2012-09RESOLUTION NO. 2012-09
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF AVENTURA,
FLORIDA IN SUPPORT OF ADEQUATE HOMELAND
SECURITY FUNDNG AND TIER I DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) DESIGNATION FOR THE
MIAMI -FORT LAUDERDALE URBAN AREA SECURITY
INITIATIVE (UASI); AUTHORIZING THE CITY
MANAGER TO DO ALL THINGS NECESSARY TO
CARRY OUT THE AIMS OF THIS RESOLUTION; AND
PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the Department of Homeland Security, through the Urban Area Security
Initiative Program, provides homeland security grant funding to address the unique planning,
organization, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high - threat, high- density urban areas,
and assists them in building an enhanced and sustainable capacity to prevent, protect against,
respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Homeland Security, through the UASI Program,
distinguishes among urban areas as Tier 1 and Tier II, with the 11 highest risk urban areas
deemed Tier 1, and the remaining 20 deemed Tier II; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Homeland Security allocates significantly more funding
to Tier 1 Urban Areas, including over 80 percent of total UASI funding in FY2011; and
WHEREAS, the Tier 1 designation is based on a DHS formula that assesses risk based
on factors such as threat, vulnerability, and consequence, taking into account population,
borders, economic impact, and critical infrastructure ; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI is the eighth - largest Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA) in the United States, with a permanent population of 5.6 million residents
living throughout Palm Beach, Broward, Miami -Dade, and Monroe Counties, along with
millions of seasonal residents and tourist travelers; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI includes over 110 municipalities, four
international airports, three major convention centers, and other critical utility and water
infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI encompasses four international seaports:
Port Everglades, Port of Key West, Port of Miami, and Port of Palm Beach, with the Port of
Miami the busiest passenger cruise ship port in the world; and
WHEREAS, Port Everglades is the site of South Florida's primary fuel storage and
distribution center that supplies nearly one -fifth of the state's energy requirements; and
Resolution No. 2012 -09
Page 2
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI region includes Lake Okeechobee and
the Herbert Hoover Dike, which, if respectively contaminated or breached, would cause
enormous disruptions in drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation with flooding that
would endanger South Florida and much of Central Florida; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI has both national and international
economic significance, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $252.6 billion, and is home to
the largest concentration of international banks in the United States, and is the future home of the
Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI is home to the National Access Point
(NAP) Center of the Americas, which is the primary internet and telecommunications
distribution center for all of Central and South America; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI is of immense significance to our
Nation's defense and homeland security, serving as the home to US Southern Command
(USSOUTHCOM), Homestead Air Reserve Base, US Coast Guard operations at Air Station
Miami and Station Miami Beach; and the National Hurricane Center; and
WHEREAS, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States cites
specific localities within the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI region through which some of the 9-
11 terrorists are known to have traveled; and
WHEREAS, UASI funding is essential in providing funding for the training and
coordination of communication and response for over a hundred different fire, EMS, HazMat,
law enforcement, emergency operations and public health agencies within the Miami/Ft.
Lauderdale UASI; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale Urban Area is not currently designated as a Tier
I high - threat, high density urban area; and
WHEREAS, the current UASI methodology utilized by DHS does not adequately
account for airport and sea borne threats, nor the presence of thousands of passengers filling
cruise ship beds; and
WHEREAS, the Miami -Fort Lauderdale Urban Area despite being among the top 13
UASIs in the country, sustained a 44 percent reduction in funding from $17.1 million in FY2010
to $9.6 million in FY2011, while the eleven Tier 1 Urban Areas sustained no reductions in
funding; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission, as part of the Miami -Fort Lauderdale UASI, is
concerned that the Department of Homeland Security through the UASI Program, will continue
to dedicate insufficient resources to safeguard the Miami -Fort Lauderdale Urban Area.
Resolution No. 2012 -09
Page 3
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF AVENTURA, FLORIDA THAT:
SECTION 1. The City encourages the Department of Homeland Security to recognize
the Miami -Fort Lauderdale Urban Area as a Tier I UASI funding recipient within the UASI
Program, and allocate adequate funding commensurate with its risk profile and importance to the
nation.
SECTION 2. The City of Aventura supports full funding of the UASI Program in
FY2012.
SECTION 3. A copy of this resolution shall be forwarded to the offices of Senator Bill
Nelson, Senator Marco Rubio, and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman- Schultz.
SECTION 4. The City Manager is authorized to do all things necessary to carry out the
aims of this resolution.
SECTION 5. This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption.
The foregoing Resolution was offered by Vice Mayor Joel, who moved its
adoption. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Auerbach, and upon being put to a vote,
the vote was as follows:
Commissioner Zev Auerbach
yes
Commissioner Bob Diamond
yes
Commissioner Teri Holzberg
yes
Commissioner Michael Stern
yes
Commissioner Luz Urbaez Weinberg
absent
Vice Mayor Billy Joel
yes
Mayor Susan Gottlieb
yes
Resolution No. 2012- 04
Page 4
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 7�h day of February, 2012.
t
SAN GOTTLIEB, MAYOR
APPROVED AS TO LEGAL SUFFICIENCY:
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CITY ATTORNEY