Cutler Bay Green Initiatives
Through the continuous work of past and present Town Council, and the support of a strong community of environmental activists, here are a few major green initiatives that the Town of Cutler Bay has done:
- 16 Acre Land Swap for New Park and Municipal Complex: In January 2020, the Town Council made one of the biggest environmental commitments since the Town's incorporation by carrying out a "land swap"deal—exchanging the Town Hall building and adjacent property the Town owned for 16 acres of vacant land located north of SW 212 Street and east of Old Cutler Road (commonly referred to as the “potato field”). The vision for this land swap is to gain more green space and to serve as a gathering point for the community, which will eventually become a park and house a municipal complex. In the process, this land swap also prevented up to 480 residential units the property is zoned for to be developed.
- Purchase 8.43 acres of land for preservation: On Earth Day’s 50th anniversary, the Town Council made another great environmental commitment—with strong support from residents—by unanimously voting to purchase an 8.43 acre property located on the northeast border of the Town. In so doing, it put a stop to the plans for its development. The parcel is environmentally valuable buffer land, is an endangered ecotone that supports a large diversity of species, and it also helps protect the community from the threat of sea level rise and storms, among other important qualities.
- Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program: Through the efforts of the Town Council and Staff, Cutler Bay is part of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. This program enables property owners to finance the up-front cost to buy solar panels, wind generators, insulation or shutters for their homes, and then pay the costs back over time through an increase in their annual property taxes. Bonds are issued by a special district and backed by property tax liens on the residences of owners who are awarded PACE loans. The property owner repays the loan over a 10, 15 or 20-year period.
- Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) Silver Certified: In 2009, the Town earned a Silver certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) for implementing over 40 green practices designed to reduce energy consumption and conserve local natural resources, and later earned the FGBC Silver recertification in 2016. This initiative also served to lead the community by example and encourage the private sector to apply the same principles through the creation of green homes, green commercial buildings, and green land developments.
- Green Master Plan: The Green Master Plan was developed in 2018 and serves as a blueprint for Cutler Bay to achieve its sustainability goals. The Plan gives a Five-Year Green Improvement Program which addresses Town green activities that will require future implementation, as well as activities proposed to take the Town to the next level of sustainability. The plan also helps guide the Town’s annual budget process so that planned green projects and programs can be addressed in the budget each year.
- Earned Community Rating System Class 4: Through the hard work and dedication of the Town Council, Town’s Public Works Department and the Floodplain Mitigation Plan Advisory Committee, Cutler Bay has earned a Community Rating System (CRS) Class 4, being only one of only 3 municipalities in Florida to achieve this. Achieving a CRS Class 4 means the Town has better chances to mitigate potential flooding, while saving residents 30% on their flood insurance premiums.
- Developed Environmental Stewardship Program: In 2019, the Town Council adopted a resolution to establish the Environmental Stewardship Program. This program is designed to incentivize local businesses to voluntarily adopt green practices such as: conserve natural resources; reduce, reuse and recycle; and take affirmative steps to prevent pollution, among many other practices. Businesses that participate are rewarded with recognition and marketing efforts by the Town.
- Tree City USA: Since incorporation, our Public Works department has planted over 3,800 new trees and have earned Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA designation every year since 2009, as well as their Growth Award every year since 2012! A substantial tree canopy has many benefits for the community which include cooling the area, cleaning the air, promoting an active lifestyle, increasing property value and reducing energy costs. Each year, the Town applies for Street Tree grants to continue adding more trees throughout Town limits.
- Designating Lincoln City Park and Endangered Preserve: After receiving the results from a Natural Forest Community Quantitative Evaluation that found that the Town’s smallest park—Lincoln City Park—qualified as an environmentally endangered land, the Town Council adopted a resolution in March 2019 designating the park as a Pine Rockland Preserve. The .6-acre passive park is located at SW 212 Street and 99 Avenue. Pine Rockland is an endangered habitat that only exists in South Florida, the Florida Keys, and some islands of the Bahamas. South Florida’s Pine Rockland habitat has been reduced from approximately 180,000 acres to about 3,000 acres by development and agriculture.
- Banning Plastic Straws: Keeping in line with the Town’s long history of environmental social responsibility, the Town Council adopted an ordinance in 2019 that prohibits the use, sale, or distribution of single-use plastic straws in commercial establishments, by mobile vendors, and by special event permittees, as well as on Town facilities and property. The Town also prohibited the sale or use of expanded polystyrene food service articles by town contractors.
- Building Moratoriums: In 2008 and again in 2019, the Town Councils of each respective period adopted a building moratorium in order to review and make adjustments to development regulations to ensure that new development is done in a sustainable manner.
- The Cutler Bay Growth Management Plan developed with citizen input recognizes the Town's responsibility to play its part in smart growth solutions
- The Town has purchased two hybrid vehicles, we use recycled paper and green cleaning supplies
- The Town has begun upgrading printing equipment and using vegetable-based inks in order to reduce toxins found in the printing process
