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District Office
8345 NW 12th Street
Miami, FL 33126
(305) 599-1200
Downtown Office
Stephen P. Clark Center
111 NW 1st Street
Suite 220
Miami, Florida 33128
(305) 375-4343
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Dear resident,
Thank you for your support. I invite you to read this month's newsletter to be informed of matters that concern you as well as events in your area. On March 15th, our community experienced one of the worst tragedies with the collapse of the FIU/Sweetwater bridge. As the commissioner representing the City of Sweetwater, I want to offer my condolences to the families and friends of Alberto Arias, Navaro Brown, Brandon Brownfield, Alexa Brown, Rolando Fraga Hernandez and Osvaldo Gonzalez. Our prayers are with their families and friends. I also ask that we keep in our prayers the survivors who are recovering, and that we keep in our thoughts all of the FIU students, professors, and administrators.
I would also like to thank Miami-Dade Deputy Mayor Maurice Kemp, Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Dave Downey for keeping me informed throughout the recovery operation. Lastly, I want to thank all the first responders for their dedication to our community and for once again displaying their heroism.
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Easter Bunny comes to District 12
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The Easter Bunny made a special appearance at District 12's annual " Movie Night Under the Stars" event at North Trail Park on March 16th. Families were able to take free pictures with the Easter Bunny and also enjoyed watching the movie "COCO". Children enjoyed free popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones as well as free activities like free face painting and bounce houses. Miami-Dade Animal Services were also on hand to offer parents the opportunity to adopt a fury friend.
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Governor Rick Scott on March 16 signed the 2018-19 budget which included $800,000 in state funding for the Miami Military Museum Education Center and $150,500 for Miami-Dade County's veterans treatment court. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz
sponsored the
resolution
urging the Florida Legislature to provide funding for the Miami Military Museum Education Center. During World War II, the Naval Air Station Richmond in Miami-Dade County became the world's largest military blimp base. Building No. 25 from the base later served as the CIA's base of operations during the Cuban Missile
Crisis, and subsequently served as a reserve center for the Army and Marines. The building was relocated to County-owned land near Zoo Miami and the Gold Coast Railroad Museum for use as the Miami Military Museum and Memorial. Miami-Dade's veterans treatment court, which started in January 2017, diverts veterans from the traditional criminal justice system and provides them with the tools needed to successfully reintegrate back
into civilian life - including substance abuse treatment, vocational training and housing from the Veterans Administration. Commissioner Diaz worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Miami Veterans Health Administration, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, and the South Florida Behavioral Health Network to create the Miami-Dade Veterans Treatment Court.
On March 23, Gov. Rick Scott also signed into law, a
resolution sponsored by Commissioner Diaz urging the Florida Legislature to decrease the residency requirements for sexual offenders/sexual predators from 5 to 3 days.
Commissioner Diaz sponsored a
resolution
urging the United States House of Representatives to designate a week as "National Women Veterans" recognition week
.
Commissioner Diaz sponsored a
resolution
to bring the new Amazon headquarters to Miami-Dade County.
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Commissioner Diaz attends groundbreaking for Autism School in District 12
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On March 9, Commissioner Diaz was on hand for the groundbreaking on the new facility for the South Florida Autism Charter School, which will accommodate up to 300 students. The school will be located at 3651 West 108th Street in Hialeah and will be located in District 12!
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Due to a training event at US Army Garrison-Miami, the Doral Police Department wants to inform residents and business owners located on NW 33 Street between Gate 2 of US Southern Command, near 97th Avenue and NW 92nd Avenue of street closures on Thursday, March 29 between 8:30am and 10am. Commuters should seek an alternative route.
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Drainage Improvement Project
A drainage improvement project at NW 77th Avenue from NW 26th Street to NW 31 Street is underway. This project will fix flooding issues and consists of the construction of a storm drainage system with exfiltration trenches and solid pipe along with drainage inlets and storm manholes. The project is expected to be completed in June 2018.
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Protection against Wage Theft
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Don't be a victim of wage theft, know you rights. Commissioner Diaz has been an advocate for victims of wage theft and has sponsored several legislation items. If you have questions or would like to file a complaint, be sure to call the Office of Consumer protection.
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Newsworthy Items for the Community
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Deadline to pay property taxes extended until April 2
There has been an extension to pay property taxes until April 2.
For more information, please visit the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector's website.
Free Small Claims Court presentation on April 5
The Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) and the Office of Consumer Protection will host a
free Small Claims Court presentation on April 5 at the Surfside Community Center, starting at noon.
Free meals for Children
The Community Action and Human Service Department (CAHSD)'s
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
is back this summer to provide free nutritious meals for children 18 years and under.
Weatherization Assistance Program
Miami-Dade County's Community Action and Human Service Department (CAHSD) is now accepting
applications for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The program will improve home air quality for homeowners and reduce home energy costs. There is no cost to homeowners but there are requirements. For more information, please call 786-469-4728 or 786-469-4729.
Ninth Annual Competition to build Model Water Tower
The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) and the American Water Works Association
(AWWA) have partnered up to recruit student engineers from Miami-Dade County middle and high schools to compete in the Ninth Annual Model Water Tower Competition. The competition will be held on April 28 at the Alexander Orr Jr Water Treatment Plant. Monetary awards of $300, $200 and $100 will be presented to the top three entries. For more information on the competition, please email Jennifer L. Messemer-Skold at jlm045@miamidade.gov
Free admission to Perez Art Museum Miami
If you like art and attend
a Miami-Dade County Public School, you can take advantage of the PAMM Student Pass available to students in grades Pre-K through 12th grade. The PAMM Student Pass expires August 31 of every year but allows children to re-enroll on September 1 for another free year.
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Commissioner in the Community
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| On March 3, Commissioner Diaz helped kicked off the Walgreen's 2018 DRI Walk for Diabetes & Family Fun Day at Marlins Park. |
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| Commissioner Diaz joined the City of Doral to host a blood drive on March 8 at Doral's City Hall. |
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Free Zumba classes at North Trail Park
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The Miami-Dade County Parks, as part of their health and fitness initiative, will be offering free "Zumba Gold" classes to residents age 55 and older at North Trail Park Community Center, 780 NW 127th Avenue. "Zumba Gold" mingles fun and energetic music with lower impact movements to improve balance, flexibility, cardiovascular health and muscle conditioning. For more information about Miami-Dade Parks Active Older Adults Program, contact Allan Tavss at 786-372-9701 or visit the website.
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On November 30, 2009, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Six in partnership with the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) began a reconstruction project of the State Road (S.R.) 826 (Palmetto Expressway) and S.R. 836 (Dolphin Expressway) Interchange. Now that construction has begun, there will be many upcoming lanes and ramps closures on the Dolphin Expressway. For more information about construction-related activities, please contact Oscar Gonzalez at 786-280-0983 or via e-mail at ogonzalez@mrgmiami.com. General information can be found at www.826-836.com. Motorists are encouraged to call 511 before they drive, or log on to www.fl511.com for real-time traffic and lane closure information.
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I hope this newsletter has been helpful and as always, I look forward to your comments and concerns. I am happy to serve the following cities of Doral, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Sweetwater, Virginia Gardens, and a large portion of unincorporated Miami-Dade County.
Sincerely,
Jose "Pepe" Diaz
Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 12
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