Motivated by You. Delivering for You. Committed to You.
Dear Friends of District 8,

I hope your new year is starting off right, filled with energy and hope.

Time flies when we do the things we love – and I love serving you. As we enter this new year and new decade, I resolve to continue working hard for our residents and businesses, and to take on new challenges to make our community even better.

I promised and delivered, meeting your needs while making government more accountable. In 2020 I pledge to continue on the path: increasing public trust and enhancing our quality of life. We have rolled up our sleeves, set goals, and started the work.


Some foresight into several key issues that we are working on in 2020 include:

  • Paid/earned leave because our workers deserve to have time to take care of their children, their aging parents, and themselves.
  • Ethics reform because our residents deserve a government that is open, honest and accountable.
  • Women’s equality because 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote yet we still have pay inequity.
  • Green procurement because our County has a goal to use 100% renewable energy for a sustainable future.

While there is much work to be done, I am excited for our future and honored to serve as your County Commissioner. As always, I want to know your ideas and priorities. Reach out to us at district8@miamidade.gov ; call us at 305-375-5218 (downtown office) or 305-378-6677 (district office); chat with me on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram.

Cheers to a new year, a new decade, a new beginning, and a new opportunity to work together to continue to make it great in District 8!

Yours for a bright future, 

Daniella
Top 10 Wins for South Dade in 2019
As we reflect on our work in the past year, Team 8 compiled a list of “Top 10 Wins” for South Dade and beyond in 2019: 

Growing South Dade’s Economy – We partnered with local and regional economic development groups to win a federal $206,000 planning grant for creating an Economic Development Strategic Plan for South Dade. We also celebrated the first graduating class from Accelerate South Dade – the District 8 Small Business and Nonprofit Incubator created to help our local entrepreneurs expand and prosper. ASD offers co-working space, business coaching, web development, access to expert resources and more.
Transforming neighborhoods – After three consecutive years of holding a Rebuilding Day event in the Leisure City area, providing critical repairs to 58 homes, and investing more than $1 million of in-kind donations, county and corporate sponsorships, the neighborhood has been visibly transformed. This year’s rebuilding effort was extended to homes in Princeton and Naranja.
Bringing new fire and rescue services to South Dade – We opened the new and long-awaited Palmetto Bay Fire Station #62. It’s an environmentally-friendly building using solar energy and housing an advanced life-support engine with four uniformed personnel 24/7. We also accelerated the approval to build a new fire station to serve the growing west Eureka Drive communities.
Improving our parks – We opened an awesome aquatic complex at South Dade Park, featuring a multi-purpose competitive/recreational swimming pool with zero-depth entry, eight 25-yard lap lanes and a water slide tower. Also, Devon Aire Park and Briar Bay Park received nature-inspired makeovers where children can discover outdoor adventure and let their imaginations soar in a mini-forest playground, a butterfly garden and a musical playground, among many other park enhancements made throughout South Dade.
Kickstarting industrial hemp production – Hemp production represents a new industrial revolution in Florida, and we are working to ensure our farmers are ready to see the full economic benefit of this booming new agricultural sector. We are supporting Florida’s industrial hemp program by hosting informational sessions on the process for growers to begin cultivation. And the County is preparing a report on local opportunities for hemp production in partnership with research and educational institutions.
Paving the way for more electric vehicles – As an integral part of a strategy to reduce pollution and protect our environment, we now require future commercial developments, apartment buildings and condominiums to have the infrastructure in place for easy installation of electric vehicle chargers. Electric vehicles are among the fastest growing segment of the automobile industry and are the way of the future. This new ordinance will go a long way in preparing Miami-Dade as a market leader in the adoption of zero emission vehicles.
Positioning Miami-Dade as a solar leader in the Sunshine State  – We streamlined the permits for installation of solar energy systems for residences and businesses and supported the use of floating solar power plants on artificial lakes. We also partnered with Solar United Neighbors to create new solar co-ops to help residents cut their energy bills.
Taking action to save Biscayne Bay – We are making the County a partner with the South Florida Water Management District in the “Cutler Wetland flow-way” project. The coastal wetland restoration projects are critical to the health of Biscayne Bay and are long overdue. This project is an important step toward restoring natural flow of fresh water to the Bay, which will rejuvenate seagrass beds and even protect against saltwater intrusion. The first annual health of the Bay report card that we sponsored will be released shortly. 
Protecting consumers and pets – We passed a new law banning roadside sales of dogs and cats, which are often sold by “backyard breeders” who are not registered and are over-breeding; and we prohibited the predatory lending practice of pet leasing.
Strengthening our nonprofits – We completed another successful District 8 Nonprofit Academy that provided 18 agencies with skills to increase their collaboration and impact to better meet a range of community needs.


Let us hear from you
What positive changes did you see in our community in 2019? What would you like to get accomplished in 2020? Please let us know and let’s work together to get it done. We always strive to do even more to make it great in District 8!
Our County is counting on you!

Every 10 years, the  U.S. Census Bureau  conducts a census to determine the number of people living in the United States. It provides the basis for reapportioning Congressional seats and distributing billions of dollars in federal funding to support services and infrastructure in communities across the country.

We encourage every resident to participate in the census to ensure proper representation and a fair share of federal funds for schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs. Taking the census is safe, easy and confidential . Get informed and be ready. Read how.