Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board to hold first meeting on Dec. 6

The Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board (BBWMAB) will hold its first organizational meeting at 9 a.m. December 6, 2021, at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW First Street, at the Commission Chambers located on the second floor. Meetings are open to the public.

The BBWMAB will advise the Board and the County Mayor on various Biscayne Bay-related issues, provide local perspective and make recommendations for a new Miami-Dade County Biscayne Bay watershed management plan. In addition, the BBWMAB will offer a local perspective on Biscayne Bay problems, issues, and solutions; and will include representatives from local government and a variety of local entities and groups, all of whom will have demonstrated an interest and commitment to Biscayne Bay matters.

The BBWMAB current membership is as follows: 

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa; League of Cities Representatives: City of Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, Village of Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott, North Bay Village Commissioner Rachel Streitfeld, and City of Miami Shores Councilmember Crystal Wagar; Miami River Commission Representative Brett Bibeau; Scientific Representatives: Dr. Todd Crowl, Florida International University, Dr. Diego Lirman, University of Miami, and Dr. Joan Browder, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Biscayne National Park Representative Erik Stabenau; Greater Miami Visitors and Convention Bureau Representative Julissa Kepner; Builders Association of South Florida Representative T. Spencer Crowley, III, Esq.; Florida Engineers Society-Miami Representative Jannek Cederberg, PE; The Marine Council Representative Gerald C. McGinley, Jr.; Dade County Farm Bureau Representative John L. Alger; Environmental Group Representatives Roberto Torres from the Nature Conservancy and Dave Doebler from the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Coalition.

“Creating the BBWMAB is one of the governance recommendations made by the Biscayne Bay Task Force (BBTF),” said Irela Bagué, past BBTF Chair, and Miami-Dade County’s Chief Bay Officer. “Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Board of County Commissioners have made the recovery of Biscayne Bay a top priority. The organizational meeting will offer an update on policies enacted and projects underway to improve water quality. I look forward to working with the BBWMAB to establish a permanent and unified approach to the future management of the watershed,” Bagué added. 

For additional information on the board and its activities, visit: Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board.