MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava delivered her state of the county address Monday morning, touting the local economy’s progress as it recovers from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
This was the mayor’s second state of the county that was impacted by COVID-19, so the speech was held at the Greynolds Park boathouse and was available for people to watch virtually.
The mayor’s speech summarized the accomplishments achieved and the challenges the community has faced during her first year in office and her plans and goals for the upcoming year, including continuing to invest in solar power and protecting our bay.
She laid out her vision for county work on big things like transit, the environment, housing, gun violence and tech, but the theme of the day was largely about crisis and resilience.
“I address you today with gladness and hope to let you know that the state of our county is stronger than ever,” the mayor said.
Levine Cava spoke about the county’s response to last June’s collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, which was one of the big crisis of last year, which led to crafting laws and building codes that are still ongoing.
CLICK HERE to read the mayor’s full speech.
The coronavirus crisis has also been ongoing, which led the county to create mass distribution sites for vaccines last year, but this year the county is working to overcome the need of treatment sites, especially after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that certain monoclonal antibody treatment brands no longer had emergency use authorization.
The FDA made the determination after Regeneron and Eli Lilly announced the COVID-19 antibody drugs were less effective against the dominant omicron variant than during early in an infection of the delta variant.
“We’ve been pressuring the administration as well to help us get more supply of the monoclonal that works against the omicron variant and we’re ready to provide it as soon as it’s available,” the mayor said.
The mayor said “lifting up small businesses is how we’ll recover will no one left behind,” and touted the county’s Strive 305 program, which provides support and resources to local entrepreneurs as they launch and grow their businesses.
She also praised the county’s big businesses, like Miami International Airport, which ended last year with 37 million passengers compared to just 18 million the previous year, and Port Miami, which had the most cargo traffic last year than in its entire history.
The mayor said Miami-Dade’s economy was recently ranked the best recovered in the entire nation and that it is a model for the rest of the country.
The mayor’s full speech can be viewed below: