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REPORT:
COMMUNITY ACTION AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT - CAHSD
Ms. Sonia Grice presented a comprehensive overview of the Community Action and Human Services Department (CAHSD), emphasizing the department's mission to provide empowerment through comprehensive support. She described CAHSD as a nationally accredited agency with over 60 years of service to Miami-Dade County residents across all 13 districts. Ms. Grice noted that the department operated the third largest Head Start program in the nation and served over 13,500 children annually through its Summer Meals program at 340 sites Countywide.
Ms. Grice outlined the department's Violence Prevention and Intervention Division, which provided victim-centered services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking through four state-certified domestic violence shelters that had been operational for over 30 years. She reported the department also operated transitional housing and rapid rehousing programs, as well as a coordinated victims assistance center.
Ms. Grice highlighted CAHSD's comprehensive service delivery model, which employed a "no wrong door" approach to help residents access multiple services. She reported that the department served over 2,200 older adults with congregate or home-delivered meals, employed over 1,800 professionals directly in Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and enabled over 4,000 adults to maintain employment through childcare services. Ms. Grice advised that the department provided school readiness support to more than 8,750 children and offered eviction diversion and housing-related services to over 22,000 tenants and landlords, preventing close to 300 evictions. Additionally, CAHSD provided utility assistance to 17,000 households and maintained a job readiness program with a 73 percent employment retention rate through the 90-day mark.
Ms. Grice explained that 90 percent of the department's staff provided direct services across all 13 districts, with the majority of funding coming from federal and state grants. She described current infrastructure projects, including the Hostess Center, which would add 148 residential units including 82 affordable housing units, and the CASA Familiar project, which would include 50 supportive housing units for neurodivergent adults.
The presentation addressed technological innovations, including a QR code referral process that reduced intake time by 50 percent from two hours to less than one hour, with subsequent improvements showing an additional 36 percent decrease in wait time. Ms. Grice acknowledged upcoming challenges, including significant reductions in grant funding from federal and state governments, and expressed the department's commitment to sustaining essential programs while securing competitive grants and implementing efficiency-enhancing technology.
Chairman Bermudez requested clarification regarding the 90 percent direct services statistic and asked for the total number of employees.
Ms. Grice confirmed that the department had 665 budgeted positions. When asked about specific technology implementations to reduce inefficiencies, Ms. Grice described the CaseWorthy system, which supported the "no wrong door" approach by allowing staff across different service locations to access client information without requiring repeated intake processes. She explained that the system was designed to alleviate stress on clients and reduce paperwork burdens on staff.
Chairman Bermudez inquired about long-term tracking of Head Start program outcomes.
Ms. Grice responded that the Head Start team maintained comprehensive data collection practices and provided examples of program participants who had become department employees, including one individual who obtained a master's degree and now oversaw the disability unit. She stated that the department tracked and followed up with program participants to measure long-term success.
Commissioner Cohen Higgins commended the department's work and expressed concern about the impact of federal and state budget cuts, noting that 67 percent of CAHSD's budget came from federal and state grants.
Ms. Grice responded that the department was monitoring funding sources closely and had received notification that some grants would no longer be implemented. She explained that the department was working with the Intergovernmental Affairs Department and lobbyists to track potential funding changes, particularly regarding the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which had not yet appeared in the federal administration's budget proposal.
Commissioner Cohen Higgins emphasized the importance of keeping the Committee informed about anticipated cuts to social programs, noting that reduced funding to community-based organizations would likely result in increased demand for CAHSD services. She stressed the need to improve public awareness of services offered by the department.
Commissioner Cohen Higgins sought clarification regarding the eviction diversion program referenced in the presentation.
Ms. Grice confirmed that the program was housed within the department and operated separately from other County initiatives.
Ms. Cathy Burgos clarified that the Office of Housing Advocacy oversaw agencies that provided direct eviction diversion services. She commended Ms. Grice and her staff for utilizing the County�s scorecard and dashboard to track families being served and the comprehensive wraparound services provided to them.
