2024 State of the County

2023 Departmental Achievements

• Animal Services

  • The Animal Services Department has increased its spay/neuter efforts by implementing numerous large-scale events in collaboration with partners. The program has led to a 39% increase in spaying/neutering for free-roaming community cats and a 23% increase for owned pets.

   

• Audit and Management Services

  • The Audit and Management Services Department successfully introduced the online AuditBoard OpsAudit in August 2023. This tool helps document and manage internal audit workpapers and reports, improving planning, fieldwork, testing, review, and reporting for all audits in one place, increasing productivity, and facilitating communication with auditees.

   

• Aviation (Miami International Airport)

  • Miami International Airport (MIA) experienced a record-breaking year in both passengers and investment. MIA is undergoing a historic $7 billion investment in capital infrastructure investments and $1.7 billion in maintenance. It was also ranked the second busiest airport in the United States.
  • MIA was accredited by the Airports Council International (ACI) Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation (AEA) program in 2023, making it the first airport in Florida and the second in the U.S. to achieve this accreditation for prioritizing an accessible, safe, and inclusive traveling experience for passengers with disabilities.

• Communications and Customer Experience

  • The Communications and Customer Experience Department (CCED) began implementing a Citizen Relationship Management (CRM) tool to modernize customer interaction, improve customer service, and track constituent interactions.
  • The CCED 311 Contact Center engaged with over 1.2 million interactions throughout the year, answering more than 967,000 calls, responding to over 54,000 email inquiries, managing over 168,000 self-service submissions, and processing approximately 446,000 service-related requests.

• Communication Action and Human Services

  • CAHSD Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) centers received the Program of Excellence Accreditation from the National Head Start Association, a prestigious five-year accreditation that less than 1% of HS programs in the United States achieve annually. 
  • The Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) administered an investment of over $5.5 million to reduce gun violence in communities and create safer neighborhoods, funding over 80 community organizations and grassroots groups.
  • The Violence Prevention and Intervention Division (VPID) was awarded an $800,000 grant for housing assistance for victims of human trafficking and domestic violence.

  To learn more, visit Community Action & Human Services.

• Corrections and Rehabilitation

  • On November 3, 2023, the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department (MDCR) successfully satisfied the Consent Agreement with the Department of Justice and is now in substantial compliance with its requirements.
  • Numerous reforms and policies have been implemented, enhancing the safety and security of jail facilities while improving operational efficiency. MDCR is now better positioned to fulfill its mission of providing care, custody, and control of the inmate population with greater proficiency and enhancing the safety of the community.

• Cultural Affairs

  • The Department of Cultural Affairs made the arts more easily accessible for older adults in Miami-Dade, distributing 25,000 Golden Ticket Arts Guides primarily to low-income senior residents.

• Elections

  • The Elections Department completed the Countywide "reprecincting" process after redistricting, affecting only 1.5% of Election Day voters.
  • The department conducted 21 Municipal Elections and one Special Taxing District Election transparently, fairly, and accurately.

• Emergency Management

  • The Emergency Management Department became a standalone department and was restructured to include four dedicated divisions: Prevention and Protection, Response, Mitigation, Recovery & Resilience, and Administration, marking a comprehensive whole-community approach to emergency management.

• Fire Rescue

  • In 2023, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue launched two community-based programs: HELP (Health Emergency Life Program), teaching life-saving actions like pediatric hands-only CPR, automated external defibrillator (AED) operation, early stroke recognition, to over 1,000 residents, and SPLASH (Safety, Prevention, Learn2Swim, Awareness, Saving Lives, and H2O), teaching over 1,000 children to swim, reducing drownings, and improving water safety.

• Human Resources

  • In 2023, Human Resources (HR) expanded job opportunities for job seekers and attracted qualified talent to the County's workforce, hosting monthly Career and Job Fairs, connecting residents with County departments, and offering on-the-spot hiring initiatives.
  • The salary/compensation levels of over 200 job classifications were upgraded, increasing workers' wages and allowing the County to remain competitive with other municipalities when hiring qualified employees.

• Information Technology

  • The Information Technology Department initiated the Broadband & Digital Equity Program, aligned with the State's Digital Equity Strategy, to enhance community access to broadband and digital literacy skills.
  • The program's impact on resilience includes improved crisis response, access to digital resources during emergencies, bridging the digital skills gap, and supporting economic stability.

