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RESOLUTION RENAMING THE WEST PERRINE HEALTH CENTER AT 18255 HOMESTEAD AVENUE AS THE �OFFICER RONNIE E. TOOKES WEST PERRINE HEALTH CENTER� BY A THREE-FIFTHS VOTE OF BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

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WHEREAS, the West Perrine Health Center is located at 18255 Homestead Avenue and is owned and operated by Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade Police Officer Ronnie E. Tookes (�Officer Tookes�) has served the Miami-Dade County community as an officer with the Miami-Dade Police Department (�MDPD�) for the past 30 years; and
WHEREAS, Officer Tookes is married to his wife, Wanda, and has seven children (Rhonda, Ronnie, Todderick, Briana, Jonathan, Monica, and Samuel Brunt, Jr.); and
WHEREAS, Officer Tookes joined MDPD in 1988, at the age of 42, looking for a way to initiate positive relationships between citizens and law enforcement after having spent years as a community activist; and
WHEREAS, upon graduating from the police academy, Officer Tookes was assigned to MDPD�s South District Team Police Unit, where he spent two years developing positive relationships between citizens�especially teens�and law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, in 1991, a multi-agency team comprised of representatives from agencies including MDPD, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools was tasked, by then-State Attorney Janet Reno, with an initiative that would investigate, analyze, and develop strategies that would impact the rising crime and violence in the County; and
WHEREAS, the multi-agency team selected Officer Tookes to spearhead and coordinate the Neighborhood Resource Team (�NRT�); and
WHEREAS, the NRT, under Officer Tookes�s leadership, walked door-to-door, visiting every residence in the area, delivering social services to families and holding open communities meetings on a weekly basis; and
WHEREAS, within six months, crime and violence had dropped significantly, and by the eighth month, the NRT was reporting a crime-free area; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, then-Attorney General of the United States Janet Reno summoned Officer Tookes and his team to Washington, D.C. to give a presentation regarding the NRT and its efforts and success, which contributed to the creation of the Community Oriented Policing (COPS) program; and
WHEREAS, Officer Tookes was honored as the American Legion National Police Officer of the Year in 1999, after acting as a human shield over a fellow officer who had been shot; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure with MDPD, Officer Tookes has been awarded over 600 commendations for his professionalism and service to the community and the citizens he serves; and
WHEREAS, despite retiring in 2007, Officer Tookes returned to MDPD in 2011 to continue serving and sharing his community policing experiences with new hired police officers and other agency partners; and
WHEREAS, Officer Tookes also serves as Senior Deacon at his church, as well as current President of the Richmond-Perrine Optimist Club; and
WHEREAS, Officer Tookes also eagerly assists released inmates in several communities, including Richmond Heights, West Perrine, South Miami Heights, Goulds, Princeton, Naranja, Homestead and Florida City, helping them reenter their local communities; and
WHEREAS, Rule 9.02 of the Board�s Rules of Procedure provides that resolutions regarding proposed naming, renaming or co-designation of Miami-Dade County roads, facilities or property shall be sponsored by the district commissioner where the property is located and shall be considered at a public hearing; and
WHEREAS, Rule 9.02 also provides that the Board may, by a three-fifths vote of the Board members present, approve the naming, renaming, or designation of a County road, facility, or property �after a living individual who has made a direct, significant lifetime contribution to this community�; and
WHEREAS, Officer Tookes has made a direct, significant lifetime contribution to Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, the West Perrine Health Center at 18255 Homestead Avenue is located in County Commission District 9; and
WHEREAS, this Board wishes to honor Officer Tookes and his lifetime contribution to the Miami-Dade County community by renaming the West Perrine Health Center the �Officer Ronnie E. Tookes West Perrine Health Center�,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Approves the foregoing recitals, incorporates such recitals into this resolution, and finds that Officer Ronnie E. Tookes has made a direct, significant lifetime contribution to this community pursuant to Rule 9.02(d).
Section 2. Having considered this matter at a public hearing and by a three-fifths vote of Board members present, renames the West Perrine Health Center the �Officer Ronnie E. Tookes West Perrine Health Center.