Miami-Dade's resilience department gets a rebrand and staff cuts in efficiency push
Miami-Dade is slashing and re-organizing the county department in charge of climate change, a move that combines three top environmental roles into one and reduces the department by two-thirds.
A memo released Thursday afternoon details the change, which Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is calling a bid for government efficiency in line with her 'WISE 305' strategy to cut red tape and trim the size of her administration. She also says it will help all parts of the county address climate change issues individually, as well as together.
'My administration is taking a fresh approach to our resilience efforts in order to break down siloes across County portfolios and accelerate progress on critical solutions to build a future-ready Miami-Dade, protecting our community and economy now and in the long term,' the memo reads.
The changes come as Levine Cava is warning of a challenging budget for 2026, as Miami-Dade faces a cooling real estate market and the end of federal COVID dollars that buoyed spending since she took office in 2020. In her State of the County speech last month, Levine Cava announced a push to streamline county government to save money.
The biggest change is eliminating two top environmental roles, a Chief Resilience Officer and a Chief Heat Officer. Both come with six-figure salaries, according to the latest county data; more than $236,000 for the former and $180,000 for the latter.
Jane Gilbert, the nation's first chief heat officer, plans to retire this summer, the mayor's office said. Last month, Levine Cava announced her pick for the county's newest Chief Resilience Officer — Curtis Osceola, the former chief of staff for the Miccosukee Tribe.
Days after the announcement, Osceola was arrested on domestic violence charges against his girlfriend. He says he was wrongfully detained and arrested and expects the charges to be dropped.
After his arrest, the county backpedaled on hiring Osceola. Now, the role will be filled by Loren Parra, the county's Chief Bay Officer and a former communications staffer for the mayor.
Parra will serve as Chief Resilience Officer while continuing her work on Biscayne Bay and absorbing the duties of Chief Heat Officer.
The Office of Resilience is getting a rebrand, as well as a haircut. It's now known as the Office of Environmental Risk and Resilience, and the headcount is dropping from 27 staffers to 10, said Rachel Johnson, Levine Cava's deputy chief of staff.
Only one staffer is losing their job, Johnson said. The rest are getting scattered to work on resilience projects in other parts of the county, including the airport, solid waste, housing and economic development.
'This is really to expand the impact of the resilience team,' Johnson said. 'We really want to make sure that we're creating a structure that continues to advance these critical projects into the future.'
The move to re-organize and rebrand the county's top agency for adapting to climate change comes in a political climate where both the state and federal government are minimizing climate action — if not blocking it altogether. But Johnson said climate change remains one of the mayor's key priorities.
'The mayor's commitment is to resilience and investing in a future-ready community. Our commitment is as strong as ever,' she said.
Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who represents District 7, said she sees the move as a proper response to a smaller budget, with a stronger focus on resilience projects versus communicating the science and impacts of climate change on the region.
'The pendulum has swung and these things were created with the best of intentions. The majority of this work has been public relations. I'm really interested in what benefit they are providing the country and the residents of Miami-Dade County,' she said.
'As the residents of Miami-Dade County tighten their belts, government must do the same.'
Miami Herald Staff Writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this article.
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