Instead, it relies on an expensive and fragile septic tank and drain field systems. Miami Shores, like many old South Florida neighborhoods, doesn’t have a municipal sewer system for the over 3,000 homes in the community. Lewis was projecting into the future and arguing for a proactive solution to tackle climate change issues before they arise. (The point was largely ignored by local voters.)īut he wasn’t talking about it as a current issue. In the village council election that took place in April, candidate Eddie Lewis made the potential for climate change induced septic issues, a centerpiece of his campaign. This is not to say that Miami Shores doesn’t have a shit problem. There were no reports of “shit filled water” flooding the area. None of us have ever heard of raw sewage flooding the streets during king tides. I grew up in Miami Shores and my family has lived in the community for nearly 40 years. “…in low-income neighborhoods like Miami Shores, you have to walk through shit-filled water every time a big tide arrives.” Now, on to the second and far more important point. Sorry to be a stickler, but when dealing with such an important crisis, all the facts matter. When looking at various Census data points, Miami Shores (on a per capita basis) could be considered wealthier than Miami Beach. Miami Shores is geographically close to some of the poorest areas of Miami-Dade County, but the village itself is considered a wealthy one.Ĭensus data shows that the median value of owner-occupied housing units in Miami Shores is $397,800. VIDEO: storm surge caused by Hurricane Irma in Miami Shores: One: to anyone who has even spent a few hours traveling around South Florida would realize, Miami Shores is not a “low-income neighborhood”. “In Miami Beach, streets are being elevated and LEED-certified condo towers are rising, but in low-income neighborhoods like Miami Shores, you have to walk through shit-filled water every time a big tide arrives.” Goodell seems to be a top notch reporter who has spent a great deal of time on the ground researching the book.īut, how can he explain this, from the excerpt?:
The book, The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized Worldseems like an interesting and important read.įull disclosure: I have not had the chance to read it. Rolling Stone excerpted a few thousand word section of a freshly released book by one of its writers, Jeff Goodell.
Sadly, a glaring falsehood about what happens to certain Miami neighborhoods during king tides will only muddy the waters and give climate change deniers more ammunition in their fight to ignore reality. Most people in South Florida understand that things are changing in the local environment as the king tides seem to be getting worse, and as Hurricane Irma showed, we are at serious threat for more dangerous storm surge due to sea level rise.Īgain, most people in this town believe that climate change is real.