(Miami, Florida)—City of Miami continues with the comprehensive citywide cleanup of City of Miami’s waterways and Spoil Islands along Biscayne Bay, through Friday, October 21, 2005. This initiative will help the city with its efforts to prevent potential damage from Hurricane Wilma and is a joint effort involving over 50 city employees and resources from several City Departments, including the Departments of Police, Code Enforcement, Parks, Homeless Assistance, Public Facilities, Grants, and NET. Special assistance for the project has been provided by the Offices of the Mayor, Commissioner Johnny Winton, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez.

The cleanup will entail the removal of trash and debris, as well as sunken, derelict, and abandoned vessels from our waters, park shorelines, and Spoil Islands. Many of these vessels were damaged or destroyed during the recent hurricanes and now pose environmental and navigational hazards. The City’s Code Enforcement Department has begun the process of identifying and citing vessels and debris to be removed during the project, and they will make every effort to contact known vessel owners to have them remove their property prior to the cleanup. Any property remaining at the time of the cleanup will be considered abandoned and will be removed and disposed of by the City, in accordance with City Code and State Statute.

The City of Miami has been working since 1995 to address and correct environmental problems caused by sunken, derelict, and abandoned vessels in our waters. Pollution from these vessels, along with improper mooring systems used by other anchored vessels, deteriorating our water quality is damaging sea grasses and other submerged resources. Additionally, these vessels create a navigational hazard to the many thousands of vessels that transit our waters each year.

The City embarked on a program to remove sunken, derelict, and abandoned vessels throughout our waters, working with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), and Miami-Dade County DERM. Over the past two years, the City has removed and disposed of 36 derelict vessels throughout City waters, at a cost of $143,685 (an average cost per vessel of almost $4,000). Additionally, earlier this year the City worked together with DERM and the Florida Department of Transportation to clean out the series of stormwater catch basins that feed the 27th Avenue outfall located at the Seminole Boat Ramp, adjacent to Dinner Key Marina. This outfall has historically proven to be a source of sedimentation and debris runoff that has contributed to local water quality deterioration.

WHO: City Departments, including the Departments of Police, Code Enforcement, Parks, Homeless Assistance, Public Facilities, Grants, and NET. Special assistance for the project has been provided by the Offices of the Mayor, Commissioner Johnny Winton, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez.

WHAT: Photo Opportunity of Clean up Efforts to prevent possible hurricane damage from Hurricane Wilma as the City of Miami Continues with Waterway Clean up effort through Friday, October 21, 2005

WHEN: October 21, 2005

WHERE: Morningside Park through Peacock Park, Miamimarina, Dinner Key and Marine Stadium Marinas