• The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) has invested more than $772 million worth of projects and upgrades within the first three years of the Capital improvement Plan (CIP), which is the largest in Miami-Dade County’s history. This has resulted in nearly $1.1 billion in assets created for the department. There have been 775 projects completed on time or ahead of established deadlines and another 861 projects are in progress.
  
  
• WASD is the only utility in the state of Florida to be deemed a Utility of the Future Today by a partnership of water sector organizations including the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the Water Environment Federation, the Water Environment Research Foundation and WateReuse, with advisory support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
  
  
• Through its partnership with the United States Department of Energy, WASD is working to explore and incorporate cost effective energy efficiency measures in its ongoing $13.5 Billion Capital Improvement Program and at other WASD facilities as part of its overall Utility Resiliency Plan. 
  
  
• WASD’s award winning conservation program continues to reduce Miami-Dade County’s daily water consumption. During FY 2016:
  • 2,489 residential and multifamily high efficiency toilet rebates were issued
  • 812 high efficiency faucet and showerheads rebates were issued
  • 81 single family and 22 large property irrigation evaluation rebates were issued
  • 1,029 free high efficiency showerheads and water conservation kits were distributed

This has resulted in a savings of nearly 911,000 gallons of water a day because of the above mentioned conservation efforts.

• WASD has completed the state’s deepest “exploratory” injection well, at a depth of 10,000 feet, on Virginia Key. The purpose of the pilot well is to research and study Florida’s prehistoric rock formations to determine the feasibility of safely disposing treated wastewater at depths that provide a greater margin of protection to the drinking water resources of Miami-Dade County.
  
  
• WASD received the highest ranking in customer satisfaction among the largest water utilities in the Southern region of the United States. The ranking comes from a J.D. Power 2016 Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study presented by the American Water Works Association.
  
  
• In June of 2016, the Animal Services Department (ASD) opened its doors to the public and welcomed them to the brand new Pet Adoption and Protection Center, increasing dog housing by more than 25 percent and almost doubling cat housing capacity. The new shelter increases the surgical space by more than 50 percent. It is also the largest air-conditioned animal shelter in the country, and is designed to control cross contamination of disease. The shelter also has outdoor covered play and exercise areas to facilitate playgroups and exercise programs and indoor play areas for cats including free roaming play rooms and a “cat walk” where cats can frolic and pose for adopters.
  
  
• ASD is working with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to develop a new spay/neuter and community medical clinic in the Liberty City area which will serves the County residents by providing much-needed animal services in this underserved area of the County.
  
  
• The Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) successfully managed outbreaks of Zika in various Miami-Dade County neighborhoods; became the first community in the world to break the local cycle of transmission of Zika—not just once, but four times over in Wynwood, south Miami Beach, north Miami Beach, and Little River.

• DSWM won a 2016 Silver Excellence Award from the Solid Waste Association of North America for the “Recycle This, Not That” multi-media public awareness campaign aimed to educate Miami-Dade County residents about proper recycling. The campaign reinforces the "Keep Your Cart Happy" message which has been used to promote proper recycling for the past two years. Through the single-stream curbside recycling program, the department collected 53,885 tons of recyclables from January to November of 2016.

• This past year the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) coordinated with the US Army Corps of Engineers, who began work on the renourishment of critically eroded areas of our beach. The renourishment project completed sand placement on Miami Beach near 46th street in late 2016, and is scheduled to complete additional sand placement work near 55th street in early 2017 for a total project placement of approximately 220,000 cubic yards of sand. The County will also be working with the US Army Corps of Engineers on our next beach renourishment project, a 160,000 cubic yard beach restoration project in Sunny Isles.

• RER continued its participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency Community Rating System and the Stormwater Master Plan Programs in an effort to seek flood insurance savings. As a result, Miami-Dade County residents saved over $18 million on flood insurance premiums in 2016. These savings represent an average of $125 on flood insurance premium reduction per unincorporated Miami-Dade flood insurance policy in the special flood hazard areas.

• The Department of Transportation and Public Works has made short-term infrastructure improvements to enhance the first and last mile experience with the aim of providing a more convenient way to access public transportation. Some of the improvements consist of implementing sidewalk canopies, pedestrian signs and markings, bike-rails at Metrorail stairways, providing covered and secured bicycle units, improving pedestrian and bicycle paths to transit facilities and installing additional benches and bus shelters.

• DTPW has replaced the western-most part of the Venetian west bascule bridge. The replacement extends the service life span of the bridge by 60 years.

• DTPW has completed multiple street widening projects—on NW 87 Avenue from NW 154 Street to NW 186 Street and SW 157 Avenue from SW 184 Street to SW 152 Street. The projects included road widening from two lanes to four lanes, milling and resurfacing, raised curbed median, sidewalks, curb and gutters, storm drainage system, signalization, decorative lighting, bicycle lanes, culvert replacement, pavement markings and signage.
  
  
• DTPW has also partnered with the Waze Connected Citizens Program on a two-way data exchange of publicly available traffic information to provide drivers travel suggestions through less congested routes.
  
  
• Additionally, DTPW has made the following improvements:
  • Completed $12.1 million and 137 lane miles in roadway resurfacing within Miami-Dade County.
  • Identified and corrected roadway deficiencies. 63,767 deficiencies were identified and 62,924 deficiencies were addressed by our NEAT crews.
  • Abated 20,276 graffiti sites.
  • Removed 1,925 tons of debris from curbs.
  • 285 canal miles were mechanically harvested in order to control the growth of aquatic vegetation impeding continuous water flow within the secondary drainage canal system.
  • Completed 24,896 asphalt repairs along County maintained roadways.
  • Repaired 8,711 vertical separations on sidewalks and replaced 6,653 square yards of sidewalk concrete.
  • Completed 826 maintenance items on 307 fixed bridges and 38 maintenance items on 14 pedestrian bridges.