Miami Dredging Project for Larger Cargo Vessels Moving Ahead, Mayor Says

The Port of Miami Deep Dredge project will move forward under an agreement reached between Dade County and three petitioners who raised concerns about the project: the Tropical Audubon Society, Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper, Inc. and a County resident, Dan Kipnis, pending approval by the county commissioners, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement. The agreement came after the county agreed to provide funding to the Biscayne Bay Environmental Enhancement Trust Fund managed by the county's Department of Permitting, Environment and Regulatory Affairs.

The county is also donating funds to the non-profit groups Tropical Audubon Society and Biscayne Bay Waterkeeper for projects designed to protect and restore Biscayne Bay, prompting them to withdraw their opposition to the issuance of a Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with the construction phase of the dredge project. The project will allow the Port to proceed with the deepening of its channel to -50 feet to accommodate larger container cargo vessels.