Miami, FL

Miami-Dade Is Working on a Plan to Clean up Biscayne Bay

Published

3 years ago

May 14, 2022

Miami-Dade Is Working on a Plan to Clean up Biscayne Bay

By ALEX HARRIS, Miami Herald

MIAMI (AP) — Biscayne Bay is in dire straits, with a number of fish kills racked up over the previous few summers, vanishing seagrass meadows and local weather change cranking up the warmth on Miami-Dade’s blue gem.

Now, for the primary time, Miami-Dade County is creating a proper, state-monitored plan to wash up its act and restore the bay. It’s employed a marketing consultant and set a self-imposed deadline of September to ship a plan to the state to handle the dirtiest sliver of the bay.

If Miami-Dade meets that objective, it’d rating some state grants this 12 months to switch extra polluting septic tanks to sewer strains, a significant drawback made worse by rising seas.

The choice to pursue a “cheap assurance plan” to wash up the bay is the primary concrete motion taken by the dual commissions — one from the county and one from the state — established final 12 months to handle rampant air pollution in Biscayne Bay.

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If that appears like déjà vu, it’s as a result of these teams are the newest in a decades-long string of activity forces, blue-ribbon panels and commissions that come to the identical conclusion each time: Biscayne Bay has an excessive amount of air pollution in it, and somebody wants to repair it.

The distinction is that this time, the county can have the state watching over its shoulder. Or not less than, that’s the concept. After a long time of inaction and declining water high quality, advocates are involved that the state gained’t maintain the county accountable for its new guarantees.

READ MORE: ‘Like Groundhog day’: New report has standard findings on the right way to save Biscayne Bay

Underneath this sort of plan, which has been used from Tampa to the Keys, the county decides the place and the right way to start the daunting cleanup.

“The county units our personal targets and we work towards our personal targets, slightly than the alternative and being informed what to do,” Miami-Dade’s Chief Bay Officer Irela Bagué informed the county’s Biscayne Bay Watershed Administration Advisory Board on Wednesday.

If the county doesn’t meet its targets, the state would possibly add new tasks to the listing.

“We don’t wish to say, ‘Oh, you didn’t meet your 5-year objective,’ ” Adam Blalock, Florida’s deputy secretary for ecosystems restoration, informed the Miami Herald. He mentioned the concept was to create a “collegial” ambiance to fulfill water high quality targets.

DOES THE WATCHDOG HAVE TEETH?

However bay advocates worry the strategy is simply too comfortable. The state and the county don’t have the most effective monitor file in the case of cleansing up Biscayne Bay. This new technique — referred to as a RAP or cheap assurance plan — is an alternative to a course of that ought to have occurred years in the past.

When state water our bodies begin displaying indicators of air pollution, Florida is meant to check them. If issues worsen, the water physique is formally declared “impaired,” like Biscayne Bay was in 2017.

After that, the state units requirements for a way a lot air pollution is allowed in there, often known as a complete every day most load. The subsequent step is a plan to wash up that water, a basin administration motion plan or BMAP.

In lots of locations in Miami-Dade County, that by no means occurred.

“We have now waterways throughout the county which might be stalled at each stage of the method. We have now waterways that haven’t been assembly water high quality requirements for years and years and the subsequent step of the regulatory course of merely by no means kicked in,” mentioned Rachel Silverstein, the Miami Waterkeeper.

Florida’s Division of Environmental Safety didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark about the way it plans to implement new water high quality requirements, and Miami-Dade employees mentioned they had been uncertain if the state has ever punished the county for failing to measure as much as the state requirements already in place.

Silverstein mentioned her group, like different Biscayne Bay advocacy teams, desires assurances from the state that it’s going to be certain that Miami-Dade follows by means of on its guarantees for cleaner water.

“Whether or not it’s a BMAP or a RAP, we can be trying to see that the outcomes of the plan are measurable and enforceable,” she mentioned. “After lengthy intervals with out motion on water high quality points for the Bay, we’ve to get this plan proper.”

