Officials in the South Miami City Commission voted 3-2 to pass a resolution that would allow 23 counties in South Florida to secede and become the 51st state in the union because of a split over climate change.

Advocates for secession claim that officials in North Florida and the state's capital Tallahassee have failed to take action to fight Global Warming and the consequential rising sea levels.

"We have to be able to deal directly with this environmental concern, and we can't really get it done in Tallahassee," Harris said, according to the Orlando Sun-Sentinel.

The resolution states that the northern part of the state is about 120 feet above sea level, whereas the southern part is on average 15 feet above sea level. As a result, scientists predict Miami may be underwater by the end of the century, the Guardian reported. However, city officials complain that Tallahassee refuses to pay attention to the growing problem.

"South Florida's situation is very precarious and in need of immediate attention," the resolution reads. "Presently, in order to address the concerns of South Florida, it is necessary to travel to Tallahassee in North Florida. Often South Florida issues do not receive the support of Tallahassee."

The need to create a new state is a "necessity for the very survival of the entire southern region of the current state of Florida," the commission said, the Washington Post reported.

Vice Mayor Walter Harris also blames Republican Gov. Rick Scott for failing to take leadership on this issue.

"This is a reality, even though our present governor doesn't think so. Other than the governor of this state, it's an issue that everyone recognizes," Harris said.

Likewise, South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard supports the idea of secession.

"It's very apparent that the attitude of the northern part of the state is that they would just love to saw the state in half and just let us float off into the Caribbean. They've made that abundantly clear every possible opportunity and I would love to give them the opportunity to do that."