TITLE
RESOLUTION CREATING THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY RAPID RESPONSE TEAM TO ADDRESS VARIOUS COMMUNITY MAINTENANCE AND BEAUTIFICATION ISSUES; DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO IDENTIFY LEGALLY AVAILABLE FUNDS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RAPID RESPONSE TEAM AS A PILOT PROGRAM; DIRECTING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE BOARD REGARDING LEGALLY AVAILABLE FUNDING, AND TO PROVIDE SUBSEQUENT REPORTS

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WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of Miami-Dade County empowered by the Florida Constitution and Home Rule Charter to set County policy and provide direction to the Mayor in administering County functions; and
WHEREAS, this Board is tasked with representing and responding to the interests of County constituents, many of whom have notified their commissioners about various community maintenance and beautification issues throughout the County including, but not limited to, fallen, damaged, or missing street signs, inoperable or malfunctioning traffic signals, broken sidewalks, and uncollected solid waste, such as vegetative debris and household materials (collectively �maintenance issues�); and
WHEREAS, these maintenance issues are particularly problematic in the Unincorporated Municipal Service Area (�UMSA�) which is under the direct administration of Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, approximately 50 percent of the County�s land mass within the Urban Development Boundary and about 43 percent of the County�s population are found in UMSA; and

WHEREAS, the maintenance issues defined above were exacerbated by Hurricane Irma, which rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a category five hurricane and was one of the strongest and most catastrophic hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic; and
WHEREAS, Hurricane Irma came through Miami-Dade County in the evening hours of September 10, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Hurricane Irma caused widespread loss of trees as well as property damage throughout Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (�DTPW�) is still working on the repair and replacement of traffic signs and broken sidewalks resulting from Hurricane Irma; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the loss of trees, foliage, and other property damage throughout Miami-Dade County, the Miami-Dade County Solid Waste Department (�Solid Waste Department�) continues to clear landscaping debris and damaged household materials; and
WHEREAS, while some municipalities within the County provide their own waste collection services, the County provides such services throughout UMSA and nine additional municipalities including Aventura, Cutler Bay, Doral, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Opa-Locka, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and Sunny Isles Beach; and
WHEREAS, in order to alleviate these maintenance issues, this Board believes that a Rapid Response Team composed of multiple crews capable of responding immediately to concerns at locations across the County is a necessity; and
WHEREAS, a Countywide Rapid Response Team would be uniquely equipped to respond to emergency or urgent infrastructural issues in various commission districts; and

WHEREAS, the Rapid Response Team will improve the response time for resolution of these issues while prioritizing projects that affect the safety and well-being of the residents of Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, to the extent practicable, the Rapid Response Team�s actions should be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency utilizing existing County contracts; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. R-607-15, this Board has previously directed the County Mayor to establish a similar specialized waste cleanup unit to prioritize and dedicate additional resources to bulky waste collection, illegal dumping, and graffiti removal; and
WHEREAS, a similar team, created to expeditiously address maintenance issues including, but not limited to, fallen, damaged, or missing street signs, inoperable or malfunctioning traffic signals, broken sidewalks, and uncollected solid waste, such as vegetative debris and household materials, would benefit from requests made directly from the offices of the respective County Commissioners who are in the best position to expeditiously relay the needs of their districts and their constituents,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Creates a Rapid Response Team in Miami-Dade County as a pilot program for 18 months, subject to extension, to expeditiously address maintenance issues including, but not limited to, fallen, damaged, or missing street signs, inoperable or malfunctioning traffic signals, broken sidewalks, and uncollected solid waste, such as vegetative debris and household materials, subject to legally available funds.
Section 2. Directs the County Mayor or Mayor�s designee to:
(a) Within 30 days of the effective date of this resolution identify legally available sources of funds to implement a Rapid Response Team, and if such funds are available, direct the Rapid Response Team to expeditiously address maintenance issues including, but not limited to, fallen, damaged, or missing street signs, inoperable or malfunctioning traffic signals, broken sidewalks, and uncollected solid waste, such as vegetative debris and household materials.
(b) Provide a report to this Board within 45 days, which shall be placed on an agenda of the Board as required by Ordinance No. 14-65, detailing how such a Rapid Response Team was funded and implemented. The report shall also identify the Rapid Response Team supervisor charged with the authority and responsibility of daily oversight and prioritization of the team�s tasks including the method for prioritizing requests from Commissioners� offices and 3-1-1. Alternatively, the report shall identify the reason why the Rapid Response Team was not funded and implemented.
(c) Provide quarterly status reports to this Board, which shall be placed on an agenda of the Board as required by Ordinance No. 14-65, regarding the composition of the Rapid Response Team, identification of team member responsibilities, as well as the date and time of the Commissioner�s requests or 3-1-1 requests for action including, but not limited to, fallen, damaged, or missing street signs, inoperable or malfunctioning traffic signals, broken sidewalks, and uncollected solid waste, such as vegetative debris and household materials, and the date, time, location, type, and extent of legally permissible action taken in response to the Commissioners� or 3-1-1 requests.