PH.5 - Pilot Hydration Stations No Cost

WHEREAS, the City of Miami (“City”), through its Office of Resilience and Sustainability (“ORS”), is committed to strengthening climate resilience, advancing heat adaptation strategies, and promoting leadership in public sustainability; and

WHEREAS, as City faces escalating public health risks associated with extreme heat, the increasing frequency and intensity of heat events demands proactive, infrastructure-based interventions to protect residents, workers, and visitors; and

WHEREAS, access to free chilled drinking water at high-foot-traffic locations is a recognized heat resilience strategy that directly reduces heat exhaustion and heat stroke risk among outdoor workers, transit riders, and other heat-vulnerable populations; and

WHEREAS, The Global H2O Initiative Inc., doing business as Hope Hydration (“HOPE”),is offering ORS a trial period oftwelve (12) months to provide free, filtered, and chilled drinking water through advertising-supported refill stations known as HydroStations (“Pilot Program”); and

WHEREAS, the installation of HydroStations in high‑foot‑traffic public spaces, including parks, transit nodes, special event venues, and other City properties, would expand equitable access to drinking water, reduce reliance on single‑use plastic bottles, and advance the City’s sustainability and resilience goals; and

WHEREAS, HOPE has established a national reputation for deploying eco-friendly hydration refill stations at major events and high-traffic public gathering spaces, providing convenient access to free drinking water and actively encouraging the use of reusable bottles as an alternative to single-use plastics; and

WHEREAS, HOPE's refill stations have, to date, collectively prevented an estimated 5.2 million single-use plastic bottles from entering the waste stream nationwide, demonstrating a measurable and significant environmental impact that aligns directly with the City's sustainability and resilience goals; and

WHEREAS, HOPE recently entered into an agreement with Miami-Dade County for the installation of HydroStations at Miami-Dade Transit stations; and

WHEREAS, the City's partnership with HOPE builds upon and extends that regional framework by bringing free hydration access to additional City-owned and City-managed spaces, creating a more comprehensive and interconnected network of cooling and hydration resources across the City; and

WHEREAS, the Pilot Program advances the City's broader climate resilience objectives by reducing heat-related emergency response burdens, supporting the goals of the City's Heat Action Plan, plastic free procurement, and related resilience frameworks, and reinforcing Miami's role as a national model for urban heat adaptation; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 18-85(a) of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended (“City Code”), the City Manager has recommended in his memorandum, attached and incorporated as Exhibit “A,” that the City Commission waive competitive bidding procedures as not practicable and not advantageous to the City and to ratify, approve, and confirm the City Manager’s findings and determinations in connection with the Pilot Program; and

WHEREAS, Section 2-33(c)(9) of the City Code, allowsforthecreationoflegislativepilotprogramsforalimitedperiodoftimenot to exceedone(1) year, regulating any area withinthe City Commission's powers asset forth in Section 4 of the City Charter, with a possible reinstatement for one(1) additional year;

NOW,THEREFORE,BEITRESOLVEDBYTHECOMMISSIONOFTHECITYOF MIAMI, FLORIDA:

Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Resolution are adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.

Section 2. Pursuant to Section 18-85(a) of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended (“City Code”), by a four-fifths (4/5ths) affirmative vote, after an advertised public hearing, the City Manager’s written findings that competitive sealed bidding is not practicable or advantageous to the City are hereby ratified, approved, and confirmed, and competitive sealed bidding requirements are accordingly waived.

Section 3. PursuanttoSection2-33(c)(9)oftheCityCode,the City Commission hereby establishes the Pilot Program and authorizes the City Manager to negotiate and execute an Agreement, in a form acceptable to the City Attorney, at no cost to the City, for a period of twelve (12) months, with HOPE for installation and use of HydroStations in high-foot-traffic public spaces, including parks, transit nodes, special event venues, and other City properties, subject to compliancewithallapplicableprovisions ofthe CityCode and all other applicable laws and restrictions.

Section4.TheCityManagerisfurtherauthorized1tonegotiateandexecuteanyandall documents, including any amendments and modifications, all in forms acceptable to the City Attorney, subject to all allocations,appropriations,priorbudgetaryapprovals,and in compliancewithallapplicableprovisions ofthe CityCode and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations, as may be deemed necessary for said purpose.

Section5.ThisResolutionshallbecomeeffectiveimmediatelyuponitsadoption.