Victoria Mendez

City of Miami

The City of Miami is the seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida located in between the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. The city covers an area of 56.6 square miles and is known as the "Magic City". According to the most recent U.S. Census estimates, 441,003 people call Miami home. Diversity is one of the hallmarks that defines us, and we draw strength from it as many of our residents come from the Caribbean and Central and South America. In fact, 70% of our population is Hispanic or Latino. In 2016, the City of Miami was chosen along with the City of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County as regional partners to join 100 Resilient Cities' (100RC) global network which was founded by the Rockefeller Foundation. Miami is a Future City and as such, the city is addressing rising seas and climate concerns. City voters approved the Miami Forever Bond in November 2017 and the initial phase of the program was launched in December of 2018. The funding is earmarked for five key categories, including $192M allocated to mitigate the most severe current and future flood risks and vulnerability through strategic infrastructure investments. Some of the projects included are tidal backflow prevention valves, raised roads, and stormwater pumps to keep our streets dry and seawalls to protect our neighborhoods. The City is actively cultivating public and private partnerships in advancing its ambitious climate resilience strategy, which also includes non-infrastructure measures such as land use planning, building codes and hurricane preparedness.