>>> WELCOME BACK. I’M STEPHANIE RUHLE HERE IN
MIAMI, FLORIDA AT THE FIRST
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WHERE A
MAJOR ISSUE ON EVERYONE’S MIND
HERE IN MIAMI IS CLIMATE CHANGE.
IT IS AMONG THE TOP THREE 2020
ELECTION ISSUES FOR FLORIDA
DEMOCRATS AND 71% OF ALL FLORIDA
VOTERS POLLED SAY THEY SUPPORT
GOVERNMENT ACTION TO ADDRESS
CLIMATE CHANGE.
CLIMATE CHANGE. AND AS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS VERY
SHOW, LOCAL LEADERS ACROSS
CITIES ARE TAKING ON THE
CHALLENGES THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT MIGHT NOT BE.
THAT INCLUDES HERE IN MIAMI
WHERE THERE ARE ALREADY
INVESTING HEAVILY IN COMBATTING
RISING SEA LEVELS.
JOINING ME IS THE REPUBLICAN
MAYOR OF THIS TOWN MIAMI
MARIJUANA FRANCIS SUAREZ.
MAYOR, TO SAY YOU’RE SPENDING IS
AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
AN UNDERSTATEMENT. A $400 MILLION PROGRAM IS A HUGE
PRICE FOR A CITY TO ADDRESS
CLIMATE CHANGE.
CLIMATE CHANGE. YOU SAY URBAN ISSUES ARE NOT
PARTISAN.
PARTISAN. THE CITY JUST NEEDS IT.
.
. >> THEY’RE NOT.
THEY’RE EXISTENTIAL THREATS TO
OUR LIVELIHOOD, TO OUR QUALITY
OF LIFE.
OF LIFE. AND OUR RESIDENTS UNDERSTAND,
YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT COMMON FOR
THEM TO VOTE TO TAX THEMSELVES.
THIS WAS A VOTER-APPROVED BOND.
IT NOT ONLY GOES TO SEA-LEVEL
RIDES BUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING,
CULTURAL FACILITIES AND PARKS
WHICH ALL ENRICH OUR CITY OF
MIAMI AND MAKE IT MORE
ATTRACTIVE FOR OTHERS TO COME
HERE.
HERE. >> IS CLIMATE CHANGE SOMETHING
ABSTRACT.
ABSTRACT. SHOULD WE LOOK AT IT AS
FLOODING?
FLOODING? PEOPLE SAY THIS IS MY BIGGEST
ISSUES.
ISSUES. I’M GOING TO FOCUS ON IT.
DO THEY CALL IT CLIMATE CHANGE?
>> I THINK SEMANTICS ARE
IMPORTANT IN THE CITY OF MIAMI.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM CALLING IT
CLIMATE CHANGE OR SEA LEVEL
RISE.
RISE. OTHERS MIGHT PREFER TO CALL IT
FLOODING.
FLOODING. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON THE
CAUSE, SOMETIMES WE NEED TO
FOCUS ON EFFECT.
OBVIOUSLY YOU SEE THE IMAGES OF
FLOODING IN OUR CITY.
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT CANNOT BE
IGNORED.
IGNORED. WHEN WE HAVE 6 TO 8 FOOT STORM
SURGE AND A HURRICANE AND THREE
TO FOUR FEET UNDER WATER WHERE
WE ARE RIGHT NOW, THAT IS
SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE
ADDRESSED THAT WE HAVE TO FOCUS
ON.
ON. WE CANNOT IGNORE THAT.
A MAYOR CANNOT IGNORE THAT.
>> DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
NEED TO STEP IN?
WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS MIAMI
HELPING MIAMI.
HELPING MIAMI. >> THAT’S WHY WE CALL IT MIAMI
FOREVER.
FOREVER. WE WANT TO BE AROUND FOR MY
CHILDREN’S GRANDCHILDREN.
CHILDREN’S GRANDCHILDREN. WE CERTAINLY NEED HELP FROM
OTHER GOVERNMENTS.
OTHER GOVERNMENTS. WE HAVE $2 MILLION FROM THE
STATE TO UPGRADE OUR STORM WATER
MASTER PLAN WHICH WILL ALLOW US
TO SPEND $200 MILLION IN
RESILIENCY VERY EFFECTIVELY.
CERTAINLY I BELIEVE THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE INVOLVED.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING,
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, ET CETERA.
THAT IS CERTAINLY AS MAYOR WHAT
I AM TRYING TO CONVINCE THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DO.
STKPR HAVE YOU BEEN SUCCESSFUL?
WASHINGTON GRIDLOCK IS GETTING
YOU NOWHERE.
YOU NOWHERE. >> WE ARE TRYING TO PROVE WE ARE
DIFFERENT, UNIQUE AND A
SCALEABLE MODEL.
SCALEABLE MODEL. WE BORROWED $200 MILLION FOR
RESILIENCY.
RESILIENCY. I DON’T KNOW THAT THERE ARE ANY
OTHER CITY IN AMERICA THAT HAS
DONE THAT.
DONE THAT. AND SO WHAT WE WANT TO PROJECT
TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS
LEVERAGE.
LEVERAGE. USE US AS LEVERAGE.
WE’RE ABOUT TO APPROVE TOMORROW
$8 MILLION IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING
THAT IS GOING TO PROVIDE 600
UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITH
$8 MILLION.
$8 MILLION. WE WANT TO PROVE A TRACK RECORD
THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN
USE THIS AS SORT OF A PILOT
PROGRAM THAT WE CAN SCALE UP
NATIONALLY FOR OTHER CITIES.
>> MIAMI RESIDENTS DON’T WANT TO
TAX THEMSELVES.
TAX THEMSELVES. >> THAT’S RIGHT.
>> THEY WANT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO WORK FOR THEM.
WHAT DO PEOPLE HEAR WANT TO SEE
ON THE DEBATE STAGE TONIGHT?
>> WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY IS THAT
THE CANDIDATES ADDRESS
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, TRAFFIC,
RESILIENCY, QUALITY OF LIFE.
THOSE ARE THE ISSUES THAT MATTER
TO RESIDENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
THEY’RE PAYING THE TAXES, BY THE
WAY.
WAY. THEY PAY INCOME TAXES.
WE PAY A LOT OF INCOME TAXES.
SO SHE VOTED TO TAX THEMSELVES
ABOVE AND BEYOND THE INCOME
TAXES.