If you play in Biscayne Bay, thank Miami-Dade’s Harvey Ruvin | Opinion

Harvey Ruvin was there long before the rest of us.

Long before “sea-level rise” and “climate-change” were household words in South Florida; long before pumps and elevated streets; long before we became aware of sunny-day flooding and king tides.

Most in this community knew Ruvin, who died on Dec. 31 at age 85, as the clerk of the county courts or, if one lived here long enough, a Miami-Dade county commissioner. For 30 years, his was the name associated with — among other things — traffic tickets or a summons for jury duty.

But his name and his vision are also indelibly stamped on South Florida’s efforts to not only hold back the rising tide, but also to ensure that Biscayne Bay, long under pressure — still is — be a clean, sparkling body of water that can sustain marine life, provide recreation and help drive the local economy.

“He was the first person I heard the words ‘sea-level rise’ from, back when I was serving on the Miami River Commission — and “climate change” and “greenhouse gas emissions,” Irela Bagué told the Editorial Board.

Bagué, a Miami businesswoman, is a long-time advocate for good stewardship of water resources, having also served on the South Florida Water Management District. She now is Miami-Dade’s first chief bay officer.

She and Ruvin were kindred spirits. “He was just one of those visionaries, but always kept it positive, he was not one of those doom-and-gloom people.”

As a county commissioner, Ruvin was the driving force behind the creation of the 1981 Biscayne Bay Management Plan, which laid out a series of recommendations to keep the bay healthy, pristine. Doing so remains a challenge. Unfortunately, fish kills that have fouled the bay during the past few years and distressing seagrass die-off speak volumes of how much remains to be done.

Decades later, while clerk of the courts, his commitment to the environment and sustainability had not wavered. He worked closely with Rebeca Sosa, then chair of the County Commission, on task forces concerned with Biscayne Bay and sea-level rise and served on the Climate Change Advisory Task Force. Keep in mind, he had a day job.

He cast his concern across the region, too, playing an instrumental role in the creation in 2009 of the South Florida Climate Compact, a collaboration between Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. He wrote in a 2018 Miami Herald op-ed that the compact is “essential to harness solutions on the scale of the regional challenge.”

To honor this quintessential public servant, environmental stewardship is a challenge that we all should rise to meet.

This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 4:00 AM.