Facing strong opposition from climate-change groups, Miami on Thursday backed down from a change critics said would undermine the city's quest to position itself as the shining example of how a city should prepare for climate change.
Multiple commissioners and a host of activists were worried a change to the city's leadership structure could send the public and other governments the wrong message about how seriously the city is taking climate change. They feared that high-level planning decisions and big-ticket projects across the city wouldn't get the necessary input from the staffers with expertise.
Detractors also worried the city might be at risk of losing $350,000 provided by 100 Resilient Cities, a Rockefeller Foundation program that funded the creation of the resilience office more than a year ago, as well as the ability to tap the program's international network of resources.
As part of a staff reorganization, City Manager Emilio Gonzalez wanted to combine the office of resilience, made up of the chief resilience officer and four staffers, with the public works department.
Read more with our news partner, the Miami Herald.