Miami-Dade County Planning Division wins Best Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Workplace award

The Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources’ Planning Division wins Best Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Workplace award for 2023, presented by the American Planning Association (APA), Florida Chapter. The award recognizes organizations that are engaged in the planning profession in Florida and demonstrate achievement and commitment to expanding equity, diversity, and inclusion in the profession. Miami-Dade County’s Planning Division were recognized at the APA 2023 Leadership Awards Ceremony on Friday, September 8, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel.

The Planning Division’s standards for inclusivity are at the forefront of every major decision and action, and are exemplified through its employee demographic, hiring process and forward-thinking approach to planning and historic preservation practices. The Division, led by Assistant Director Jerry Bell, is comprised of 29 full-time employees, equal parts male and female, which are also representative of the minority communities in Miami-Dade County such as Black/African Americans, Latino/Hispanics, Asian Americans, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. To ensure an equitable hiring process, the Planning Division takes the necessary steps to ensure that interview panels are diverse in ethnicity and balanced by gender, and to provide a process for candidates to receive veterans’ preferences, as applicable. 

“The Planning Division provides services related to sound growth management, historic preservation, urban planning, and sustainability, through a comprehensive approach,” said Lourdes Gomez, Director of the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. “I am proud that the Division is receiving the recognition for their hard work and diligence.”

In an effort to implement change, Planning’s Office of Historic Preservation conducted a countywide audit of county-designated historic and the data collected showed that they were not reflective of the existing diversity of our county demographics and heritage. This data audit prompted staff to undertake a deep dive into the history of policies and how they can implement change, and informed staff-developed proposals to evaluate the County’s existing land use and development services to integrate equity audits and standards; all in the hopes to address the disconnect between the communities in which they work and the stories that the historically designated sites tell. Essential strategies include internal training, community outreach, events, social media, and engagement.

“As public servants, we are committed to ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion throughout our internal practices to make sure the County’s Planning Division represents the community it serves,” said Jerry Bell, Assistant Director of Planning. “Our team seeks to engage and tell the multi-layered stories of our communities, particularly those that have been historically excluded.”

The accomplishments of the Planning Division led to a significant allocation of funding from the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners to fund a much-needed countywide historic resource survey. This is the first countywide survey undertaken by Miami-Dade since 1980 focused on identifying resources that are facing significant planning challenges. This survey is ongoing. 

For more information about the Miami-Dade County Planning Division, please visit miamidade.gov/planning or call 305-375-2835.