Local company offers Miamians a tool to track issues they care about in local government

June 12, 2017

MIAMI, FL—Civic Incite is very excited to be a 2017 Knight Cities Challenge Winner. The Knight Foundation grant will help Civic Incite build an online platform, called CivicPro, that tracks public meetings and legislation across cities.

Cities and other local governments are at the forefront of solving the 21st Century's problems — from Zika to zoning — but all still communicate to the public through lengthy notices and agendas. These documents amount to thousands of pages of information published on a regular basis. Moreover, with over 105 local governments in the region, South Florida’s fragmented governance system impedes locals’ ability to follow decisions affecting them.

The Knight Cities Challenge project is a collaboration between Civic Incite, Catalyst Miami, CUTGroup Miami, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava’s Office. Led by former Miami assistant city attorney, Matt Haber, and, policy analyst, Jorge Damian de la Paz, Civic Incite will also work with the civic technology company, DataMade, to develop the software. DataMade has successfully created legislative tracking platforms in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.

“Jorge and I have both worked with local government in different capacities and still find it time-consuming and difficult to navigate; for the average citizen, it can be almost impossible to figure out,” said co-founder Matt Haber.

“We’re going to collect legislative information across South Florida’s various cities into one simple and searchable platform to encourage more in-person public participation in the policymaking process ” added co-founder Jorge Damian de la Paz.

In addition, Civic Incite is developing a premium, subscription-based product to provide sophisticated tools to professionals who interact with and are affected by local government, including code amendment tracking, legislative archives, and analytics.

This enterprise software will serve everyone from community organizations to attorneys, urban planners, and universities. “On the enterprise side, the CivicPro platform will act like a Bloomberg Terminal for local governments, allowing clients to discover new opportunities to advocate, generate new business, and provide an advantage over competitors,” said de la Paz.

“Our goal is to simplify civics. To that end, we’ve also conducted a survey with CUTGroup Miami and Catalyst Miami to better understand what policy issues locals consider most important. We’re going build on those results with additional user testing sessions where Miamians are going to have the opportunity to help shape the user experience.” said Haber.

www.getcivicpro.com/
(305) 814-2880
@GetCivicPro

June 12, 2017

June 6, 2017

By Zoë Roller and Danielle Mayorga, US Water Alliance Program Managers
FROM US WATER ALLIANCE "AN EQUITABLE FUTURE: A NATIONAL BRIEFING PAPER"

Catalyst Miami: Fostering resident engagement in climate planning

The impacts of a changing climate are evident in Southeast Florida, where sea levels are projected to rise 15 inches by 2045. Miami-Dade County currently experiences about six high-tide flood events every year, and this number could increase to 380 in the next 30 years. The region faces not only sea level rise and storm surge, but also sunny-day flooding due to the porous bedrock on which it sits. Saltwater intrusion into the county’s Biscayne aquifer is impacting the agriculture industry and threatening the livelihoods of small farmers. In Miami, low-income and Latino communities are hit especially hard by storms and flooding. Residents face regular flooding and often have to wade through puddles to get to work.

As government agencies develop resilience plans, it is crucial that all communities that are vulnerable to climate risk have a hand in shaping adaptation strategies. Catalyst Miami, a community organization that provides social services like health coaching and financial planning, is engaging vulnerable communities in climate initiatives. The organization offers a course that prepares residents to participate in the climate planning process. The course provides an overview of the effects of climate change in Miami; reviews adaptation strategies from around the country; and offers public speaking training for residents to prepare them to effectively communicate with public officials. Participants also learn community asset mapping, focused on identifying the existing characteristics of their neighborhoods that could build climate resilience.

Once the course is completed, some graduates develop grassroots climate initiatives, such as creating a community emergency preparedness plan. Catalyst Miami partners with the city’s Office of Resilience and the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact, a planning initiative spearheaded by several counties, to facilitate community engagement in climate planning. The Compact is currently updating its adaptation plan and developing a mitigation plan, and Catalyst Miami will work with the initiative to incorporate equity considerations. In these ways, Catalyst Miami is providing important enabling structures for residents to engage in climate planning. By incorporating the needs, goals, and ideas of the people whose lives will be impacted by a changing climate, the adaption plans will be stronger and more sustainable.

Catalyst Miami offers a course that informs communities about the effects of climate change in Miami, and prepares them to participate in adaptation planning processes. Photo credit: Martin Framez.

US WATER ALLIANCE "AN EQUITABLE WATER FUTURE: A NATIONAL BRIEFING PAPER"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 1, 2017

MIAMI, FL – On June 3, 2017, 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M., Catalyst Miami will host its third Anti-Poverty Summit to identify equitable, collaborative, and sustainable solutions to South Florida's greatest challenges, including sea level rise and building climate resilience. The Summit will convene members of the community as well as leaders from the public and private sectors to address resilience through a broad lens, focusing on three of its main determinants: transportation, healthcare, and affordable housing.

Attendees will meet at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus, Building 2, Room 2106 (First Floor); and will participate in strategy sessions following a panel discussion and showcase, where we will hear from individuals involved in successful collaborative models in Medellín, Colombia and US cities.

Speakers include:

Meera J. Bhat, North America Cities Director, The Nature Conservancy
Miriam Harmatz, Senior Health Law Attorney, Florida Legal Services
Viviana Tobon, Assistant Director of Mobility, Metropolitan Area of Aburra Valley (Medellin)
Kimberly Vermeer, ClimateCARE Project Lead, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc.

Government officials attending include:

State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez
State Sen. Daphne Campbell
State Rep. Nicholas Duran
State Rep. Barbara Watson
State Rep. Robert Asencio Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Dade County, District 8
Commissioner Ken Russell, City of Miami, District 2
James Murley, Chief Resilience Officer, Miami Dade County
Jane Gilbert, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Miami

Sponsors for this event are The Nature Conservancy, Health Foundation of South Florida, and Miami Dade College.

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Event Contact: Aidil Oscariz
Tel.: 786-258-1641
Email: [email protected]

Media Contact: Molly Delahunty
Tel.: 7864141292

May 24, 2017
By Aidil Oscariz and Karen Woodall

The bills listed below did not pass during the 2017 Legislative Session. Some of these bills would have negatively impacted our communities and weakened our civil rights. Thank you to Karen Woodall at Equal Voice for Florida Families Rural Coalition for putting this summary together.

Summary of 2017 Florida Legislative Session

May 20, 2017

By Siobhan O’Kane and Jenna Wylie, ULI Tampa Bay
FROM THE 2017 URBAN LAND INSTITUTE TAMPA BAY "REALIZING RESILIENCE" REPORT

CATALYST MIAMI’S: CLEAR PROGRAM

Catalyst Miami is an anti-poverty nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and support individual leaders and strong organizations that work together to improve health, economic opportunity, and civic engagement in the Miami-Dade community. In response to the challenges that Miami- Dade County’s 2.7 million residents are likely to face as a consequence of climate change and sea level rise, Catalyst established the CLEAR Miami (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience) program. CLEAR Miami is a 12-week training program focused on climate resilience education and leadership, which provides graduates with a groundwork to become climate resilience educators, leaders, and innovators in their own communities and beyond. By the end of the program the graduates have taken on community projects that include: incorporating environmental concerns in neighborhood coalitions, cleaning up garbage and promoting recycling in their neighborhoods, and promoting emergency preparedness.

“You can use your existing community organizations to become environmental champions. This is great way and great model to increase collaboration between community partners throughout St. Petersburg”. Zelalem Adefris, Climate Resilience Program Manager, Catalyst Miami

“Create an ecosystem of partnerships between existing groups to work towards becoming a resilient city.” Leigh Fletcher, Partner, Fletcher & Fischer

2017 URBAN LAND INSTITUTE TAMPA BAY "REALIZING RESILIENCE" REPORT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2017

MIAMI, FL – Today Catalyst Miami will graduate its second cohort of students for CLEAR Miami (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience) to make way for a third session of CLEAR beginning on June 6, 2017. This training program was created in response to the challenges that Miami-Dade County’s 2.7 million residents are likely to face as a consequence of climate change and sea level rise. These challenges include an endangerment of 90% of South Florida’s drinking water, 7-foot storm surges occurring every five years instead of the current 76-year frequency, an increased number of heat waves, as well as a threat to the County’s tourism and agricultural economies. Miami-Dade County’s 1.5 million financially vulnerable residents will be especially burdened because they have the least resources to adapt and recover from these and other climate shocks.

“With the potentially catastrophic challenges ahead for Miami residents due to climate change, Catalyst Miami is excited to be launching this new program that will inform and empower community residents to play a part in local climate resilience strategies,” said Gretchen Beesing, CEO of Catalyst Miami.

CLEAR Miami provides graduates with a base to become climate resilience educators, leaders, and innovators in their own communities and beyond. Participants will develop a deep understanding of climate science, local climate change threats, and solutions. The program is a 12-week commitment, with one 3-hour session occurring per week at Catalyst Miami’s main office (3000 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 210, Miami, FL 33137). Translation will be offered in Spanish and Haitian Creole. There is no fee to participate. Dinner and childcare will be provided at no cost.

Applications to this program are available at http://catalystmiami.org/clear-miami. For more information on CLEAR Miami, contact Zelalem Adefris, Climate Resilience Program Manager, at [email protected] or 786-414-1300.

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Catalyst Miami is an anti-poverty nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and support individual leaders and strong organizations that work together to improve health, economic opportunity, and civic engagement in our community. To learn more about Catalyst Miami, visit www.catalystmiami.org.

CONTACT
Molly Delahunty
Catalyst Miami
786-414-1292
[email protected]

April 25, 2017

Contact your State Legislators about opposing these bills:

HB 7117 initially imposed both work requirements and premiums on Medicaid recipients. Thanks to an amendment by Representative Nicholas Duran, the onerous work requirements, which also included a terribly punitive lock-out period of one year for nonpayment, were just removed. Please thank Representative Duran for his leadership.

Unfortunately, the bill still contains work requirements for most adults, even though the majority either already work or have a good reason for not working. Pregnant women and low income parents who cannot work or whose income is less than the limit for parent eligibility, would be at risk of losing coverage. This would hurt Florida’s children and families.  There is a growing body of evidence that when low-income parents, especially pregnant women, do not have coverage, the health of the child is impacted.

HB 11 and SB 1292 would decertify labor unions with memberships below 50% of all eligible employees and require annual registration renewal of bargaining units, including financial information about it members. Workers in Florida currently have the option of joining unions but this bill would take away that option for those who fall in the minority.
HB 373 and SB 856 would prohibit school districts and local unions from providing annual contracts guarantees based on teachers' performance evaluation, regardless of how well they perform.

SB 120 and HB 83 would enhance the criminal penalties for offenses committed by undocumented immigrants only because of their immigration status. This bill could violate the federal and state constitutional rights of immigrants as it would unlawfully discriminate on the basis of national origin or citizenship.

Bills that would help our communities:

SB 184 and HB 1061 would allow usage of a taxpayer identification number (ITIN) and alternative forms of identification to apply for a FL drivers license or ID card. This would allow immigrants and other community members not otherwise eligible for drivers licenses or state IDs to obtain a lawful form of ID and perform basic activities like driving so that they can support their families.

SB 1064 and HB 411 requires school districts to revise their zero tolerance policies when it comes to arrests and referrals to the criminal and juvenile justice systems and to create an alternative policy to address student misconduct. This bill, that would implement restorative justice practices that offer constructive alternatives to address conflict and could increase the number of students who stay in school.

SB 442 and HB 451 would prohibit advanced well stimulation treatment, banning fracking in Florida and protecting our environment from this harmful process. Fracking poses serious risks to our drinking water and the overall health and wellbeing of our communities and the environment.

SB 392 would support "financial literacy" as a requirement of K-12 programs across the state by revising the requirements for a standard high school diploma to include instruction in personal financial literacy and money. This would give students a strong foundation of financial knowledge.

SB 90 and HB 1351 would implement Amendment 4, a pro-solar tax abatement approved by Florida voters in 2016.

SB 196 would require law enforcement officers to issue civil citations or require juvenile's participation in a diversion program for certain first-time misdemeanor offenses. This would decrease juvenile arrests, avoid criminalizing youth for minor mistakes, and save taxpayers' dollars.

Ask your State Legislators to urge our US House of Representatives delegation to protect your health care and reject a new version of the American Health Care Act!

The U.S. House leadership may soon be pushing for vote on an amended version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which may be even worse than the original version.  The fundamental features of the original bill will reportedly remain the same, which means 24 million Americans could lose health care coverage by 2026,  $839 billion in Medicaid funding could be cut over the next 10 years, and seniors would see a significant hike in premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Additionally, the new version would eliminate the protections under the ACA for those with pre-existing conditions, making it possible for insurance companies to charge significantly higher premiums. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an estimated 3.1 Floridians under the age of 65 had a pre-existing condition in 2015. The reported amendment would also eliminate essential health benefits and no longer be required to provide services considered essential under the ACA market health plans such as mental health treatment, maternal care, and prescription drugs.  states to request waivers to these essential health benefits, which would incentivize insurers to drop coverage for people in need of expensive services such as mental health or cancer treatments, discouraging enrollment, particularly among sicker and high-cost individuals who need care the most. 

February 6, 2017

Today Catalyst Miami joined dozens of local organizations in asking our County Commissioners to uphold Resolution 1008-13, which declines to honor non-mandatory federal immigration detainer requests for low-level offenses and unless federal government agrees to reimburse the County for the cost of honoring such requests. The Resolution, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2013, saves taxpayer dollars, avoids unlawful detentions, protects families, and makes us all safer by building trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement. As an organization working towards a thriving Miami in which all members of our community have equal access to justice and protection and work together to achieve common goals, Catalyst Miami supports honoring Resolution 1008-13, as well as other policies that serve our common good.

A majority of Miami-Dade County residents are foreign born, and many among them are undocumented children and families, workers, business owners, students, activists, and people who contribute to the beautiful diversity of our community. This diversity is precisely what has earned Miami such a distinct image and alluring position among US cities. The Secure Communities Program, and similar arrangements between federal and county authorities, undermines the relationship between our immigrant community and our law enforcement agencies, which in turn decreases the public safety of our entire community. The Secure Communities Program, as demonstrated by a 2013 Fiscal Impact Analysis of Miami-Dade's Policy on Immigration Detainers, may cost our County's taxpayers an estimated $12.5 million a year, a cost that threatens to cripple services and programs that are vital to our community such as public libraries, after-school programs, first responder units, and more.

It is during times of hardship and adversity that true leadership must come together and heed the call to care for, defend, and protect the most vulnerable. This is such a time. Therefore, Catalyst Miami urges Mayor Gimenez, our Board of County Commissioners, and the rest of our elected leadership to join other cities and local governments throughout the country in unifying and doing whatever is necessary to protect all members of our communities. Catalyst Miami also reaffirms our commitment to continue to provide the kind of support and guidance that are urgently needed during this time of hardship and to strengthen our partnerships to have the most impact together.

Read the final report here