Board of County Commissioners Meetings
During June, the County Commission meetings will be held on the 9th and the 30th. Tune into the meetings through the Miami-Dade County website. Here are some highlights:

• A resolution urging the Florida Legislature to set aside $500 million to acquire land south of Lake Okeechobee to store and treat water and send it south for Everglades restoration. The resolution also calls for the State Legislature to allocate 27.5% of Amendment 1 funds to Everglades Restoration. 
• A resolution approving an agreement between the City of Homestead and Miami-Dade County to open a spay/neuter clinic near Harris Field.
• A resolution directing the Mayor to evaluate cutting-edge violence prevention techniques following the disease prevention model, called "Cure Violence", already adopted in nine cities in the US to see how it can be used here in Miami-Dade.
• A resolution to designate Miami-Dade as a "City for Citizenship" will be discussed during June committee. As a "City for Citizenship" the County would work with community partners to promote and assist in the naturalization of legal permanent residents eligible for citizenship.

We want to know what you think. Give us a call, send an e-mail or connect on Facebook and Twitter.

To keep track of what's coming up at the County, check out the legislation portion of the County website.

County Civic Engagement 101

Join me and members of Team 8 for a workshop designed to help residents and organizations participate in County government. Learn the do's and don'ts of lobbying for nonprofts as well as how to be effective in communicating your positions to the County. The meeting will be held June 9th at the South Dade Government Center, 6-7:30 p.m.

Commissioner Daniella and Commissioner Moss Host South Dade Solutions Summit

South Dade has unique economic, transportation and environmental challenges and opportunities. Many believe South Dade does not receive its fair share of local, state and federal resources. To build on our assets and resolve our challenges, Commissioner Levine Cava and Commissioner Dennis Moss will host the first South Dade Solutions Summit at the Palmetto Bay Village Center on June 6th, 11-5 p.m.

Elected officials and community leaders will come together to discuss the following topics: fueling the economy, transportation connectivity and parks and the environment. We will also welcome keynote speaker Assistant Secretary Carlos Monje of the Department of Transportation. If you are interested in being part of this interactive session, please make sure to RSVP through our event invitation. Space is limited and pre-registration is required! A special thanks to our nonprofit partner, the Economic Development Council of South Dade.

RSVP and help us keep it Great in District 8

Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

For Memorial Day 2015, Team 8 attended the Memorial Day Service at the Palms Woodlawn Cemetery. Commander Jorge Martinez of the Foreign Wars Post 4127 led a moving ceremony and left the crowd with a beautiful thought: "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him". Let us honor every day the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

Some images from the beautiful and moving service honoring fallen service members at Woodlawn Cemetery

Team 8 was honored to attend the dedication of the Princeton Post Office to the memory of Marine Corporal Christian Guzman Rivera. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen sponsored the bill naming the post office for the Homestead native who died supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan in 2009 at the age of 21.

The Princeton Post Office was renamed in honor of Homestead resident, CPL Christian Guzman Rivera

Check Out the Women's Rights Installment of Get to Know Your County Commissioner

The second episode of our TV series is now available on the District 8 YouTube channel. Laura Morilla of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Women joins me to discuss my County Work Day at the Coordinated Victim's Assistance Center and the local implementation of the United Nations Convention to End Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Read the proposed CEDAW legislation here.

Homestead Holds First Haitian Flag Day Celebration

May was Haitian Heritage Cultural Month and I was excited to attend the first annual Haitian Flag Day Celebration hosted by the City of Homestead. The festivities included traditional Haitian beats, delicious food and members of the South Dade community who joined in celebrating a culture that is an integral part of our Miami-Dade County mosaic.

The Haitian Flag Day Celebration kept it Great in District 8 with food, music and culture!

Meeting the U.S. Secretary of Labor

Earlier this month, Team 8 joined a discussion with community leaders and the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas Perez. Secretary Perez shared that he hopes to establish a $12 minimum wage by 2020 and he praised Miami-Dade County for its comprehensive Wage Theft Ordinance, an example to municipalities across the country. You can read more about the Wage Theft Ordinance by visiting the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources website.

US Labor Secretary Perez discussed the minimum wage and Miami-Dade County's Wage Theft Ordinance

I am happy to report that all of the legislation I introduced passed the Board of County Commissioners in May, and here are a few highlights:

• A resolution to expand upon existing local preference policies at the County and include a preference for products manufactured in Miami-Dade, with a special focus on agricultural goods.
• A resolution that amends the rules for projects applying for Economic Development Funds. All new applications will now be examined for new eligibility requirements, including transit oriented development, sea level rise preparedness and long term economic impacts.
•  A resolution urging President Obama and Congress to enact House Joint Resolution 47 and establish a Presidential Youth Council. The Council would be comprised of Americans ages 16-24 and be tasked with advising the President and Congress on issues pertaining to youth. A special shout out to District 8 resident and La Salle High School student Martin Maldonado for bringing this initiative to our office!

Parks for People Update

Our first Parks for People community meeting was a great success! Over 70 people came to the South Dade Government Center and joined the discussion on how to improve our parks in District 8 and the County. Marta Viciedo of Urban Impact Lab and Maggie Fernandez of Sustainable Miami gave an informative presentation on the state of our Miami-Dade parks and how we compare to other areas around the country. A special thanks to FIU Professor Antoine Hardy for facilitating the meeting and keeping our discussion positive and solutions focused.

The Parks for People 2015 petition was launched by a District 8 resident and I highly encourage you to sign and share it with your friends and family. It takes just a few seconds and will help bring our community together to urge for increased resources for our parks. The goal is to reach 1,000 signatures by July 1st, so please make sure to sign and share!

You can also follow the Parks for People initiative by liking the Facebook page. It is regularly updated with information about our public green spaces, so please like the page and send us content you think we should post!

Members of the community came together to discuss the issues facing our parks and how we can work together to find solutions