Among the most vital (and most costly) tasks on that future listing can be changing the 1000’s of leaky septic tanks that line the county’s waterways to sewer pipes. Human waste, set afloat by drenching rains and rising sea ranges, supercharges canals, rivers and the bay with too many vitamins, polluting the water and harming marine life.

The county doesn’t have the cash to repair that multibillion-dollar drawback by itself. It desires a bit of the money Florida has put aside to transform septic tanks statewide. Final 12 months, Miami-Dade didn’t get a dime as a result of it didn’t have a state-approved plan to wash up the bay.

Now it’s speeding to make sure it does earlier than the grants open up once more. In hopes of assembly that deadline, Miami-Dade is simply creating a cleanup plan for one — very small, very soiled — a part of the bay.

County officers mentioned they haven’t nailed down an actual spot but, however the basic space is close to the mouth of the Little River.

“The idea we made was the smaller the RAP space the faster we may get it accomplished,” mentioned DERM’s Pamela Sweeney.

That’s a excessive pace timeline. The smallest RAP that exists in Florida covers Mosquito Lagoon, a 116-square-mile slice of coastal waters offshore of Volusia County. It took three years to place collectively.

Miami-Dade goals to have its accomplished in underneath six months. That’s additionally making advocates anxious.

“Most profitable RAPs are developed over a number of years with strong scientific research figuring out air pollution hundreds from every contributor and many stakeholder buy-in. Whereas we’re thrilled {that a} plan can be developed, this timeline is aggressive,” Silverstein mentioned. “It’s vital that these core components of the method, that are key to assembly water high quality requirements, aren’t skipped alongside the best way.”

DERM’s Sweeney mentioned she’s assured that the slender confines of the plan will assist pace issues alongside. A lot of the knowledge they want has already been collected, and he or she expects the primary model of the RAP will solely embrace partnerships with close by cities, not companies or firms that additionally pollute the house.

“I’m an everlasting optimist. We nonetheless can’t make a promise besides to say we’re going to do as a lot as we are able to as quick as we are able to,” she mentioned.

On the identical assembly, the county additionally introduced its plans to put in new filtering methods at three spots close to Little River as a part of an experiment to wash up the fertilizer, oil and pet waste-soiled water that drains into the bay. Every of the three tasks makes use of completely different filtering applied sciences and prices round $250,000. That cash isn’t within the financial institution but, nevertheless. The county is hoping state grants will cowl the check.

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Miami, FL

Award Talk, Pro Bowl Voting Begins

Published

6 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been on a tear since he returned from injured reserve, and his performance in the Miami Dolphins’ 34-15 victory against the New England Patriots on Sunday might have been his best so far this season.

Not surprisingly, that performance has been recognized by the NFL, which has made him one of the three nominees for the FedEx Air Player of the Week.

Tagovailoa completed 29 of 40 passes for 317 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions against New England, good for a passer rating of 128.9.

The other nominees are Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Minnesota’s Sam Darnold.

Fans can vote for the award on Twitter, with the winner announced later in the week.

Based on the performances of Week 12, Tagovailoa would seem to be a front-runner for the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award — though the Monday night game features an AFC matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers.

On Monday, Tagovailoa also was announced as the Dolphins nominee for the 2024 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Eight finalists will be selected and put on the Pro Bowl ballot for when players make their votes in December.

The award, which began in 2014, went to Dolphins defensive lineman Calais Campbell in 2022 when he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

Tagovailoa is one of five QBs among the nominees, along with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott and Jordan Love.

Former Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy is the nominee for the Ravens this year.

Fan voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games opened Monday.

Fans can make their selections at ProBowl.com/Vote, on team websites (such as www.miamidolphins.com/pro-bowl-games/vote) or on social media.

During the final two weeks of voting (Dec. 9-23), fans can vote directly on
“X” (formerly Twitter) by tweeting the first and last name of the player, tagging the player’s official
Twitter handle or creating a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these
methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. During the final two days (Dec. 22-23),
social votes will count as double.

