Seawall Ordinance - Virtual Community Briefing

Published on June 11, 2020

Virtual Community Information Briefing: Revision to City Seawall Standards and Elevations  

June 16, 2020 at 6:30pm 

Join virtual meeting by visiting: miamigov.com/seawall. 

Proposed changes will be considered by the Miami City Commission at the June 25th commission meeting. 

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons needing special accommodations to participate may contact the Department of Resilience and Public Works at (305) 416-1251 (Voice) no later than two (2) business day prior to the proceeding. TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service) no later than two (2) business day prior to the proceeding.  

In order to become a more resilient City, Miami is considering revisions to standards for seawalls and waterfront barriers within the city’s ordinance.  Recent projections developed by the South Florida Regional Climate Compact indicate the city will experience 21” to 40” of Sea Level Rise within the next 50 years (2070).  This will require seawalls and natural waterfront barriers to be constructed to higher elevations to prevent inundation during king tides, hurricanes, and extreme weather events.  In addition recommending seawalls are constructed to 6’ NAVD, the city intends to incorporate a number of other changes, including transition from National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929  to North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD) as the standard for elevation data,  establishing standards for natural waterfronts and permeable erosion barriers, and triggers for when property owners will be required to improve waterfronts to the new standard.  Proposed changes will be considered by the Miami City Commission at the June 25th Commission Meeting.

Click here for an informational flyer.(PDF, 386KB)

Proposed Ordinance Change(PDF, 253KB)