Efficiently Minimizing the Spread of Mosquito-Borne Diseases

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Miami-Dade Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (Department) is responsible for “providing efficient, accountable, and responsive building permit services and enforcing construction and neighborhood regulations to safeguard citizens and property.” Miami-Dade County has over 2.7 million residents, of which almost 1.2 million live within the unincorporated Miami-Dade County, the area serviced by the Department’s Code Compliance Division (Division) for zoning (neighborhood) and building code compliance activities. One of the specific ways in which the Department ensures the safety of its residents is through code compliance efforts to reduce breeding opportunities for mosquitos that spread illnesses, by specifically limiting overgrown lots, unsafe structures, and junk and trash deposits. In 2016, Miami-Dade County faced the challenge of the Zika Virus, a mosquito-borne illness similar to Dengue and West Nile virus infection. Zika has been linked to serious birth defects, including microcephaly when contracted by expectant mothers. Health authorities in Miami-Dade County identified 283 local Zika cases, 350 cases related to travel, and 44 undetermined cases. Miami-Dade County initiated a campaign that included the resources from multiple agencies, of which the Department participated through a proactive approach that not only addressed hot zones identified by the Center for Disease Control, but also areas that were within a one-mile radius of a designated hot zone.