Responding to inquiries from Chairman Bermudez and Commissioner Cohen Higgins regarding the use of technology and the impact of federal and state funding cuts, Ms. Burgos noted that the Mayor was actively involved in monitoring how funding changes affected the County locally and was planning ahead to address potential impacts. She emphasized that CAHSD's comprehensive approach to service delivery through the "no wrong door" model effectively leveraged resources to address resident needs.
Chairman Bermudez clarified that his interest in metrics and tracking was not intended to set departments up for failure but rather to demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness. He stated that tracking capabilities could serve as evidence that the department was performing its duties well and could help build public awareness of the department's accomplishments.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT � ITD
Dr. Carladenise Edwards introduced the presentation by noting that the previous ITD director had retired and that she had asked Assistant Director Jorge Olazabal to present on behalf of the department. She explained that while the Administration searched for a new director, she would provide oversight and mentioned that several commissioners had been briefed on proposals in the upcoming budget to create efficiencies by merging departments.
Mr. Jorge Olazabal provided an overview of ITD's role as the backbone of technology across Miami-Dade County, describing the department as a central nervous system connecting technology throughout the county. He outlined five core focus areas: reliability and security, transparency with clear visibility to performance and spending, modernization of core technology infrastructure and applications, agility to adapt rapidly to customer business needs, and innovation through leveraging new technologies to enhance customer experience.
The presentation detailed ITD's structure around four operationally integrated areas: administration, over 1,200 application systems, infrastructure serving multiple county segments, and enterprise security protecting against external threats. Mr. Olazabal identified the department's stakeholders as County departments receiving technology services, the Board of County Commissioners, the Office of the Mayor, constitutional offices including the Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Elections Department, and Clerk of Courts and Comptroller. He advised that the department also provided data center services to the school board and municipalities of Cutler Bay and South Miami, as well as radio services to over 25,000 radios used by County departments, 34 municipalities and police departments, universities, and constitutional offices.
Mr. Olazabal explained that 97 percent of ITD's budget came from customer revenue through a funding model that included dedicated personnel and services through Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with County departments, constitutional offices, and partner agencies. He noted less than one percent came from the general fund for critical components of the criminal justice system, and 1.8 percent came from other resources including fiber revenue, recording fees, and traffic surcharges. Mr. Olazabal stated the department's total composition was approximately 962 full-time equivalents.
The presentation highlighted savings and efficiency initiatives under the WISE 305 program, including contract negotiations that had resulted in executed contract savings and cost avoidance of $4.5 million over five years. Mr. Olazabal described collaborative work with the Regulatory and Economic Resources Department to streamline the permitting ecosystem by consolidating redundant systems, migrating off legacy systems, and integrating business intelligence with artificial intelligence to expedite processes for small businesses and the building industry. He outlined the implementation of eBuilder with various departments to centralize capital construction project planning and delivery, which reduced duplicative systems, lowered costs, and supported real-time collaboration with other countywide systems. Mr. Olazabal described the work of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Council in shaping AI strategy and policy, including workforce training and the release of an AI-powered compliance system to help vendors integrate with county systems while maintaining security protocols.
The presentation highlighted the implementation of a Countywide contact center with AI capabilities, most recently deployed in collaboration with the Water and Sewer Department. This system featured the County's first AI-powered interactive voice response system, enabling residents to interact using natural language to expedite service delivery. Mr. Olazabal noted plans were underway to incorporate an AI chatbot to further streamline services.
Mr. Olazabal described the trusted data platform serving as a central repository for departmental data to provide quick overviews of business performance. He explained the platform currently supported over 1,000 dashboards used across the County, providing data from 17 departmental systems including INFORMS, Human Capital, and asset management systems. Executive dashboards for the Mayor's office offered high-level views of county operations organized by chief to align with the Mayor's leadership structure, displaying key performance indicators from departments under each chief's oversight.
The presentation addressed external transparency through Miami-Dade County's Open Data Hub, which provided public access to over 5,000 datasets including transportation, education, environment, and public safety information. Mr. Olazabal reported the site received over 20,000 visits per month with an average of 400,000 daily hits, enabling professionals and residents to develop data-driven applications and tools.
