Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and La Liga Contra El Cancer hosted the Third Annual Lourdes P. Aguila Memorial Walk-A-Thon honoring Jose "Pepe" Ortega at Tropical Park. This year's walk built on the resounding success of past year's walks to the tune of 600 walkers composed of residents, local organizations and schools.

Last week, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez cut the ribbon at a ceremony dedicating the home of Ms. Ramona Cabrera, whose house was made new by a program initiated in the Mayor's Office.  The Senior Housing Assistance Repair Program (SHARP) was designed to repair or refurbish sub-standard homes. The program targets seniors who do not have the financial means to make repairs themselves. Ms. Cabrera, an elderly widow who lives on social security, was a perfect fit for the program.

At the recent Great Park Summit, local mayors, city managers, park directors and other officials came together in the spirit of collaboration to support the Park and Open Space Master Plan. The Plan is long-term vision that connects parks, public spaces, natural and cultural areas, streets, greenways, blueways and trails for a healthier and more pedestrian-friendly community.

Violent and non-violent crimes in unincorporated Miami-Dade are at their lowest levels in five years.  Nearly every area tracked saw decreases, including robberies and motor vehicles thefts.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez received an award from MiMo Association Vice President Nancy Liebman at the Third Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony.

The MiMo Biscayne Association is a volunteer non-profit community organization created to generate appreciation and public awareness of the MiMo Biscayne Boulevard Historic District

Two additional information and communications centers are open to serve Haitian-American residents in Miami-Dade County.  The centers offer a range of social services, as well as free long-distance calls to Haiti.  The two new centers are:

• Haitian Senior Center, 5080 Biscayne Boulevard
• Minor League Club House, 1601 SE 28th Avenue, established by the City of Homestead and Florida City 

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, Chairman Dennis C. Moss and members of the Board of County Commissioners in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, and alongside community and business leaders gathered today for a signing ceremony signifying the financial close of the Port of Miami Tunnel project.