SUNNY ISLES BEACH MANAGEMENT PLAN Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces 275 N.W. 2nd Street Miami, FL 33128 SUNNY ISLES BEACH MANAGEMENT PLAN Updated: September 30, 2020 SUBMITTED TO: Division of State Lands Office of Environmental Services PREPARED FOR: Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces PREPARED BY: 2122 Johnson Street Fort Myers, Florida 33901 Management Plan for Natural & Non-natural Resource Properties This management plan is intended for all Board of Trustees leases and subleases that are less than 160 acres in size. It is intended to address the requirements of Chapter 253.034 and 259.032, Florida Statutes, and 18-2.021, Florida Administrative Code. Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund Lease #3685 LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Lead Agency: Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (MDPROS) Common Name of Property: Sunny Isles Beach Location: East of Collins Avenue, south of Golden Beach and north of Haulover Beach, in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, 33160. Total Acreage: 90± Acres Land Cover Classification: Beach-renourished Sand 90± acres Use: Single ___ Multiple _X_ Management Responsibility: Agency Responsibility MDPROS Sea Turtle Conservation Program MDPROS General Maintenance City of Sunny Isles Beach Police Protection ACOE & DERM/RER Beach-Sand Re-nourishment Designated Land Use: Recreation and Conservation Sublease(s): None Encumbrances: No Known Encumbrances Acquisition: The State of Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (TIITF) acquired the property following the completion of the beach renourishment local cooperative agreement between the United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). Miami-Dade County leased the property from TIITF in 1989 for the maintenance and management of the renourished Sunny Isles Beach (SIB). Significant Natural Resources: Natural Archaeological/Historical Sea Turtle Nests None Beach Environments Management Needs: Daily garbage removal; security; public access; maintenance; monitoring Acquisition Needs/Acreage: None Surplus Land Needs/Acreage: None Public Involvement: Volunteers with Sea Turtle Conservation Program and Beach Clean-up events i LIST of ABBREVIATIONS & APPENDICES ABBREVIATIONS (Alphabetical Order) ACOE United States Army Corps of Engineers DERM/RER Miami-Dade County Division of Environmental Resource Management, Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources FDEP Florida Department of Environmental Protection FNAI Florida Natural Areas Inventory MDPROS Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department SIB Sunny Isles Beach TIITF State of Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund APPENDICES Appendix A. Location Map Appendix B. SIB Aerial Map Appendix C. Public Access Map Appendix D. Lifeguard Tower Map Appendix E. Adjacent Conservation Areas Map Appendix F. Inventory (FNAI) Report Appendix G. Beach Renourishment Reference Map Appendix H. USDA Soils Map Appendix I. Lease Agreement Appendix J. Division of Historical Resources Report Appendix K. Marine Turtle Permit MTP-20-150A Appendix L. Beach Access & Lifeguard Tower Photo Documentation Appendix M. Vendor Location Map Appendix N. Annual Budget ii A. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Common name of the property: Sunny Isles Beach (SIB) 2. Lease Number: 3685 3. Acres: ±90 4. Managing Agency: Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department (MDPROS) 5. Provide an executive summary/description of this property that includes a brief description of the resources, uses and proposed uses, outstanding features, etc. A Land Management Executive Summary is provided at the front of this document. 6. Attach a map showing the location and boundaries of the property including: a) The location and type of structures or improvements currently on the property Appendix A – Location Map Appendix B – SIB Aerial Map Appendix C – Public Access Map Appendix D – Lifeguard Tower Map b) The location and type of proposed improvements. There are no recreational improvements proposed for SIB at this time. The Army Corp of Engineers, in coordination with the State and County, plans to complete beach re- nourishment activities within Sunny Isles Beach on a periodic or as needed basis. 