Affidavit for Local State of Emergency

My name is Daniella Levine Cava. I am the Mayor of Miami-Dade County. As part of my role as Mayor, I ultimately oversee the operations of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, in conjunction with County, State and Federal partners, continues search and recovery efforts while Miami-Dade County simultaneously continues to remove collapse and demolition debris from the site. The collapse and demolition material pose an imminent threat to the health and safety of residents who live immediately adjacent to that property. Collapse material and debris may include hazardous organic and inorganic materials and also generate harmful airborne particulates and odors. In addition, as it is hurricane season, loose materials and debris may become windborne projectiles in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane. These materials must be examined, collected and hauled to an off-site location to mitigate the aforementioned threats. Additionally, damage to the infrastructure of the site has caused groundwater inundation that requires monitoring and dewatering. Lastly, the Miami-Dade Police Department has asserted jurisdiction over the property as an investigative scene to preserve evidentiary materials. Manual access control and security must be maintained until permanent structures are constructed.

Due to the reasons outlined above, I believe the Declaration of a Local State of Emergency must be extended to allow me, as Mayor of Miami-Dade County, to continue to protect the Surfside community. Additionally, extending the Local State of Emergency will allow Miami-Dade County to seek reimbursement from state and federal governments as well as to qualify for available state and federal funding.

Further Affiant sayeth naught.