RESOLUTION No.
 
A RESOLUTION OF [AUTHORIZING BODY] FULLY SUPPORTING THE CONTINUED RESTORATION OF AMERICA'S EVERGLADES AND ENDORSING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE'S RECOMMENDATION TO BRIDGE AN ADDITIONAL 5.5 MILES OF THE TAMIAMI TRAIL
 
WHEREAS, [the adopting body] recognizes that the restoration of America's Everglades is critical to the long-term sustainability of south Florida's economy, quality of life and environment; and
 
WHEREAS, the two-lane Tamiami Trail highway (U.S. 41), constructed in the 1928 to link Tampa to Miami, acts as a dam, blocking vital water flows from the greater Everglades into Everglades National Park and Florida Bay; and
 
WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. National Park Service, the Skyway Coalition, [the adopting body], and others recognize that in order to protect and enhance the biological resources of Everglades National Park and Florida Bay and fully restore the Everglades, an 11-mile section of the Tamiami Trail bordering Everglades National Park must be bridged to the greatest extent practicable to allow water to freely flow into the Park; and
 
WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress directed the National Park Service to ''immediately evaluate the feasibility of additional bridge length beyond that to be constructed pursuant to the Modified Water Deliveries to Everglades National Park Project (16 U.S.C. 410r-8), including a continuous bridge, or additional bridges or some combination thereof, for the Tamiami Trail to restore more natural water flow to Everglades National Park (ENP) and Florida Bay and for the purpose of restoring habitat within the Park and the ecological connectivity between the Park and the Water Conservation Areas'' through the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (H.R. 1105; Pub. L. 111-008, dated March 11, 2009); and
 
WHEREAS, the National Park Service has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Tamiami Trail Modification: Next Steps projects, as directed by Congress, which identifies 5.5 miles of additional bridging as the preferred alternative; and
 
WHEREAS, the National Park Service's preferred alternative, alternative 6E, will provide the largest measurable environmental benefits to the Everglades ecosystem and a significant boost to South Florida's economy; and
 
WHEREAS, preferred alternative 6E will create key jobs in South Florida's engineering and construction sectors; and
 
WHEREAS, preferred alternative 6E will enhance the unique biological resources that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world to Everglades National Park each year; and
 
WHEREAS, preferred alternative 6E seamlessly integrates with the one-mile bridge project currently under construction to restore water flow through the historic River of Grass and to provide maximal environmental benefits to Everglades National Park, the State of Florida's Water Conservation Areas and Florida Bay.
 
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the [adopting body] of [location], Florida that:
 
SECTION 1. The [adopting body] fully supports the continued restoration of America's Everglades and endorses the National Park Service's preferred alternative 6E, as described in the May 2010 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Tamiami Trail Modifications: Next Steps project, which recommends 5.5 miles of additional bridging on the Tamiami Trail;
 
SECTION 2. The [adopting body] will forward a copy of this resolution to Dan Kimball, Superintendent of
Everglades National Park.
 
              SECTION 3. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
 
DULY PASSED AND ADOPTED on this [x] day of [x], 2010.