7. Attach a map showing the proximity of this managed area to other conservation areas within 10 miles. Please refer to the Adjacent Conservation Areas Map in Appendix E that illustrates the location of other managed/conservation lands within the 10-mile vicinity of SIB. Of particular interest in close proximity to the SIB, the following have been specifically called out on the map: the mean high-water line of the Atlantic Ocean (containing State Sovereign Submerged Lands) which forms the eastward boundary of SIB; Haulover Park located directly south of SIB; Biscayne Bay aquatic Preserve located approximately 0.2 miles west of SIB; the Florida Intercoastal Waterway located about 0.5 miles west of SIB; Oleta River State Park located approximately 0.5 miles from the southern portion of SIB; and John U. Lloyd State Park located 7 miles north of SIB, in Broward County. Page 1 of 16 8. Please provide a legal description of the property. The ±90-acres that comprise SIB are described in the lease agreement between TIITF and Miami-Dade County as the parcel located between the erosion control line and westerly Atlantic Ocean mean high-water line situated in Sections 2, 11 and 14, Township 52 South, Range 42 East, Miami-Dade County, Florida; and over portions of the contiguous waters to a point 150’ easterly of the high-water line bounded to the north and south by Golden Beach and Haulover Beach, respectively. 9. Provide a physical description of the land including a quantitative data description of the land which includes an inventory of forest and other natural resources, exotic and invasive plants, hydrological features, infrastructure including recreational facilities, and other significant land, cultural or historical features. SIB is a ±90-acre coastal property that extends approximately 2.5 miles along the Atlantic Ocean, currently with ten lifeguard towers and 20 public access points located throughout the Park (Appendices C & D). As part of the Beach Renourishment Project in 1986, beach fill was placed throughout the entirety of SIB. SIB beach re- nourishment continues to occur, as needed. No features of archaeological or historical significance have been located on SIB. According to the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) Report (Appendix F), SIB is adjacent to a significant region of scrub habitat in the northwest corner of Haulover Beach Park that contains protected species. Exotic invasive plants are managed and removed by both the adjacent property owners and MDPROS as needed, preventing them from invading the beach environment. Sea turtle nests are known to be present at SIB. In 1982, the Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department (Now MDPROS) instituted the Miami-Dade Parks Sea Turtle Conservation Program, to encourage the nesting of the loggerhead, green, and leatherback turtles. These three species of sea turtle had not reproduced successfully on the beach for decades. Following the initiation of this program more than 500,000 endangered sea turtles have been hatched and released throughout the County. 10. A brief description of soils types attaching USDA maps when available. SIB is comprised of one soil type, beaches (Soil ID 39). For maintenance purposes, new beach sand is added by ACOE, through Miami-Dade County Division of Environmental Resource Management (DERM), as needed. The most recent re-nourishment done in the area of SIB was the Estates at Acqualina project done between R-7 to R-10 (Appendix G – Beach Re-nourishment Reference Points Map), which was done January – February 2020 adding a total of 24,934 cubic yards or 34,994 tons of sand. A soils map is included as Appendix H. Page 2 of 16 11. Is the property adjacent to an aquatic preserve or designated area of critical state concern? YES NO _X__ If YES, please identify: Florida Statue Chapter 380.05 Areas of Critical State Concern define areas of critical state concern as “an area containing, or having a significant impact upon, environmental or natural resources of regional or statewide importance, including, but not limited to, state or federal parks, forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, aquatic preserves, major rivers and estuaries, state environmentally endangered lands, Outstanding Florida Waters, and aquifer recharge areas, the uncontrolled private or public development of which would cause substantial deterioration of such resources” purchased by the State. Although not directly adjacent, the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve is located approximately 0.2 miles west of SIB, as illustrated on the Conservation Areas Map in Appendix E. 12. Was the property acquired by a conservation land acquisition program? SIB was leased from the State of Florida, TIITF, in 1989 for the conservation and protection of natural resources and resource based public outdoor recreation. The lease is for a term of fifty years, expiring in 2039. 13. Do any agency-specific statue requirements or legislative/executive directives constrain the use of the property? (These restrictions can frequently be found in the lease). YES X NO ___ If YES, please identify: The SIB title is retained by the State of Florida and leased to MDPROS to manage. The following are management requirements of the lease agreement (Appendix I). "LESSEE shall manage