South Florida officially becomes Climate Ready with $19.5 million in federal grant funding

This funding will enable local innovators to further develop technologies to combat climate change and build resilience in South Florida and surrounding areas.

Riley Kaminer

It's an overnight success that was years in the making.

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced it has awarded $19.5 million to the Climate Ready Tech Hub in South Florida.

The tech hub is a Miami-Dade County-led initiative that aims to make the region a top destination for climate technology innovators.

Francesca de Quesada Covey is the regional innovation officer for the ClimateReady Tech Hub and the chief innovation and economic development officer for Miami-Dade County. But at heart, de Quesada Covey is a technologist who spent years at Facebook before becoming chief investment officer for Miami venture capital firm TheVentureCity.

This funding marks a pivotal moment for South Florida, de Quesada Covey declared in a statement: “Not only are ClimateReady Tech Hubs the only certified hubs focused on finding solutions to pressing climate issues, but they will also bring economic benefits of jobs and increased GDP to all communities, from Palm Beach to Monroe County and bordering the Miccosukee Nation to the west.”

Francesca (Cesi) de Quesada Covey

South Florida is already home to internationally recognized startups and community organizations developing innovations to help address pressing climate challenges, including next-generation HVAC provider Blue Frontier, BlueTech entrepreneurial support organization Seaworthy Collective, and 3D-printed seawall startup Kind Designs.

For better or worse, South Florida is something of a testing ground for the effects of climate change, from rising sea levels to increased flooding to dangerously hot weather. But among these challenges lie opportunities, both in terms of climate resilience and economics.

According to the Tech Hub team, this ClimateReady initiative is expected to create 23,000 new, high-paying jobs over the next five years. Over the next decade, the Tech Hub is projected to generate $41 billion in new revenue, putting South Florida on the global climate tech map.

“The designation as a South Florida Tech Hub highlights our city's global leadership in addressing climate change,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levin Cava said in a statement.

“This investment by the Biden-Harris Administration will enable us to confront the climate crisis head on, drive economic innovation, and create quality jobs right here in South Florida,” Levin Cava continued. Miami-Dade County is proud to collaborate with public sector, academic and private partners from Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties on this groundbreaking effort.

South Florida is one of 31 tech hubs selected by the EDA from nearly 200 applicants across the country in October 2023. Of these tech hubs, fewer than half received funding to implement these projects.

Why did our region stand out? The EDA said South Florida's application demonstrated leadership and potential to leverage the region's assets, talent and technical expertise to become a world-class, globally competitive innovation center.

With bipartisan support from legislators representing Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties, the ClimateReady Tech Hub coalition includes local governments, businesses, universities and organizations that were originally convened by the South Florida Regional Planning Council and received technical assistance from The Citadel’s Kenneth C. Griffin and the Knight Foundation.

This story will be updated.

MORE FROM REFRESH MIAMI:

I'm a Miami-based tech researcher and writer passionate about sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I especially love learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of Artificial Intelligence, and innovators leveraging technology to change society for the better. I'm always open to pitches on Twitter @rileywk or at www.RileyKaminer.com.

Latest Posts by Riley Kaminer (View All)

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://refreshmiami.com/south-florida-is-officially-climateready-with-19-5m-federal-grant-in-tow/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos