Miami

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez Delivers State of The County Address Wednesday

For the sixth time during his time in charge, Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Gimenez delivered his annual state of the county address on Wednesday – with several topics on the agenda.

Mayor Gimenez spoke about the epidemic of opiate abuse in the county and increased staffing in the county’s Police and Fire Departments - speaking to the 132 additional officers hired by the county in the last fiscal year. Gimenez said the county will also hire 50 additional firefighters.

Gimenez also was very happy to mention the economic growth in the county, saying 168,000 jobs have been created since he took office in 2011.

One of the biggest topics the mayor touched on is youth violence in the community. Miami-Dade officials say countywide crime rates have come down, but offenders are increasingly becoming younger, especially when it comes to the use of weapons and gun crimes.

A recent example of this came when eight people were shot during Martin Luther King Day at a park in Miami. Five of those shot were teens.

"Later this year, Miami-Dade Police will be rolling out the newly acquired shots spotter technology to narrow in on exactly where gunshots are heard in real time," Gimenez announced.

In 2015 there were 40 shootings involving children - up from 30 the year before and 16 the year before that.

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