Mr. Olazabal emphasized the importance of investing in technology transformation initiatives to modernize systems and transform service delivery to residents. He stated that these investments were strategic rather than upgrades for the sake of technology, intended to enhance service delivery, reduce long-term operational costs, strengthen cybersecurity, and increase transparency. Mr. Olazabal noted that upcoming items for security, networking systems, and AI would deliver improvements across the board.
Commissioner Cohen Higgins inquired about the progress of the AI service center, resident feedback, and the impact on staffing.
Mr. Olazabal responded that the department had modernized from a legacy system to a cloud-based system rolled out to multiple departments. He explained that the WASD implementation was the first AI-powered system, allowing customers to initiate calls through an interactive voice response system that could resolve issues without transferring to an agent. Mr. Olazabal noted that this approach enabled the department to serve more customers more quickly, with customers reporting that hold times had been reduced by half.
Commissioner Cohen Higgins asked whether ITD had achieved the 10 percent reduction in costs and expenses that all departments had been challenged to accomplish.
Dr. Edwards responded that ITD was funded through multiple sources and was not on the list of programs funded by the general fund, as less than one percent of its budget came from that source. However, she stated that reductions would occur through streamlining administration and eliminating redundancies resulting from bringing two departments together. Dr. Edwards explained that changes had been made to contracts and contracted services to reduce costs, and some applications and systems had been retired. She clarified that while ITD itself was not charged with the 10 percent reduction because it was not 100 percent general fund supported, departments that were general fund supported may have reduced their IT expenses, which would pass through as a reduction to ITD.
Chairman Bermudez noted the substantial growth in the department over the past five to six years and inquired about the reasoning for such significant incremental growth.
Mr. Olazabal responded that during his three and a half years with the county, he had observed an extraordinary number of projects that were not traditionally viewed as technology projects but nevertheless required technology components. He provided examples including camera systems, sensors, communications infrastructure, fiber, servers, and support systems incorporated into projects undertaken by the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Seaport. Mr. Olazabal explained that the South Bus Rapid Transit project alone had added over 200 networking switches, hundreds of cameras, and required DTPW to implement its own backend camera system due to the volume of devices being added.
Dr. Edwards noted two additional factors contributing to department growth. She advised that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the County had to send employees home and made significant investments in phones, laptops, and computers to enable remote work. Additionally, the Mayor had charged the Administration with centralizing IT into one business unit to achieve efficiency and economies of scale. This centralization involved consolidating multiple licenses from various vendors into one organization to obtain better pricing for hardware and software. Dr. Edwards explained that while some costs previously resided in individual departments, those departments still paid allocations to ITD, but the actual equipment, individuals, and work now resided within the IT department rather than being dispersed throughout the county.
Chairman Bermudez expressed concern that adding additional staffing for specific projects contradicted the purpose of technology, which was to increase efficiency and effectiveness. He stated that continued growth in employee numbers raised questions about whether more efficient methods existed. Regarding centralization, he cautioned against departments working in silos, which could reduce efficiency and effectiveness. Chairman Bermudez emphasized the importance of maintaining clear communication between ITD and departments with unique needs, such as Transportation and Public Works versus Water and Sewer, to ensure that centralization did not compromise efficiency.
Chairman Bermudez noted that he had received a comment from a resident regarding difficulty accessing videos of county meetings on the website, which required four or five steps compared to more streamlined systems used by some municipalities. He emphasized that transparency included easy access to information and inquired when the website had last been reviewed for user accessibility.
Mr. Olazabal acknowledged that while he had been able to navigate the site quickly, his familiarity with the system made that an unfair comparison. He stated that he would take the concern back to the team to explore opportunities for streamlining access, noting the challenge of prioritizing information given the vast amount of content available on the site.
Chairman Bermudez emphasized that transparency required making information easily accessible to constituents, who were primarily interested in viewing videos, accessing agendas, and finding information about programs rather than navigating complex administrative content. He inquired whether the department conducted surveys to allow constituents to provide feedback on effectiveness.
