Miami-Dade County wants to know what its residents are concerned about. Affordable housing, public safety, access to childcare and medical care 鈥� these issues will all be captured in the latest survey put out to residents 18 years or older.
The 20-minute survey, undertaken in partnership with the Florida International University Jorge M. P茅rez Metropolitan Center, asks residents what their main concerns are within their particular neighborhood or district.
It鈥檚 taken every five years and is meant to help elected leaders take the temperature of their constituents, and help the county apply for federal grants. This is the first assessment that will capture residents' concerns after the COVID-19 pandemic.
But this year鈥檚 assessment, which comes in the middle of an election year, has something that 2019鈥檚 survey did not: a mention of 鈥� and positive message about 鈥� the county鈥檚 mayor.
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The message in question, which appears in the public safety section of the survey, highlights Mayor Daniella Levine Cava鈥檚 purported efforts within the realm of criminal justice.
鈥淢ayor Daniella Levine Cava is reviewing the full extent of our County criminal justice system to implement effective and cost-saving actions that include prevention, early intervention, diversion, transition and re-entry to the community upon release,鈥� the survey reads in part.
The assessment then goes on to ask respondents how safe they feel in their neighborhoods and what types of incarceration alternatives programs they would support in Miami-Dade County 鈥� like increased gun violence prevention programs and services for people recently released from jail. The did not include a mention of then-Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
As pointed out by local news blog , the survey, which is anonymous, also asks respondents if they vote. The previous one did not.
County , and Levine Cava is running to retain her seat. She faces several opponents including Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid and Republican YouTube personality Alex Otaola.
Dr. Maria Ilcheva, assistant director of the FIU Metropolitan Center, told 港澳天下彩the county contracted the university to perform the survey and had specific instructions, including the addition of the paragraph about Mayor Levine Cava.
鈥淚t was verbatim what the Community Action and Human Services Department asked us to include in the survey in their scope of services to us,鈥� Ilcheva said.
The county told 港澳天下彩the public safety section was requested specifically by the Office of Neighborhood and Safety to be in line with the "" survey conducted in 2021.
鈥淭his section was necessary to compare baseline data from the 2020 survey to the current one,鈥� said Jacob Mills, special projects administrator for the county鈥檚 Community Action and Human Services Department [CAHSD].
The Mayor鈥檚 office told 港澳天下彩the paragraph was not included at Levine Cava鈥檚 request.
Still, the assessment was written in a way that was scientifically sound, and the paragraph did not alert the Metropolitan Center鈥檚 statisticians, Ilcheva explained.
鈥淯nless, methodologically, the question is not being asked right, if they want to include information so that the community understands the context, it is their prerogative to do that,鈥� she said.
The county relies on the survey data to apply for from the federal government, which go towards county programs and anti-poverty initiatives.
鈥淸The federal government] mandates that the survey includes qualitative and quantitative data on geographic service areas within the community. This assessment also requires key findings on the causes and conditions of poverty,鈥� Mills said.
Post-Pandemic Assessment
This is FIU鈥檚 third time performing the community needs assessment for Miami-Dade County, but the first time they鈥檙e collecting responses after the pandemic.
The last survey was in 2019, so it did not capture resident needs and concerns after the onset of COVID-19. That makes this year鈥檚 survey particularly consequential in a post-COVID world.
鈥淚t's been five years and since we had the big intervening factor of the pandemic. I'm not clairvoyant, but based on the anecdotal evidence, I anticipate to see housing and economic opportunity being again at the forefront of the public mind,鈥� Ilcheva said.
In the , The FIU Metropolitan Center determined that Miami-Dade County residents were already struggling with cost of living increases, stagnant wages and a reliance on public assistance for basic needs like food and medicine.
The 2019 survey also found that while crime overall had decreased in the county, residents still felt unsafe.
鈥淒espite the overall decrease in crime, the community feedback shows significant safety concerns. For example, 46.1 percent reported violent crime and 39.1 percent indicated property crime are major problems. Significant percentages of residents also reported other safety factors as major problems 鈥� domestic violence (34.3 percent), human trafficking (31.9 percent), and child abuse and neglect (29 percent),鈥� the 2019 assessment stated.
This year鈥檚 survey is largely similar to the previous one, but there are additional questions about civic engagement, and how connected respondents feel to their communities and community organizations.
Respondents are also asked at the end of the survey if they鈥檇 like to be part of a focus group to answer additional questions about their responses to the community needs assessment.
The survey will run through July, giving the FIU Metropolitan Center time to analyze the data through August and submit a draft report to the county by the end of September.
