Stimulus Dollars at Work

The Vice President today submitted his first quarterly report to the President detailing progress implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The report shows early progress providing immediate financial relief for American families and jump-starting billions of dollars in job-creating projects in the first quarter, with both the pace of spending and job creation expected to accelerate significantly in the coming months. This report is the first of a series of updates the Vice President will provide to the President as Recovery Act funds are put to work.

In the first 77 days of the two-year Recovery Act program:
· 150,000 jobs have been created or saved
· More than $88 billion dollars has been made available for programs and projects
· Over 3,000 transportation construction projects have been funded in 52 states and territories
· Ninety-five percent of working families have begun seeing the benefits of the Making Work Pay tax credit in their paychecks
· COBRA health insurance premiums have been reduced by 65 percent
· Unemployment benefits have increased by $25 a week
· States have drawn down $15.7 billion in Medical Assistance (FMAP) funds, allowing them to avoid budget cuts
· Thirteen states have qualified for State Fiscal Stabilization Funds to improve education programs and save education-related jobs

Looking ahead, an additional 600,000 jobs are expected to be created or saved under the Recovery Act in the next 100 days and billions of dollars in contracts and grants are expected to be awarded in the coming months. The report finds that the anticipated funds are already having an effect on economic and job growth as private sector companies staff up to meet expected demand for their products under Recovery Act programs and state and local governments adjust their spending plans ahead of receiving additional Recovery Act funds.

To view the report, click HERE.

- Manny

My Podcast on the Urban Land Institute Website

Recently, the Urban Land Institute’s Rose Center for Public Leadership in Land Use came to Miami and interviewed me as part of their ongoing series of podcast interviews with public sector leaders. The ULI Rose Center will serve as a resource to our public sector leaders as they learn and adapt to the contexts around them. The interview was conducted by Jess Zimbabwe, Executive Director of ULI's Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership in Land Use.

You can listen to the interview on ULI's website.

- Manny

A Taste of Little Havana & Miami's First Safety/Health Fair: This Weekend

The City of Miami Safety Unit is hosting Miami's first Safety/Health Fair in conjunction with "A Taste of Little Havana" this Saturday from 10 to 3. This free event offers an opportunity to sample great tasting ethnic foods from Miami restaurants and learn about safety & health issues that affect you and your family while enjoying the day at West End Park (250 SW 60th Ave).

The fair will feature free car seat safety checks, on-site child fingerprinting, martial arts presentations, free blood pressure screening, food tasting, produce vendors, raffles, games for children and a chance to meet members of our Mounted Police Unit and our Fire-Rescue Department. The Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives will also be there to show you how safety and sustainability go hand in hand.

Thanks to the City of Miami Department of Risk Management for hosting this event. View the flyer in English and Spanish HERE. I hope to see you there.

-Manny

'Have a Heart for Haiti' Fundraiser

I would to invite you to join Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, World Vision, and me as we host “Have a Heart for Haiti,” a special fundraising evening to benefit “Operation Hope for Haiti” On May 14, 2009.
“Operation Hope for Haiti” was created in response to the devastation left behind in Haiti after the country was hit by several hurricanes in 2008. This fundraiser will benefit a project focusing on stemming the threat of flooding in rural Haiti by employing close to 1,000 local workers to install watershed walls, anti-erosion structures and conduct reforestation. The group hopes to raise $1.5 million over the next three years to help the community of Hinche, Haiti rebuild and recover.
In Miami, we know from experience how difficult it is to recover from the destruction that hurricanes leave behind, and know that help is always needed and deeply appreciated. Our community has given very generously in efforts to alleviate the suffering of our neighbors in Haiti, and the severity of the conditions in the island calls for continued solidarity in our response and commitment to help this devastated country rebuild. We are grateful to our community leaders and partners who have pledged their support for Operation Hope for Haiti, and we ask that you join us in aiding this neighboring nation.

Please click HERE for invitation and RSVP card

To make a donation to “Operation: Hope for Haiti” –

· Online: www.worldvision.org/operationhopeforhaiti

· Mail: World Vision, Attn: Haiti Relief, 7220 NW 36th St, Suite 228, Miami, FL 33166. Please make all checks payable to “World Vision.”

· Run with Team World Vision in the 2010 Miami ING Marathon and Half Marathon. Go to www.teamworldvision.org for details.

- Manny

Thank You to All Public Servants

It is with great pleasure and pride that City Manager Pete Hernandez and I celebrate the public servants of the Magic City during National Public Service Recognition Week.

Every day, our neighbors depend on you, the unsung heroes of local government, to provide the diverse and necessary services to keep our city running with efficiency and integrity.

During this, the last National Public Service Recognition Week of my term as Mayor, I celebrate each one of you. Thank you for your dedication to service and to the City of Miami. It is an honor to serve with you.

Thank you and God Bless.

- Manny

Mayor Diaz Named Top 10 Green Mayors in U.S.

I have been named one of the top 10 green mayors in the country by Grist, an online environmental magazine:

15 green-leaning mayors
Climate change is a global problem—but as of yet, there’s no global solution. That’s why mayors across the U.S. are taking action, from building green to organizing bike rides, from redeveloping downtowns to cutting emissions. Here are just a few of the municipal leaders who have worked to take our collective future into their own hands.

#9 Manuel Diaz, Miami.
Pop.: 410,000
Though some critics have dubbed him “Concrete Manny” due to his love of development, Diaz is paving the way for sustainability in Miami. An early signatory to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, he created Miami’s first sustainability department and a community-wide Green Commission. He has pushed green building, led an energy-retrofit of City Hall that included solar-panel installation, and is converting the city’s fleet to more efficient vehicles. Late last year Diaz launched Bike Miami Days, and this spring the city hosted a week of events leading up to Earth Hour. “We’re on the front line of global climate change here,” Diaz told Newsweek in 2007. “The water level doesn’t have to rise too much for us to be riding around Miami in canoes.”

Read the whole story...

- Manny

Celebrating Haitian Heritage Month in Miami's Little Haiti/ Historic Lemon City Neighborhood

Today, I joined Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, the Little Haiti NET Office and residents of Little Haiti to kickoff Miami's Haitian Heritage Month festivities.

Throughout May, we will be celebrating with a month long art exhibit at the brand new state of the art cultural complex, soccer games and a street festival, this Saturday, along NW 62nd Street and North Miami Avenue. From 6:00pm to 11:00pm, visit the Freedom Garden and enjoy Caribbean Food, Art, games for the kids and live music and comedic performances.

All Haitian Heritage month events are free and open to the public. I hope that you'll join me and people from across South Florida at some of these special events. For more information, please click HERE or call the Commissioner's Office at 305.250.5390.

-Manny