On Wednesday, May 29, Broward County Commissioner Dale V.C. Holness will hold a community forum for the residents he represents in District 9. The forum promises to be an informative meeting for residents as they will have an opportunity to hear from community leaders on topics such as education, crime and safety, employment opportunities, social services, and more. The event which will be held at The Urban League of Broward County, 560 N.W. 27 Avenue in Fort Lauderdale will begin at 7 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. In addition to Commissioner Holness, speakers include
U.S. Congressman Alcee L. Hastings' Chief of Staff, Art Kennedy; Broward County Public Schools Superintendent, Robert Runcie; Broward Sheriff Scott Israel; WorkForce One Employment Solutions President/CEO, Mason Jackson and Broward County Family Success Administration Division Director, Patricia West .
For more information call 954.357.7009

Mayor of the City of Miami Gardens, Oliver Gilbert delivered his first State of the City address Monday, May 13 to an audience of more than 300 including South Florida dignitaries and life-long city residents.
Highlighting the success of the City of Miami Gardens, Mayor Gilbert outlined what he describes as a progressive and ambitious future as the community marks its 10th anniversary.
"This is our moment; our moment to decide whether we want to be as progressive as our thoughts; as prospective as our words. It is our moment to insure that tomorrow's possibilities are more expansive than today's opportunities," declared Mayor Gilbert from the stage at Florida Memorial University.
Mayor Gilbert told residents details of the city's first General Obligation Bond; a 50 million dollar "Decade of Progress" initiative aimed at increasing and improving city services and amenities. Mayor Gilbert laid out a vision to include a new senior center, modernized parks, a science and technology complex, an entertainment/art facility and culinary arts center; all designed to offer improved educational opportunities for city seniors and youths.
"Ten years ago, the incorporators of this city stood firm in the face of critics who said we couldn't, but we knew that we could and we did," exclaimed Gilbert.
Mayor Gilbert touched on key aspects for building a strong fiscal future for Miami Gardens, most notably, the confirmation of the city's A bond rating by New York bond rating agencies. Additional increased economic development includes steps to create the first Community Redevelopment Agency. With the hiring of 11 additional police officers and implementation of new technology, Mayor Gilbert touted continued efforts for crime reduction and described a firm commitment to city youth for increased opportunities in education and recreation.

Community Health of South Florida Inc. (CHI) opened its new Coconut Grove Health Center on May 6.

The new state of the art, soothing, spa-like facility is an upscale medical center that caters to everyone. Those without health insurance and without money for medical attention will be able to receive quality, comprehensive medical care from CHI Primary care, OB/Gyn and pediatric doctors.

For the uninsured, services will be provided on an income based sliding fee scale. CHI also offers complimentary transportation for those needing a ride to and from the center.

"In these tough economic times we see lot of patients who simply don't have the money to seek medical attention and that shouldn't be the case." said Brodes Hartley Jr., CHI President and CEO. "There are times when some people can't even pay the $25 co-pay and we still provide them with top quality care."

The Helen B. Bentley Family Health Center had been serving some of Coconut Grove's neediest patients for the past 40 years but closed recently. That left hundreds of thousands of patients without a place to go for medical care. Now the federal government has awarded CHI a grant to open two medical centers in that region. One at 3831 Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove and a second at 6350 Sunset Drive in South Miami is scheduled to open in June.

Jamaicans from across South Florida will be converging on the Ramada Hotel in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, May 22, and the Renaissance Hotel in Plantation on Thursday, May 24, 2013, for this year's Victoria Mutual Real Estate, Mortgage & Trade Expo. The event will connect potential investors and home buyers with developers, attorneys and other relevant service providers in Jamaica. It is organized and hosted by the Florida Representative Office of the Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), which provides savings and mortgage options to Jamaicans living in the United States. The annual Florida community forum has been steadily increasing in size and popularity over the last three years and this year marks the first staging of a real estate mortgage and trade expo.

President and CEO of Victoria Mutual and current Chair of the 5th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference Richard K. Powell, said "The aim of this year's exposition is to keep the members of the Jamaican community in Florida informed about developments and current investment opportunities in the Jamaican real estate market. The event also plays an integral role in strengthening ties with the international Jamaican network."

The Victoria Mutual Real Estate Mortgage & Trade Expo will boast an expansive line-up of
presenters and exhibitors that includes Gore Developments, National Housing Trust (NHT), West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON), Kencasa Construction & Management Company, the Law Offices of Nunes, Scholefield, Deleon & Company, commissioned land surveyor – Precision Surveying Services, as well as real estate service providers, namely Coldwell Bankers, and Victoria Mutual Property Services (VMPS) – the real estate brokerage arm of the Victoria Mutual Group.