https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Smart Cities & Technology


Article

County gives residents a new way to access services

County gives residents a new way to access services

Three 311 Service Centers in Miami-Dade County provide in-person assistance for a variety of local government offerings.
  • Written by erin.greer
  • 15th February 2013

Miami-Dade County, Fla., launched its 311 Answer Center in 2005 to provide more than 2.5 million residents with quick, convenient access to local government services. In 2011, County Commissioner Lynda Bell inquired about also establishing a "one stop" center to provide services to residents in the South Dade community. County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez took the original request a step further by opening three 311 Services Centers, strategically located throughout the county, offering residents an in-person choice for accessing information and services.

Fiscal responsibility was key. Staff first located available space within existing county facilities that offered high foot traffic. "When identifying these locations, we understood the importance of finding sites that would provide maximum accessibility to our residents, while keeping costs low," says Henry Sorí, director of Community Information and Outreach. To further reduce expenses, each office was staffed with existing 311 personnel.

Through collaborative efforts with the Animal Services Department (ASD), Miami-Dade Transit and the Tax Collector's Office, the Service Centers provide information, referrals and select direct services to customers. In-person assistance is offered for the sale of baby stroller parking permits and dog tag licenses, the issuance of transit passes to seniors and veterans, and guidance in using online payment options.

While the primary function of the Service Centers is to serve walk-in customers, staff can remotely access the same telephony and applications used at 311 to perform functions as if working at the Answer Center. This maximizes efficiency and significantly lowers operating costs for the Service Centers.

During the first year of operation, the Service Centers assisted more than 43,000 customers, processed 8,000 applications for free senior citizens transit passes, sold 500 dog tags generating more than $17,000 in revenue on behalf of ASD, and completed 40,000 311-related assignments that were handled during business hours while there were no walk-in customers.

"We are very excited by the success of the Service Centers and look forward to expanding the variety of services offered in the years to come," Sorí says.

Tags: Case Studies Public Safety Resources Smart Cities & Technology Article

Most Recent


  • MSPs
    The MSP downstream cyberthreat paradox: Understanding the city and county connection
    Recently the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) along with the FBI, NSA, and international cyber authorities issued a cybersecurity advisory aimed at protecting managed service providers (MSPs) and their customers. This high-level advisory has been gestating for some time ever since the SolarWinds and Kaseya supply chain cyber-attacks. A software supply chain attack occurs […]
  • Report: Nearly 95 percent of America's mayors face harassment, threats and violence
    In today’s divided socioeconomic landscape—one that’s rife with political angst—harassment of mayors has become commonplace, especially against minority leaders. Women mayors and mayors of color face more frequent and acute incidents of harassment and violence, according to new research from the advocacy organizations Equity Agenda and the Mayors Innovation Project. Nearly half of all women mayors […]
  • The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media
    Learn how to leverage social media to meet the needs of your citizens. Our comprehensive eBook has been designed to help you leverage social media to increase citizen engagement in your community. We’ve outlined the latest trends, summarized the value of each social platform specifically for local government, and outlined tips to help you get started. […]
  • infrastructure
    Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet
    Geotab’s Guide to Public Works Operations will walk you through how to fine-tune your public works fleet processes with telematics. We’ve highlighted which activities benefit the most from accurate, data-driven reporting from winter operations, managing emergency events, parks and recreation to waste management, and everything in between. Telematics data can improve efficiency across your entire […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Today’s infrastructure needs greater than roads and bridges - It’s time to face our digital connectiveness

White papers


The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media

16th May 2022

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet

16th May 2022

Arizona Arts Center Meets Rapid Deadline with Hundreds of Thousands in Savings

26th April 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Minor league baseball is helping cities hit a revitalization home run dlvr.it/SQc5N4

18th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council can help governments get up to speed on sustainable buys dlvr.it/SQbwqL

18th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The MSP downstream cyberthreat paradox: Understanding the city and county connection dlvr.it/SQYVjs

17th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Philanthropic group to launch assistance portal for local admins navigating federal bureaucracy dlvr.it/SQY16G

17th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Nearly 95 percent of America’s mayors face harassment, threats and violence dlvr.it/SQTn2z

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media dlvr.it/SQTdCK

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet dlvr.it/SQSqXG

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don’t touch their retirement plans for a decade dlvr.it/SQKMjp

13th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X