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WHEREAS, Section 935 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 ("WRDA 1986") <br /> states that the Army Corps can only use domestic sources of sand for renourishment of this project, <br /> unless the Secretary of the Army provides written certification that domestic sources are not available <br /> for environmental or economic reasons; and <br /> WHEREAS, in March 2016 the Army Corps completed a Limited Reevaluation Report and <br /> Environmental Assessment with a Finding of No Significant Impact with updated economics to justify <br /> potential alternative sand sources for future renourishment projects to utilize new sand sources, which <br /> include Bahamas sand; and <br /> WHEREAS, the option to import offshore sand from the Bahamas to expedite beach <br /> nourishment projects in the City of Sunny Isles Beach and throughout Miami-Dade County is important <br /> because the sand may be closer to the quality of the sand on Miami's beaches than some of the alternatives <br /> listed by the Army Corps; and <br /> WHEREAS, foreign offshore sources may have a lower cost to import than purchasing sand <br /> from approved upland sources, and there may be fewer impacts on roads, such as reduced quality of life <br /> impacts resulting from truck traffic and fewer carbon emission from trucks hauling the sand; and <br /> WHEREAS, the City of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida supports a recent decision by the federal <br /> government to study the benefits of replenishing Florida beaches with foreign sand; and <br /> WHEREAS, on February 2, 2017, United States Senator Marco Rubio introduced <br /> Senate Bill 279 and United States Congresswoman Lois Frankel introduced companion House Bill 833 <br /> to amend WRDA 1986 with respect to the acquisition of beach fill to eliminate the restriction against <br /> offshore sand; and <br /> WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City to support Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 <br /> to eliminate the restriction against offshore sand, and to urge the United States Congress to expedite and <br /> fund the study to expedite and fund the study to evaluate the benefits of replenishing Florida beaches <br /> with foreign sand. <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF SUNNY <br /> ISLES BEACH, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS: <br /> Section 1. Recitals Adopted. That each of the above stated recitals are hereby adopted, confirmed, <br /> and incorporated herein. <br /> Section 2. Support by the City of Sunny Isles Beach Commission for United States Congressional <br /> Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 to Amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1 986 and <br /> Urging Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation to Expedite Efforts to Allow Foreign Sources <br /> of Sand to be Utilized in Beach Nourishment Projects in Miami-Dade County. The City of Sunny Isles <br /> Beach supports Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 833 to amend Section 935 of the WRDA 1986 to <br /> eliminate the Restriction promulgated by Section 935 of the WRDA 1986 in order to facilitate the use <br /> of foreign offshore sand in Beach Nourishment Projects. The City urges the United States Congress to <br /> expedite and fund the study to evaluate the benefits of replenishing Florida beaches with foreign sand. <br /> Section 3. Direction to the City Clerk. The City Clerk is hereby directed to send a copy of this <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />