Establishment of Code Compliance Internal Legal Unit and Liaison Program
2018 NACo Achievement Award Winner
Miami-Dade County, Fla., FL
Best In Category
About the Program
Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)
Year: 2018
The Miami-Dade Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (Department) safeguards it citizens and their property by providing responsive and efficient enforcement of the Miami-Dade County Code of Ordinances (Code); more specifically zoning regulations, building codes, and unlicensed contracting activities. The most important component of the Department’s enforcement procedures within the Code Compliance Division (Division) is its compassionate approach to both its residents’ education and code compliance. In this regard, the Department successfully established and implemented its dedicated Legal Unit within the Division, headed by the newly established Legal Liaison position, which is providing previously unavailable services to the County’s constituents while saving substantial costs and staff resources. Prior to establishing the Legal Unit, the Division had a backlog of 699 ticket appeal cases, due to only being able to hold nine Administrative Hearings each month with 16 cases each. In addition, the Division, in coordination with and through the County Attorney’s Office, had 72 cases filed in the Circuit Court for civil injunction. Through the efforts of the newly created Legal Unit and its newly created Compliance Consent Agreements (Agreement) process, added communication procedures, and the centralization of escalated enforcement functions through the Legal Liaison, the residents of Miami-Dade County receive more individualized service and more efficient enforcement actions. Furthermore, the number of Administrative Hearings and appealed cases has reduced by 89%; the number of cases in litigation, coordinated through the County Attorney’s Office, has reduced by 72%; overdue penalties are being paid; new fee revenue is being generated; and alleged violators are provided with a clear plan of compliance that is commensurate with their individual needs.