Broward County Mayors to Discuss Climate Impacts and Responses

 Municipal leaders representing two-thirds of the cities in Broward County will convene for the inaugural Broward Mayors’ Roundtable on Climate Change, hosted by Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs, on Monday, September 16, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Events Hall of the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach.

“A network of engaged leaders working together to build resilient communities lies at the core of an effective regional response to climate change,” said Mayor Jacobs. “The Mayors’ Roundtable seeks to spark a conversation and build ongoing relationships among our leaders in Broward County around climate issues.”   

Experts from Broward County, the City of Fort Lauderdale, the South Florida Water Management District, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy will make presentations on general climate impacts and consequences of sea level rise, municipal initiatives, the growing challenges to water resources and flood control in the region, and statewide policy and funding initiatives. The Roundtable will then open up for a wide-ranging discussion among the mayors, vice-mayors, and commissioners present, covering not only existing municipal activities but also identification of regional planning and technical needs and potential opportunities for cooperation at the County and regional scale. Richard Grosso, director of the Environmental and Land Use Law Clinic at Nova Southeastern University, will facilitate the discussion.

This roundtable follows on the heels of recent support for the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact and its Regional Climate Action Plan via a Mayors’ Climate Action Pledge – now supported by 16 Broward municipalities. It also precedes the upcoming 5th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit in Fort Lauderdale, to be held November 7 and 8, 2013, and concurrent plans for a Coastal Communities Congressional Town Hall, planned for November 7 at 7 p.m.

Many municipal leaders attend the annual Climate Leadership Summits, but this roundtable is the first event in the region specifically designed to engage the mayors of a county on climate change impacts and responses.

For more information, contact Jason Liechty, Environmental Projects Coordinator with Broward County, at 954-519-0310 or jliechty@broward.org.