Audrey Edmonson

Audrey M. Edmonson was elected to serve to a two-year term as Chairwoman of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Dec. 4, 2018.  She has represented District 3 as Commissioner since December 2005 and was re-elected in 2016 to a four-year term. 

Chairwoman Edmonson previously served as Vice Chair from 2016 – 2018 and from 2010 to 2012. 

She represents the communities of Liberty City, Little Haiti, Overtown, the Upper East Side, Edgewater, Buena Vista, Allapattah, Wynwood, San Marco Island and Watson Island, all located in the City of Miami; Brownsville, Biscayne Shores Park area,  the Village of El Portal and the Village of Miami Shores. 

Chairwoman Edmonson has served as Chairwoman of the Housing and Social Services Committee and the Building Safer Neighborhoods Sub-Committee. She also served as Chairwoman of the Transportation and Public Works Committee and the Vice Chairwoman of the Chairman’s Policy Council.  She served as the Vice Chairwoman of the Miami Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) Board of Directors and as a member of the Homeless Trust Board.  

Chairwoman Edmonson was appointed to the Miami-Dade County HIV/AIDS “Getting to Zero” Task Force and served as Chairwoman of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) I-395 Signature Bridge-Aesthetic Steering Committee.  

She also serves on the Miami-Dade Economic Advocacy Trust and the Public Health Trust nominating councils, the Jackson Health System General Obligation Bond Citizens’ Advisory Committee and the County Advisory Task Force for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program Planning and Implementation Project which is referred locally as Project PEACE: People Engaged and Advocating for Community Empowerment. Chairwoman Edmonson serves as the Vice Chair of the International Trade Consortium. 

Chairwoman Edmonson championed the establishment and is an Ex-Officio Member of the Miami Children’s Initiative (MCI), a program modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone, aimed at helping Liberty City children from cradle to adulthood.  Joined by local pastors and community activists, Chairwoman Edmonson leads “Operation Restoration,” an anti-crime strategy group.  She also serves as a member of the Lindsey Hopkins Educational Excellence School Advisory Council. 

As a member of the National Association of Counties (NACO), Chairwoman Edmonson serves as Sub-committee Vice-Chair on the Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee and as a member of the Large Urban County Caucus. 

She is a member of the Florida Association of Counties’ (FAC) Board of Directors, serves as Co-Chair of the Urban Caucus and was selected as a 2017 Presidential Advocate in recognition of exceptional leadership in partnering with FAC to advance the counties’ legislative agenda. 

In 2007, as Miami-Dade County’s representative for the Miami-Dade County Sister Cities Program, Chairwoman Edmonson signed an agreement with the City of Cape Town, South Africa and the City of Dakar, Senegal establishing Sister City ties and thus fostering trade and cultural exchanges. The signing ceremony was televised nationally in both nations. 

Chairwoman Edmonson successfully urged the State to not preempt Miami-Dade County’s Crane Safety ordinance. She also adopted pool lighting safety measures that were implemented statewide and advocated for the State to allow the County to set stricter regulations for scrap metal dealers in order to combat the scrap metal theft epidemic. 

Since her arrival on the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, Chairwoman Edmonson has initiated, among other initiatives, the following legislation: 

Successfully combated the scrap metal and copper wire theft epidemic by amending the County ordinance related to scrap metal processors and junk dealers to increase penalties for the illegal purchase of scrap metal; urged the State to increase penalties for the illegal purchase of scrap metal, and urged all Florida counties to enact similar ordinances.  Created a task force to review the ordinance and other issues affecting the industry. 

Directed the County administration to secure a firm to conduct a full disparity study of black, Hispanic and women-owned business participation in County contracting with data to be collected in a centralized and consistent manner in a cross section of trade areas.

Revamped the County’s Small Business Programs, which had not been updated in 10 years, to make them more effective for small and minority owned businesses

Established a Small Business Bonding Program

Re-established the Small Business Lending Program

Increased contractor monitoring and compliance programs to ensure local hiring.

Called for a Special Election seeking voter approval of the $830M Jackson Miracle-Building Bond Program 

Created a Citizens' Advisory Committee for the Jackson Miracle-Building Bond Program 

Urged the State to oppose legislation related to immigration reform unless reform is comprehensive. 

Approved the selection of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for the development of a new animal services facility in District 3 

Expedited the procurement process, to ensure the County runs more efficiently; and directed the administration to report on further measures that can be taken to shorten the County’s overall procurement timeline. 

Assisted the Historic Hampton House Community Trust with obtaining funding to renovate the Historic Hampton House Motel. 

Established safety measures for manufacture, installation, and use of cranes and hoisting equipment including hurricane preparedness measures. 

Urged the Florida Department of Corrections to cease, directly or indirectly, sending sex offenders to Shorecrest neighborhood. 

She also has co-sponsored the legislation establishing a First Source Hiring Referral Program to help ensure Miami-Dade County residents get employment opportunities from County projects.

Born and raised in Liberty City, Chairwoman Edmonson became active in local politics by first serving as Mayor of the Village of El Portal in 1999, was re-elected three successive terms and became the municipality's first mayor to be elected by residents rather than by the members of the Village Council. Under her leadership, the Village hired its first Village Manager. 

Chairwoman Edmonson received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Florida International University and a dual master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Barry University. Chairwoman Edmonson is the mother of Dr. Ebony Nicole Dunn and Louis Ivory Edmonson and grandmother of Bianca Alexandria Casher, Louis, Jr., and Lorielay Edmonson.