By: The City of North Miami

Spread the Word

Listed Under Tags:

• Environment

• Pesticides

• Miami Industry:

• Environment Location:

• Miami - Florida - US

Contact

Darya Medvedyeva

NoMi Neighbors

***@gmail.com Darya MedvedyevaNoMi Neighbors

End

-- On Tuesday, January 24, 2017, The City of North Miami passed legislation to ban pesticides in all of its public areas.This legislation's goal is to greatly reduce or completely prohibit use of harmful pesticides including neonicotinoids and glyphosate in outdoor parks, public housing and any buildings that the city owns. Private property is currently exempt from this ordinance. Neonicotinoids have been linked to massive die-offs of bees and other pollinators in the United States and are banned in many European countries.The City of North Miami will follow the guidelines of San Francisco's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) ordinance, which will be implemented in several phases.This legislation was sponsored by Councilman Philippe Bien-aime and was unanimously approved by the rest of the city council including The Mayor of North Miami Smith Joseph, Vice-Mayor Scott Galvin and Councilwoman Carol Keys.Councilman Philippe Bien-aime indicated his interest in inviting the team in charge of pesticide ban in San Francisco to North Miami. "We need to get in touch with whoever is responsible for that program in San Francisco and see if they are willing to come to the city of North Miami to train our staff and implement the program," he noted before casting his vote in favor of banning pesticides in the municipality.Numerous studies indicate that pesticides and insecticides may be contributing to the rapid growth of serious illnesses including allergies, asthma, ADD/ADHD and autism, birth defects, endocrine disruption, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and even cancer. Exposure to pesticides is especially dangerous to children, who are more sensitive than adults to the toxic effects of these chemicals.This effort was led by a group of environmental activists and parents who reside in the area.Laura Hill, a local activist, who initiated the dialogue with councilmen to prohibit use of pesticides in North Miami, was elated with the decision and said "North Miami made the decision to move forward on the path of resiliency and sustainability and invested into the people here now and the people who are coming tomorrow"."I applaud the members of The North Miami City Council for taking a stand in protecting us and our children from these toxic chemicals. With South Florida's pediatric cancer rate being 3 times higher than the rest of the state, we need to remove every possible carcinogen from our city," noted Darya Medvedyeva, an activist who supported the legislation.North Miami is the first city in Florida to pass a city-wide pesticide ban.