For hurricane preparedness tips, residents can contact Miami-Dade’s 3-1-1 Answer Center Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Residents can access disaster-related information 24-hours a day on the DEM&HS Website.

Ten months after its inception, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez announced that his Mortgage Fraud Task Force continues to make progress.  Thirty arrests have been made in the last six months, bringing the total number of mortgage fraud-related arrests to 56.  New state legislation was adopted on July 1, 2008.

While Miami-Dade County government is prepared to help residents and visitors before and after a hurricane strikes, we cannot do it all alone.  We need all of you to prepare as well and take personal responsibility for yourself and your family.

The Juvenile Service Department uses mental health, school intervention, substance abuse counseling and other services that treat the root of the problem.

Miami-Dade County is putting your tax dollars to good use.  It sounds cliché, but it's true.  As we go through our daily routines, it's easy to take for granted the programs and services government provides, or lose sight of how and where we invest your tax dollars.

Pundits are quick to use words like "waste" and "greed" to describe local government.  These words play on people's emotions.  They conjure up images of elected officials gleefully sitting around a table divvying up the spoils when revenues are up, or government workers recklessly throwing money around.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and members of the Wireless Miami-Dade Steering Committee and Police Department are launching free wireless service in conjunction with a public safety initiative at Tamiami Park.