The selections will be determined by balloting from fans, players and coaches, with each counting one-third of the process.

Players and coaches will cast their votes Friday, Dec. 27.

The Pro Bowl Games will take place in Orlando on Feb. 2.

The Dolphins had six Pro Bowl selections last season: QB Tua Tagovailoa, RB Raheem Mostert, FB Alec Ingold, WR Tyreek Hill, T Terron Armstead and CB Jalen Ramsey.

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Miami, FL

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Published

14 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Last Saturday was a day of relative chaos in college football.

Seven of the top 25 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll lost, with much of the carnage occurring in the SEC, where three top-15 teams fell, all to unranked opponents.

If there’s a conference that stands to benefit the most from that mayhem, it just might be the ACC, which now has a conceivable path to getting two teams into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Its three most likely entrants — SMU, Miami and Clemson — held up their end of the bargain with comfortable victories Saturday against Virginia, Wake Forest and The Citadel, respectively.

But what does the rest of the league look like?

Here’s how the ACC’s 17 teams stack up after Week 13 of the 2024 college football season:

ACC football power rankings

1. SMU (10-1, 7-0 ACC)

Last week: 1
This week: vs. Cal

The Mustangs’ 33-7 win at Virginia was the eighth victory in a row for coach Rhett Lashlee’s team and clinched it a spot in the ACC championship game. A win against Cal at home on Saturday would give SMU its second-consecutive season with at least 11 wins — a mark it hadn’t previously reached since 1982.

2. Miami (10-1, 6-1)

Last week: 2
This week: at Syracuse

In their first game since a gutting loss at Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes pulled away late from Wake Forest, scoring 22 unanswered points in the final eight minutes for a 42-14 victory. With a win at Syracuse, Miami will earn just its second-ever trip to the ACC championship game, a surprisingly rare appearance for a program of its historical caliber.

3. Clemson (9-2, 7-1)

Last week: 3
This week: vs. No 14 South Carolina

The Tigers are done with ACC play and can make the conference championship game if Miami loses at Syracuse. Even if they don’t make it to Charlotte, a win against rival South Carolina would give them not only in-state bragging rights, but it would keep their playoff hopes alive, with a 10-2 overall record.

4. Syracuse (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 4
This week: vs. No. 7 Miami

The Orange’s 31-24 victory against UConn gave it at least eight wins for the fourth time since 2010. With 470 yards against the Huskies, Kyle McCord broke the program’s single-season passing yardage record. Syracuse can cap off what has been a strong first season for coach Fran Brown with a win against Miami that would shake up the national playoff picture.

5. Louisville (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 7
This week: at Kentucky

The Cardinals’ loss to Stanford in Week 12 was as ugly a setback as a ranked team has endured this season, but they bounced back by throttling Pitt 37-9. Louisville nearly doubled the Panthers in total yardage, 507-265. Now, it will try to snap a five-game losing streak to rival Kentucky.

6. Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 5
This week: vs. No. 6 Georgia

The Yellow Jackets held on for a 30-29 victory against NC State, assuring them of back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 10 years. They racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense despite playing much of the game with backup Aaron Philo at quarterback. Next up? Their annual rivalry game against Georgia.

7. Duke (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 6
This week: at Wake Forest

The Blue Devils have thrived in close games this season, with five of their eight wins coming by a single score following a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech. They can pick up a ninth win on Saturday against a struggling Wake Forest team. It would be the fourth time since 2013 that Duke had won at least nine games, something it hadn’t previously done since its 1941 Rose Bowl season.

8. Pitt (7-4, 3-4)

Last week: 9
This week: at Boston College

The Panthers have lost four in a row since a 7-0 start that shot them up to No. 17 in the Coaches Poll. The latest setback was a 28-point dismantling at the hands of Louisville, a game in which Pitt lost starting quarterback Eli Holstein to a nasty-looking leg injury in the first quarter.

