Ask engineer Bruce Mowry how much land should be given up to sea-level rise, and he gives a quick answer: “Not one inch.” That answer flies in the face of conventional wisdom and scientific projections, which show oceans increasingly encroaching upon coastal regions, especially flood-prone Miami Beach.
Hired in 2013 as city engineer after former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine (D) took office, Mowry helped to guide one of the nation’s most significant resiliency programs yet enacted. Mowry stepped down from the position in January after Mayor Dan Gelber (D) took office.