• Internal Services

  • The Internal Services Department coordinated the Mayor's County-wide electrification initiative to replace gasoline-powered vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.
  • As of the end of FY22-23, 222 EVs have been purchased and 148 delivered, saving over 40,000 gallons of gasoline, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• Juvenile Services

  • In 2023, the Juvenile Services Department (JSD) enhanced its Prevention Program by creating a dedicated Prevention and Outreach Team, which collaborates with partners like the Fit2Lead internship program and The Mayor's Blue Ribbon Children's Commission to offer at-risk youth evidence-based services that empower and build resiliency.
  • The JSD Prevention Program has served over 2,200 youth and families with an 85% success rate.

• Libraries

  • In 2023, the Miami-Dade Public Library System enhanced its Library Social Worker Program by expanding to additional branches and adding two more social workers, totaling five. These social workers provide assistance with various social services, including housing, food stamps, immigration, employment help, and more.
  • The program served over 3,000 residents in 2023 and partnered with FIU's School of Social Work to provide work experience for interns

• Management and Budget

  • In 2023, the Office of Management and Budget Department developed and implemented an adopted budget of $11 billion to support Miami-Dade County's strategic plan.
  • Investments in resilience-oriented projects include rapid transit corridors, sanitary sewer services, and a new Waste Facility Complex focused on housing solutions, public transportation, infrastructure upgrades, and environmental resilience.

• Medical Examiner

  • The Medical Examiner Department received a renewal of its accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners.
  • This accreditation reflects the department's ability to provide high-caliber medicolegal investigation of death. Despite challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and workforce shortages, the department maintained national standards.

• Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces

  • The Parks and Recreation Department received the prestigious Governor's Sterling Award, distinguishing PROS as a leader in organizational excellence and exemplary service, focused on maintaining a culture of innovation, continuous process improvement, extreme customer focus and integrity, and for customer satisfaction ratings of 92%, exceeding comparative national benchmarks across all facilities and programs.
  • The department also received a federal grant of $10 million to create a healthy urban forest and advance Million Trees Miami-Dade County initiative.

• Police

  • The Miami-Dade Police Department established the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) in May 2023 to assist citizens experiencing mental health crises. The unit achieved a significantly lower rate of involuntary hospitalizations compared to patrol officers, highlighting the effectiveness of advanced training.
  • CRU officers have not effectuated any arrests or used force, have successfully mitigated incidents, and have provided referrals for treatment. They were awarded federal grants to expand the program by adding more co-responding clinicians to the Unit.

• Public Housing and Community Development

  • Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD) was awarded a $40 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant from HUD to transform Cutler Manor Apartments and the surrounding Goulds neighborhood. The eight-year plan aims to create a more resilient mixed-income community and catalyze broader community change.
  • These new housing units will be developed to exceed FEMA and MDC Building Code requirements, including climate-appropriate landscaping, stormwater management, and rooftop solar.

• Regulatory and Economic Resources

  • RER-DERM's floodplain management activities led to an upgrade for Miami-Dade County from a Class 5 to a Class 3 in the FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) Program. This improved rating qualifies unincorporated residents and businesses for a 35% discount on flood insurance premiums for most NFIP policies issued or renewed on or after April 1, 2024.
  • These annual savings, estimated at $17 million, are a tangible result of the flood mitigation activities the County implements to protect lives and reduce property damage while becoming more disaster-resistant.

  For more information, visit Regulatory & Economic Resources.

• Seaport

  • PortMiami welcomed 7,299,294 cruise passengers in 2023 and celebrated its busiest cruise year in the history of the seaport. 
  • The Port experienced a 6.97% increase in cruise passenger totals compared to its previous record of 6,823,816 passengers in Fiscal Year 2019. The Port surpassed the one million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) mark in cargo for its ninth consecutive fiscal year.

• Solid Waste Management

  • The Department of Solid Waste Management measured a recycling contamination rate of 39.9%, a nearly 10% decrease from 2020.
  • This decrease in contamination means more acceptable items can be recycled and not sent to landfills.

• Strategic Procurement

  • Strategic Procurement launched the Miami-Dade Vendor Academy on March 1, 2023, providing tools and resources for local employers to do business with the County.

• Tax Collector

  • The Tax Collector Department implemented ExpressLane for auto tag renewal customers, allowing online renewal with the option to schedule an appointment for documentation pickup or mail delivery.
  • Customers can now order services online, eliminating the need for in-person visits.

• Transportation and Public Works

  • The Transportation and Public Works Department procured 75 fully electric buses, making Miami Dade County one of the nation's largest electric bus fleets.
  • DTPW launched the Better Bus Network (BBN) on November 13, 2023, the most significant upgrade to the public transit system in almost 40 years.

• Water and Sewer

  • The Water and Sewer Department invested over $599 million to upgrade the County’s water and sewer infrastructure in 2023, surpassing the previous year's record.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava