Abbreviations

If abbreviations are used, on the first mention the full title must be included.

Addresses

• For street addresses, directions do not have periods. Ex: NW, SW
• In addresses, add” th,” “nd” or “st” after numbers.
• Example: NW 1st ST; SW 9th AVE; NE 151st ST, SW 7nd AVE.
• When a mailing address is given (i.e. "...mail application to:"), use US Postal Service standard format style.

Example
SOUTH DADE GOVERNMENT CENTER
10710 SW 211TH STREET STE 207
CUTLER BAY FL  33189-2819

Names

Some County programs have registered names which should be used in full for proper mention; For instance, Miami-Dade Parks EcoAdventures™

Other programs have titles which should be used in a consistent manner:

• Adopt-a-Buoy
• Adopt-a-Park
• Adopt-a-Pet
• Adopt-a-Road
• Adopt-a-Tree

Officers of the Board of County Commissioners include the Chair and Vice-Chair. Do not use Chairperson. Each Committee also has their own Chair and Vice Chair.

Numbers

• Spell out numbers from one through nine in sentences. For 10 or more, use numerals.
• For 1,000 or more - use commas.
• Phone Numbers - Use dashes, not parenthesis. Ex. 305-555-5555.
• For procedures, use numbered lists to guide the user through the steps they must follow. For simple lists, use bullets, not numbers.

Punctuation

• Be careful with the use of "quote" marks. The marks must be parallel vertical lines. Marks that look like commas will cause unintended errors.
• Do not add hard returns to format text blocks to improve visual appearance. The code will cause unexpected line breaks when the font size is enlarged or when titles appear on index pages.
• Place a space both before and after the / symbol. In most cases, this mark is incorrectly used. It is preferred to use "and" (&) or "or." Choose the one that best fits the sentence. Avoid the use of "and / or".
• In applications, use Login as one word, not hyphenated.
• Phone numbers are written with dashes, not parenthesis. Ex. 305-555-5555.
• Miami-Dade is always hyphenated.

Understand the difference between hyphens and dashes. Hyphens are used to connect two words. Dashes are used to add space between words in a sentence, often as a substitute for colons. When using a dash, the proper form is to use a space, followed by two hyphens, followed by another space. Some fonts do not include the dash character and others will reinterpret the double hyphen as a dash - if it is surrounded by spaces.