment a top policy priority, leading to the creation of the County’s first Climate Action Strategy and the inclusion of resilience components in a vast majority of the initiatives and programs across departments, from major infrastructure projects to community education campaigns.

The following list includes Mayor Levine Cava’s top five strategies:

1. Going Electric

• Miami-Dade County will soon have one of the largest electric public transit fleets in the nation with more than 60 battery electric buses already in service and more than 100 on the way. To efficiently operate its growing electric bus fleet, the County is also building a new state-of-the-art electric bus facility in South Dade where the 100 new vehicles will be housed, charged and maintained.
• The mayor set a goal to electrify the County’s vehicle fleet by 2030 and our departments are already busy deploying electric vehicles and charging infrastructure to serve both the County’s fleet and the public.
• The Department of Solid Waste Management recently rolled out its first-ever electric-powered waste collection truck.
• The Miami-Dade Aviation Department received its first four all-electric vehicles just this month, with 13 more scheduled for next year and 24 more expected over the next five years.
• The Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department is also replacing most of its mower inventory with eco-friendly electric mowers over the next four years.
• Even our cruise ships are going electric through the nation’s most aggressive rollout of “shore power” that will enable cruise ships to plug-into the electric grid when docked at PortMiami.

2. Building Resilience

• This month, Mayor Levine Cava unveiled the first-ever large-scale solar energy system on a County-owned building at the North Dade Regional Library in Miami Gardens. Five additional projects that span libraries, a housing facility, public housing and a county courthouse are currently underway. Once fully operational, the projects will represent a total cost savings of more than $5.8 million. represent a total over the system’s lifespan. 
• Miami-Dade Fire Rescue started the first of many resilient solar powered fire stations with the commencement of construction for the Dolphin fire station in Sweetwater.
• Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience launched the BE305 Challenge, in 2021 that teaches local building owners and managers how to benchmark energy and water consumption and implement low- and no-cost strategies to cut consumption. Over the last two years, more than 120 buildings have enrolled in the Challenge, representing 28 million square feet in 13 of the county’s 34 municipalities.

3. Protecting our bay and drinking water 

• As the celebrated “water warrior,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is a strong advocate for our beloved Biscayne Bay. Miami-Dade County has rolled out the following projects under her administration to stop nutrient pollution from entering our waterways and the Bay: 
• Implemented the County’s fertilizer ban for the summer months and provided education and training to prevent the pollution caused by the use of fertilizers during the rainy season. 
• Launched the first of many “Connect 2 Protect” projects to connect thousands of properties to the County’s sewer system.
• Worked with the Board of County Commissioners to enhance penalties and fines for those who are caught illegally dumping in the Bay or any other body of water.
• Initiated the Water and Sewer Department’s Effluent Energy Recovery System designed to provide cooling to buildings at wastewater treatment plants and reuse treated water, dramatically increasing the County’s water recycling and recovery commitment from 15 million gallons per day to more than 100 million gallons per day and incorporating the use of renewable solar energy.

4. Protecting our residents from extreme heat  

• Mayor Levine Cava appointed the world’s first Chief Heat Officer and declared the first heat season to put forward strategies that protect our most vulnerable residents from the impact of extreme heat.
• Last year, Mayor Levine Cava announced the installation of 1,700 energy-efficient air conditioners in Miami-Dade County’s public housing units, making us the first local government in the nation to ensure cooling in all public housing.
• This month, the mayor signed a partnership agreement with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to provide matching support of up to $200,000 towards tree planting at schools in neighborhoods with high urban heat islands.
• The mayor worked to increase the budget for community tree planting and preservation of critical habitat by more than $27 million.

5. Getting to zero waste 

• The mayor has committed to chart a path to zero waste for Miami-Dade, which will require a wholesale reimagining of our solid waste and wastewater systems throughout the County.
• The County is working to expand opportunities for organic composting and mulching of tree trimmings, greater and more effective recycling, and replacing single-use plastics and polystyrene with reusable and compostable alternatives.
• Launched the Plastic Free 305 campaign to celebrate Miami-Dade County businesses dedicated to reducing or eliminating the purchase and use of single-use plastics through adopting reuse and sustainable replacement strategies.

Read the press release