Mr. Olazabal responded that surveys were conducted through the Communications and Customer Experience Department (CCED).
Dr. Edwards explained that one of the efficiencies being pursued involved bringing communications and customer experience closer to IT in the upcoming fiscal year. She stated that improved communication and collaboration were needed among departments providing support to outward-facing departments and administrative functions. Dr. Edwards expressed satisfaction that these concerns were being addressed as the Administration reviewed how to organize departments moving forward. She explained that CCED was responsible for the website and surveys, and that new leadership would help merge departments and identify efficiencies to benefit constituents and achieve cost savings.
Chairman Bermudez requested that the County Attorney's Office explore ways to codify direction from the Board of County Commissioners (Board) to make information more effectively accessible to the public. He cautioned against relying on key performance indicators (KPI) that were easy to accomplish, as such metrics did not necessarily demonstrate greater effectiveness or efficiency. He noted that while having specific project KPIs was valuable for identifying areas for future improvement, the metrics needed to demonstrate actual progress. Chairman Bermudez emphasized the importance of measuring and tracking departmental performance, particularly given that much of the County's future efficiency would depend on technology. He referenced the potential for artificial intelligence to improve efficiency in departments such as Water and Sewer, stressing that such implementations needed to be measured and tracked to ensure desired outcomes were achieved. He also expressed ongoing concern about cybersecurity, referencing recent cyberattacks on governments across the nation, including airports in Atlanta and the City of Baltimore.
Vice Chairwoman Milian Orbis inquired about the status of laptops and cellphones purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic, now that employees had returned to full-time in-person work. She asked whether the department had reevaluated whether employees still needed take-home equipment and what had been done with the devices.
Dr. Edwards responded that the return to office for employees without customer-facing jobs had been implemented on March 17, 2025, and during that process the department had begun retiring equipment that had been issued so that it could be refurbished or repurposed.
Mr. Olazabal added that any equipment taken home that duplicated office equipment had been brought back, and that equipment approximately five years old was reaching the end of its useful life and would be replaced through natural recapitalization. He explained that cellphones had been returned except for employees providing on-call services who might need to use phones after hours or when network issues occurred.
Vice Chairwoman Milian Orbis suggested that substantial cost savings could be realized by reviewing whether employees still needed take-home cellphones if they no longer served in roles requiring after-hours communication or if laptops were unused now that employees had returned to the office.
Dr. Edwards responded that the Administration was reviewing this matter as an efficiency measure, including surveying departments and employees to assess whether both desk phones and cellphones were necessary. She stated that the goal was to eliminate duplicative or unused software and retire hardware to reduce associated costs.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS (DPTW)
Chairman Bermudez relinquished the chair to Vice Chairwoman Milian Orbis before the presentation began.
Ms. Stacy Miller presented an overview of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), describing it as the largest department within Miami-Dade County with over 4,200 employees and a budget exceeding $2 billion. She noted that the department operated the 10th largest transportation system in the United States in both heavy rail and bus service, though no combined ranking existed due to the variety of services offered by peer agencies.
Ms. Miller explained that the department's 4,200 employees were distributed across five functional areas: administration, planning, project delivery, operations, and maintenance, with the majority working in operations to support bus and rail services. She stated that the department was committed to the Mayor's WISE 305 strategy and aligned with DTPW's Shift 305 initiative, which established the department's vision, mission, focus areas, and pillars of safety, cleanliness, efficiency, and connectivity.
Under the Workplace Initiatives component of WISE 305, Ms. Miller described internal reviews including examination of the Table of Organization to ensure efficiency and effectiveness, development of workforce development opportunities and mentorship programs, and evaluation of office culture to determine organizational values. Regarding investing in technology, she explained that the department worked collaboratively with ITD to use technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness, including use of ESRI mapping tools to collect and analyze data about individual assets and issues, and implementation of eBuilder for capital construction management and enterprise asset management in maintenance operations.
