Census Hits Miami Mailboxes
With billions in aid on the line, forms are delivered in South Florida
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NEW YORK - MARCH 07: Census workers inform ethnic Russians of the upcoming census count in the Russian enclave of Brighton Beach March 7, 2010 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. As the 2010 population count begins, neighborhoods like Brooklyn, one of the most diverse in the country, are notoriously difficult for census workers to count as the population is dense and often weary of revealing ethnicity to the government for fear of immigration difficulties. In order to get an accurate population count the Census Bureau is mailing the 10-question forms to 120 million U.S. households on March 15. The Census count is conducted every 10 years. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
With $280 million being spent nationwide, the 2010 U.S. Census is a huge campaign and it's already hitting the mailboxes of Miami.
Over the weekend, Census Bureau employees were spreading the word on Calle Ocho and sure enough on Monday morning, forms were already in the mail around South Florida.
In places like Miami Gardens, officials are full blast into convincing residents to return the forms. They take just 10 minutes to fill out and the postage is already paid, and they're critical not only for the demographic information but because the more people counted, the more federal money can flow into areas where it's needed.
"It really means a lot in terms of funding for our schools, for our law enforcement, for health care, etcetera," said Jay R. Marden, in Miami Gardens.
The forms will be the groundwork for sketching a profile of Miami Gardens, where federal help is critical to offset a skinny tax base.
Mayor Shirley Gibson has been involved with the project since day one.
"We kind of calculate that every person who signs the Census, it's at least another thousand dollars for us and to help us provide those critical services that people need," Gibson said.
Postal officials said they're receiving the census material in a staggered basis, so you may not receive your census packet until later in the week. Officials stressed that the every 10-year portrait of our nation can pay dividends.
"We want the public to work with the Census," said Raul Cisneros. "It's required by the Constitution, it's part of our democracy, it's important everyone be counted."
