Protecting Biscayne Bay is economic necessity for Miami-Dade County, officials say

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – When it comes to overall impact, a new study found that Biscayne Bay contributes $64 billion to the local economy, close to a half of a million jobs and $4 billion in tax revenues for the county.

The bay’s economic impact is significant because the report says it makes up close to 20 percent of the county’s economy; most of that money comes from port activity.

“It’s an environmental jewel but it’s also an economic powerhouse and tying those two together I think is the most important component for making people realize how important it is to invest in the resilience,” said Scott Wagner, vice chair of the South Florida Water Management District.

Biscayne Bay contributes $8 billion to property values and attracts close to 120 million residents and visitors. Given its economic significance, there’s a lot of concern over the health of the bay.

“We continue to face ecological challenges caused by runoff, septic systems, aging infrastructure and litter,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava

Over the weekend, there was uproar on social media when a video was posted of what looked like construction debris spreading into Biscayne Bay in the Edgewater neighborhood.

“It’s still under investigation and it could be a combination of sources,” said Cava.

It isn’t the first time there have been environmental messes caused and it happens time and time again.

A grand jury report from August of 2019 sounded the alarm warning that Biscayne Bay is at a tipping point and that the declining quality of water may become irreversible.

In July, the board of county commissioners approved stiff higher penalties for anyone caught illegally dumping into the bay, or any body of water, anywhere in the county.

The board of county commissioners unanimously approved the significant increases in fines for all environmental violations that pollute Miami-Dade’s ground and surface waters, especially Biscayne Bay.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa sponsored the ordinance.

“There have been reports that septic companies have been dumping into lakes,” said Sosa. “We have to increase the civil penalties.

The new stiffer fines give Miami-Dade’s Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) more muscle to go after big developers and contractors that fail to properly secure construction sediment, debris and other materials on their sites.

Fines that, for decades, were so low, it was cheaper to pay them than comply.

And, it’s not just Biscayne Bay, it’s all Miami-Dade County.

Anything that pollutes any body of water is under scrutiny because in the end all of it dumps into Biscayne Bay.

When reporting violations, it’s important to document what you see with pics or video.

To report them, email [email protected], or click here to submit an environmental complaint.

For more information on reporting environmental complaints, click here.