Ms. Miller reported that the department's data-driven approach to operational improvements had produced measurable results, including a 20 percent decrease in cost per boarding, a 16 percent decrease in cost per revenue hour, and a 6 percent decrease in cost per revenue mile. She highlighted 2024 accomplishments including filling over 10,000 potholes and cleaning over 440,000 linear feet of stormwater pipe. She expressed excitement about bringing on new team members after October 1, 2025, when the Stormwater Utility would be incorporated into the department.
Ms. Miller clarified that the department had 10 people working on pothole repair and six people working on sidewalk repairs, noting that these small crews were the only resources available for these tasks. She explained that information about potholes and sidewalk repairs came through the 311 system, and while the department had tracking capabilities and timelines for resolving service tickets, limited resources in both staffing and funding meant the department could not always meet goals for timely response and resolution. She reported that the department had received over 2,000 requests for sidewalk repair through 311 but was only able to accomplish approximately 300 repairs due to limited crews and resources.
The presentation addressed efficiency improvements and ridership increases, noting that the department moved approximately 85 million people annually across all modes and had experienced a 5.7 percent overall ridership increase, with over 11 percent growth in Metrorail. Ms. Miller stated that the department had recovered to pre-COVID ridership levels and continued to make progress. Following implementation of the Better Bus Network, weekday ridership had increased by an average of 10 percent and weekend ridership had increased by over 20 percent from 2023 to 2024.
Ms. Miller described the department's transit-oriented development program, noting that 15 projects had been completed with many more underway and several more planned. These developments had resulted in over 10,000 units constructed, including over 5,000 affordable housing units developed in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Community Development to improve ridership and increase density along transit corridors.
The presentation outlined significant challenges, including nearly $2 billion in outstanding needs on the public works side, with large requirements for bridge repair and replacement as well as the resurfacing program. Ms. Miller stated that the department was not adequately funded to meet these needs and that project costs had increased 20 to 30 percent since COVID-19, causing the outstanding needs to continue growing. On the transit side, the department faced funding challenges including a projected deficit of over $200 million beginning in fiscal year 2027 for operating existing transit services. Ms. Miller also described legislative impacts, including an estimated $27 million loss in People's Transportation Plan (PTP) surtax collection and reductions in state funding for the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) program through reallocations of documentary stamps from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which also affected the Transportation Regional Incentive Program.
Ms. Miller concluded by requesting increased dedicated resources to maintain the roadway network, bridge network, and transit functions at current levels while providing additional capital improvements in the future.
Chairman Bermudez resumed the chair and inquired about the breakdown of the 11 percent Metrorail ridership increase among other transportation modes.
Ms. Miller stated that she did not have those figures with her but would provide them.
Chairman Bermudez asked about the budgeting cycle alignment between DTPW and entities such as the Citizens' Independent Transportation Trust (CITT), noting that different cycles appeared to impact project timing and funding.
Ms. Miller clarified that CITT operated on the same budgeting cycle but that the concern related to the five-year plan approval cycle. She explained that the department was working with CITT to realign the approval timeline to occur closer to budget approval rather than in the spring, which created misalignment. Ms. Miller stated that the goal was to provide information to CITT earlier in the prior fiscal year so they could approve the plan in November immediately following the County's October budget approval.
Chairman Bermudez asked whether aligning the approval timelines would be beneficial for planning purposes. Ms. Miller confirmed that it would be beneficial, as misalignment could cause delays of six months to a year. Chairman Bermudez requested that the County Attorney's Office explore ways to codify the alignment, stating that synchronized schedules made sense and would help the department avoid unnecessary delays.
Commissioner Cohen Higgins expressed concern about the disproportionate allocation of resources, noting that with a $2 billion budget, 4,200 employees, and $2 billion in unfunded needs, only six employees were dedicated to sidewalk repair and 10 to pothole repair despite these services generating significant constituent calls. She noted that during the previous budget cycle she had advocated for and obtained approval for a new pothole truck and crew, meaning the department had previously operated with fewer than 10 people in that function. Commissioner Cohen Higgins stated that she looked forward to working with Ms. Miller to explore opportunities to shift priorities within budgetary constraints, emphasizing that with 4,200 employees there should be ability to prioritize basic roadway and sidewalk functions. She acknowledged the human element critical to much of the department's work and the difficulty of finding technical efficiencies in such areas, but emphasized that basic infrastructure maintenance needed to remain a priority for residents and visitors.