9. Boston College (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 12
This week: vs. Pitt

The Eagles rolled past North Carolina 41-21 after holding the Tar Heels to 212 total yards and forcing three turnovers. The win got Boston College to bowl eligibility in its first season under coach Bill O’Brien.

10. North Carolina (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 8
This week: vs. NC State

The Tar Heels’ three-game win streak got snapped in unsightly fashion, with a 20-point loss to Boston College in a game in which quarterback Jacolby Criswell threw three interceptions. The setback came days after 247Sports reported that 73-year-old coach Mack Brown plans to remain at North Carolina beyond this season.

11. Cal (6-5, 2-3)

Last week: 15
This week: at No. 9 SMU

The Golden Bears have had some tough luck in their first season in the ACC, with five one-score losses in conference play, but they’re ending the season on a strong note. Cal has won three of its past four games and became bowl eligible with a win over rival Stanford.

12. Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4)

Last week: 11

This week: vs. Virginia

Since getting to 5-3 and seemingly putting its early season disappointments behind it, the Hokies have come undone, with three consecutive losses after a 31-28 defeat against Duke. It was Virginia Tech’s fifth one-score loss this season. Coach Brent Pry’s team will need a win against rival Virginia to earn bowl eligibility.

13. Virginia (5-5, 2-4)

Last week: 10
This week: at Virginia Tech

A difficult final stretch of their schedule has worn on the Cavaliers, who have lost five of their past six games after a 4-1 start. Four of those six matchups came against teams that were ranked at the time. Virginia was held to just 173 total yards in a 26-point home loss to SMU.

14. NC State (5-6, 2-5)

Last week: 13
This week: at North Carolina

The Wolfpack suffered an excruciating 30-29 loss to Georgia Tech, a game in which it took a six-point lead with a touchdown with 1:30 remaining, but allowed a go-ahead, 75-yard drive in just 1:08. It will need a win against North Carolina to avoid missing a bowl for just the third time in the past 11 years.

15. Stanford (3-8, 2-6)

Last week: 14
This week: at San Jose State

The Cardinal very nearly followed up its stunning win against Louisville with another victory, but allowed 17 unanswered points to squander a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter in a 24-21 loss to rival Cal.

16. Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5)

Last week: 16
This week: vs. Duke

Whatever faint hopes the Demon Deacons had of reaching a bowl were dashed by Miami in a game in which they were out-gained by a 508-193 margin.

17. Florida State (2-9, 1-7)

Last week: 17
This week: vs. Florida

The Seminoles snapped a six-game losing streak with a 41-7 victory against what’s now a 1-11 FCS Charleston Southern team. Already assured of a last-place finish in the ACC, coach Mike Norvell’s team can try to end a miserable season with a win against rival Florida.

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Miami, FL

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

Published

22 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

It’s do-or-die now for The Miami Hurricanes. Win and they are headed to Charlotte to face the SMU Mustangs for the Chance at hold the ACC Title for the first time since joining the conference in 2004.

First, they have to defeat one of the best offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Syracuse Orange led by Kyle McCord who is also on a mission of his own.

The Hurricanes have the No. 1 offense in the country but with a questionable defense, it could be hard to say what makes of the Canes and their championship asperation. One step at a time for the Hurricanes however as they look to get some players back for the final game of the season in the likes of Elijah Alston and Damari Brown.

The the additon of those two players on the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes could push pass the Orange and the offense that stands in their way. They will try to do it led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Cam Ward and his gunslinging arm and litany of weapons surrounding him.

Date: November 30

Time: 3:30 ET

TV: ESPN

Location: JMA Wireless Dome

Series: The Hurricanes lead the series 16-7 against the Orange.

Last Matchup: The Hurricanes dominated on defense in a 27-19 victory where Syracuse QB Eric Dungey threw four interceptions. Canes QB Malik Rosier threw for 344 yards and two TDs.