Dear Friends:

I thought you might want to catch up on what's happening in Miami-Dade County.  In this edition, you will find information and links to various County programs and services designed to help save you time and money.

I would like to also invite you to attend the Board of County Commissioners' second budget hearing at 5:01 p.m. on September 22, 2011 at the Stephen P. Clark Center, located at 111 NW 1st Street, Commission Chambers, 2nd Floor.   If you are unable to attend in person, you can watch a live television broadcast on channel 76 (Xfinity, Comcast and Atlantic Broadband) or channel 99 (AT&T U-Verse). Additionally, you can stream a live video broadcast by clicking on the following link:

http://miamidade.gov/wps/portal/Main/webcasting

As always, I invite you to visit the District 6 website at miamidade.gov/district06 in order to find updated community news, or write me at [email protected].

Best regards,
Rebeca Sosa

Miami-Dade County launched a new program to help residents deal with the high cost of prescription medications. Through a partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo), the free Miami-Dade County Prescription Discount Card program provides area residents with a card that offers an average of 24 percent savings off the retail price of prescription medications.

The card can be used by those who do not have insurance or by those who have prescriptions not covered by insurance. The card can also be used on some pet medications and is accepted at 9 out of 10 pharmacies throughout the region.

The free discount cards may be used by all Miami-Dade residents, regardless of age, income or existing health coverage. The Miami-Dade Prescription Discount Cards are available at various County facilities, including Commission offices, library branches, and service centers throughout the county. The discount cards can also be printed from the Internet at www.caremark.com/naco.

Residents can locate the nearest participating pharmacy from the same website or call toll-free at 1-877-321-2652 for assistance with the program.

The program is administered by CVS Caremark.

Miami-Dade County is offering the Miami-Dade Residential Appliance Rebate Program to help residents decrease energy consumption and increase savings on their energy bills by encouraging the replacement of older and inefficient appliances.
Pre-registration

Participants can pre-register online or call 3-1-1 between September 26 and October 10, 2011 - or until reservations run out - to obtain a rebate reservation number. Rebates are only offered to applicants with a reservation number.

Program Timeline

• Pre-registration: September 26 - October 10, 2011
• Appliance purchase: September 26 - November 4, 2011
• Application postmarked by: November 4, 2011
• Reimbursements completed by: 8-12 weeks after program deadline

More information is available at the Office of Sustainability's website.

If you're planning a household move, the Miami-Dade County Moving Ordinance can help you. These tips will answer many of your questions, explain major provisions of the Moving Ordinance, and help make your relocation easier.

The Miami-Dade County Consumer Services Department (CSD), Consumer Protection Division, regulates moving companies in Miami-Dade County. If you're moving from Miami-Dade County to another part of Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach counties, or you're coming from Broward or Palm Beach counties to Miami-Dade, your move is covered by the Miami-Dade County Moving Ordinance.

However, if you're leaving South Florida, or coming from outside South Florida, then your move is not regulated by Miami-Dade's Moving Ordinance. For moves within Florida, contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 1-800-435-7352. For state-to-state moves, contact the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at 1-888-368-7238, or [email protected]

The 2011 Notice of Proposed Property Taxes, also called a TRIM (Truth in Millage) Notice, was mailed on August 24, 2011 to more than a million properties and businesses in Miami-Dade County. Property owners are encouraged to carefully review the information contained in their TRIM Notice. Please direct questions concerning taxes to the appropriate authority listed in your notice. If you have questions concerning the values or exemptions listed on the TRIM Notice, please call 786-331-5321 or visit:

111 NW First Street, Suite 710
Miami, FL 33128

10710 SW 211 Street, Second Floor
Cutler Bay, FL 33189

Homeowners who qualified for the Limited Income Senior Exemption in 2010 should have received their 2011 renewal application in the mail, or will soon. The exemption can also be renewed online, using the 'Online Access Code' located on the application. If you have not yet received the application in the mail, please call 786-331-5321.

If you are a member of the uniformed forces - including military, military reserves, Coast Guard, Coast Guard reserves and Florida National Guard - and were deployed last year in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn (Iraq) or Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), you may qualify for an additional tax exemption on your Florida homesteaded property. Visit the Office of the Property Appraiser's website for more information.

Finding out the status of your exemption application can be right at your fingertips. The Office of the Property Appraiser's website  has an online tracking tool to check the status of your exemption/benefits.

If you're looking to 'spruce up' your yard, you don't want to miss the third and final Adopt-A-Tree event of the year. Free trees will be distributed on September 24, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. in Doral:

Saturday, September 24th
9 a.m. - noon
City of Doral
J.C. Bermudez Park
3100 NW 87 Avenue

If you are a Miami-Dade single-family or duplex homeowner, you may be eligible to receive two FREE trees in 2011, even if you have adopted trees in past years. Tree quantities are limited at each event and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Animal Services invites you to celebrate its Pet Adoption Party on Sunday, October 2, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  This cheerful adoption celebration of pets, life, loyalty and love will be held at the Animal Services Shelter located at 7401 NW 74 Street in Miami.

For more information on pet adoptions, please visit Animal Services' website.

Social Security offers an online retirement application that can be completed in as little as 15 minutes.  Once the application is completed Social Security will process your application.  For more information, visit http://www.miamidade.gov/senioradvocate/home.asp.

Temple Beth Tov-Ahavat Shalom, at 6438 SW 8th Street in West Miami, is sponsoring a Membership Open-House and Health Fair on September 18 from 1 p.m.- 4 p.m.  Included in the festivities are the following: free health screenings (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, vision); medical services (acupuncture, chiropractic, women's heart, substance abuse); and information from AFLAC.  There will also be a presentation by a Diabetes Educator.  Endless vegetable soup with hot and cold beverages will be served.  The event is free and open to the public.  For further information, please call Gloria (305-387-0622) or the Temple (305-261-9821).

Our doors are always open to you!

[email protected]