Vice Chairwoman Milian Orbis sought clarification about Ms. Miller's reference to welcoming new team members, stating that while she appreciated the enthusiasm, she wanted to clarify for residents and viewers that this referred to merging departments rather than hiring new employees. She then inquired about challenges listed in the presentation as unfunded needs, including resurfacing, sidewalks, lighting, and traffic signals, asking whether a plan existed to address these needs that generated the majority of constituent calls to commissioner offices.
Ms. Miller responded that the department was working to find efficiencies within currently available resources to manage the existing network. She stated that some efficiencies could be achieved through the traffic signal system update, which was actively underway, but that without additional resources the department remained limited in the amount of sidewalk repair, pothole repair, and resurfacing work that could be completed. Ms. Miller explained that the department had limited resources not only in staffing but also in funding to purchase materials such as concrete and asphalt. She noted that while she had been with the department for only a few months and was still evaluating all aspects of operations, the $2 billion in outstanding needs represented further improvements beyond current maintenance capabilities. Ms. Miller stated that the department was developing plans but that additional resources were necessary for a more robust resurfacing program, as the current allocation of $20 million for the entire county was insufficient to maintain the system.
Ms. Miller explained that the department was moving forward with acquiring a contract to inventory all assets and use engineering analysis to prioritize highest needs, with input from commissioners, to allocate resources effectively. She emphasized that potholes could only be addressed to a certain extent before roadways required resurfacing or rebuilding, and that delaying maintenance increased future costs.
Vice Chairwoman Milian Orbis commented that departments sometimes failed to work efficiently together, citing instances where roads were resurfaced immediately before water improvement projects began, resulting in newly resurfaced roads being torn up. She urged cross-departmental coordination to ensure projects were carried out in the most efficient manner possible.
Mr. Morales added that the stormwater utility would be transferring from the Department of Environmental Resources Management to DTPW as part of the budget process to create a combined utility to address flooding and other issues. He clarified that these were not new positions but approximately 35 fully funded employees being moved to create greater synergy. Mr. Morales explained that cities typically had public works functions to maintain streets and roads and often dedicated substantial funding to these services because they maintained higher millage rates than the unincorporated municipal service area (UMSA). He noted that UMSA had a very low millage rate with most funds dedicated to public safety, leaving limited resources for parks and public works, particularly on the capital side. Mr. Morales stated that addressing the nearly $2 billion in unfunded needs for resurfacing roads and bridges would require a major capital bond or similar funding mechanism, as current practices of repairing potholes on roads that needed complete resurfacing and rebuilding resulted in temporary fixes that would not last long.
Chairman Bermudez thanked the department staff for the presentation and acknowledged Mr. Morales' comments. He agreed that the funding shortfall would require some form of financing to address at the County's low millage rate. He emphasized the importance of day-to-day services, acknowledging that constituents contacted commissioners frequently about potholes and sidewalks despite these not being the most significant issues the County faced. Chairman Bermudez stressed the importance of not working in silos, providing an example from his district where a road project between 97th Avenue and the Palmetto on 58th Street, which bordered both unincorporated Miami-Dade County and the City of Doral, had experienced significant delays. The project, which should have been completed in 2018, had encountered complications including underground wires, FPL infrastructure, and water issues, and after the contractor decided not to proceed at the agreed price, the project was back to square one and likely would not be completed until 2026.
Chairman Bermudez emphasized the importance of balancing transit and traffic considerations, noting that while transit was critically important Countywide, traffic issues were equally important for all districts. He stated that connectivity included both transit and traffic, and that while transit-oriented development received significant attention from urban planners and media coverage, traffic infrastructure remained critical for residents to move throughout the County. He urged the department to keep both priorities in mind moving forward.
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