Community Councils meet on a monthly basis as Community Zoning Appeals Boards, depending upon the number of requests for public hearings.

They also meet every other month to discuss and to advise the County Commission on matters of concern to local residents, including local municipal services, programs and land use issues relating to the Comprehensive Development Master Plan.

The Councils meet in local public facilities. The meetings begin at approximately 7 p.m., though some Councils may elect to meet earlier in the evening. All council meetings, by County Ordinance, must end no later than 11 p.m. in the evening or earlier if the public facility closes before that time.

All meetings are advertised in the "Neighbors" section of the Miami Herald at least 7 days in advance. In addition, they are posted in the Miami-Dade County Calendar and on this website. Residents are encouraged to attend and participate in all Community Council meetings to voice their opinions and express their needs.

The Board of County Commissioners designed the membership of each Community Council to consist of six members elected by local unincorporated area residents and one member appointed by the County Commission. All members must be registered voters in Miami-Dade County residing in the Community Council area they serve.

Community Councils members are required to discuss all issues and render their decisions "in the sunshine," during public meetings. By law, Council members may not receive any written or spoken communications about any pending or potential zoning matter that may come before them. All information concerning such matters is required to be aired at a duly advertised public meeting.

Community Councils, sitting as Community Zoning Appeals Boards (CZABs), make virtually all zoning decisions in unincorporated Miami-Dade County. Community Councils decide, for example, whether to allow a new residential development, a shopping center, a church, or requests to vary technical specifications for zoning uses such as the required number of parking spaces or building setback distance.

Community Councils also may make recommendations about their areas to the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners on long-term, future land use plans and on Miami-Dade County public facilities such as parks, police stations, and libraries. They may also make recommendations on local municipal type services and on the unincorporated area budget.

To obtain general information regarding community councils, you can call 305-375-2800. Questions pertaining to zoning and land use issues should be directed to the Agenda Coordinator's Zoning Section at 305-375-1244.