Commissioner Eileen Higgins’ legislation to create a Community ID for County residents approved by Board of County Commissioners
MIAMI-DADE – At the June 2 Board of County Commissioners meeting, legislation sponsored by Commissioner Eileen Higgins, District 5, was approved to create a Community ID program in Miami-Dade County, which would be an accepted form of photo identification for County services. All Miami-Dade residents would be eligible to apply. In addition, the County will explore opportunities to partner with other municipalities, school and health systems, and private businesses to allow residents with a Community ID to also access those services. Commissioner Higgins worked closely with Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and community organizations to develop and receive approval for the legislation.
“A Community ID is a critical tool for our most vulnerable residents, not only to access Miami-Dade County services but also to give people a sense of belonging in our community,” said Commissioner Higgins. “The COVID-19 pandemic only highlighted the importance of this program when residents were often required to provide identification for testing or a vaccine.”
Many Miami-Dade residents including the elderly, formerly incarcerated, foster youth, the homeless, transgender individuals, and undocumented residents lacking proper documentation to obtain a government-issued identification have difficulty proving who they are and are often barred from accessing basic government services. The resolution directs the Mayor’s administration to develop a plan for the program and to bring it back to the Board.
“I was proud to bring the legislation for Community IDs as County Commissioner and fully support this program as Mayor,” said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Thousands of residents in our County cannot access an ID for multiple reasons and still contribute to our economy and our communities every day. Making sure everyone has equal opportunity to get identification creates pathways for more residents to access so many vital resources and makes our community safer and more equitable.”
Supporters of the legislation include: Miami-Dade Police Department Director Freddie Ramirez, Jackson Health System & CEO Carlos Migoya, Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski, Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust Executive Director Victoria Mallette, Alliance for Aging President & CEO Max Rothman, SAVE Dade, the Health Foundation of South Florida, Miami Homes for All, Florida Immigrant Coalition, PACT, United We Dream, ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Miami Workers Center, WeCount, Community Justice Project, Legal Services of Greater Miami, and others.
For more information, please contact Francis Izquierdo, Communications Manager for Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins at [email protected] or 305-375-5924.