County Commission by County Court Judge Gladys Perez.
In a moving ceremony surrounded by family, friends, and residents, Commissioner Lynda Bell was sworn in formally as vice chair of the Miami-Dade County Commission by Miami-Dade County Court Judge, the Hon. Gladys Perez.
The ceremony was attended by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who administered the oath of office to commission chair Rebeca Sosa, the first Hispanic chair of the board, as well as Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who delivered welcoming remarks.
During her speech, Bell thanked Sosa for nominating her as vice chair in November of 2012 and expressed her appreciation to her colleagues for their vote of confidence in her leadership for this new role. Bell pledged to continue to nurture and further a new era of mutual cooperation and respect between her colleagues and the work they perform on behalf of the people they represent which had been lacking prior to her election as a county commissioner in 2010.
Finally, she addressed her constituents by promising to “continue my long-standing tradition of lending my office to anyone in need who seeks my assistance, and to continue to uphold only the highest standards of excellence in public service that they have come to expect and so richly deserve.”
Among her many accomplishments during her first two years in office, Bell was able to work with her colleagues to make government more transparent, accountable and more responsive to the needs, as well as striving to create the necessary economic environment for small businesses, the backbone of local and national economies to thrive. She made it possible for county residents to examine the annual proposed budget via the Internet.
Commissioner Bell worked with Commissioner Sosa to change the county charter to include term limits for all county commissioners, as well as place significant limits on the way registered lobbyists conduct business with the county.
Bell worked closely with Mayor Gimenez on a number of critically important projects and initiatives, including the transferring of some county services back to remote regions of the county, making it easier for residents to access government services. The implementation of physical, one-stop, information and processing center designed to help entrepreneurs through the process of opening new businesses, and creating much needed jobs for all residents.
Finally, recognizing the need for more affordable housing for senior residents, Bell was successful in securing funding for the construction of a 101-unit, four story LEED Certified Building that will serve the housing needs of her district’s elderly population.
Commission Chair Sosa appointed Vice Chair Bell to chair the Economic Development and PortMiami Committee which oversees all matters pertaining to the seaport and dedicating itself to supporting job creation and advancing the economic growth of Miami-Dade County. Bell also was named to the prestigious Health and Social Services and the Land Use and Development Committees of the Miami- Dade County Commission.
