• ​​​​FLLy Safer, FLLy Smarter, FLLy Better Public Confidence Campaign: The Broward County Aviation Department (BCAD) launched its FLLy Safer, FLLy Smarter, FLLy Better (FLLySSB) public confidence campaign at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) on June 1, 2020. The campaign highlighted operational changes undertaken at FLL during COVID-19 to restore consumer’s confidence in travel. The initiatives incorporated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to help deter the pandemic’s spread and visually showcased steps FLL took to create a safer and smarter airport for travelers and employees. For us, it was a way to remind everyone of the need to adapt to a new way of travel and life. This preparation included installing social distancing markers on floors and chairs to reinforce the six-foot separation rule, "sneeze guards" at check-in and concession counter.

• ​​The Broward County Way – A Reference Guide to International Protocol for Broward County: Created by the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development in October 2020, The Broward County Way – A Reference Guide to International Protocol for Broward County & The Broward County Pocket Guide for International Protocol are two (2) documents designed as roadmaps to provide guidance to elected officials and county staff pertaining to best practices for international protocol when organizing or participating in international missions as well as international ceremonial functions. In addition, the documents provide guidance on proper communication with international dignitaries and officers. The reference guide and pocket guide will serve as tools for training elected officials and county staff on international protocol via one-on-one training sessions and webinars.

County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy & Sustainability

• Boosting the Success of the Broward Solar Co-op: The success of the Broward Solar Co-op, a program offering solar system installation at a bulk purchase discount with customer support, was boosted by investing in an aggressive marketing and educational campaign, incentivizing a non-profit to recruit solar co-op participants effectively, and by incentivizing residents to invest in solar systems with a discount group price and free technical support and assistance while the federal tax credit was available. The 2019 Solar Co-op was well supported by the community, with a record-breaking 226 sign-ups. Over 55 projects were completed through the co-op, resulting in lifetime carbon reductions of 20,452,509 million lbs. Each resident was eligible to take advantage of the federal tax rebate in addition to the discount co-op installation rate, saving them $10,000s. By July 2020, $1.9 million of economic investment resulted from the program, creating 16 jobs and installing 965.8 kW of solar. By going solar, homeowners helped support the implementation of the County’s goal of increasing renewable energy use and reducing emissions to mitigate climate change. The program was aligned with existing county initiatives to further assist low and moderate income residents in relieving energy burden. Hosting a solar co-op was a creative and unusual way for local government to support solar installations while minimizing long-term investment needs.
  
• Future Conditions Map Series: 100-Year Flood Elevation Map: Broward County is taking a forward-looking approach to planning for future conditions predicted as a result of climate change, specifically the impacts of sea-level rise with an emphasis on planning and design requirements for development, redevelopment, and investments in infrastructure. In 2017, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners established a Future Conditions Map Series, intended to evolve with the application of best available science to develop models and provide data to update design requirements for land use decisions, accounting for future flood and climate risk. The second in this series, the Future Conditions 100-Year Flood Elevation Map, is intended to advance resiliency efforts to improve standards for flood protection. This modeling effort accounted for projected sea level rise, increased precipitation, saturated soil conditions, and land use changes to predict future flood conditions. The results of this project will serve as a regulatory basis for establishing future minimum habitable floor elevations for new buildings and major redevelopments in the County.
  

• Southport Turning Notch Coral Relocation: Broward County Port Everglades Department’s Southport Turning Notch Extension (STNE) Project will create five new cargo berths. Future cargo activity at full build-out will annually generate $29.1 million of direct induced and indirect state and local tax revenue, $252.2 million in taxes throughout the State, $3.4 billion in income to related jobholders, $103.2 million of sales revenue for local businesses and $29.1 million of direct induced and indirect state and local tax revenue. The STNE was authorized to expand the basin from 19.01 acres to 46.83 acres, extending the notch westward from 900 feet to 2,400 feet; and to construct a concrete bulkhead and associated facilities. Though mitigation was necessary to undergo this extensive work, part of the Broward County mission is striving for excellence in environmental stewardship; therefore, Broward County goes above and beyond regulations. Broward County decided to solely fund the removal, relocation and monitoring of the vulnerable coral colonies located in the STNE by adhering to and surpassing strict county, state and federal regulations. When threatened by predatory parrotfish, Port Everglades voluntarily caged the corals to further protect them. This program, unlike any other, was a contribution to science; and it demonstrates the organization’s simultaneous dedication to the local environmental and economic vitality.
  

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

• Pack the Fun, Not the Gun – Safety First Campaign: In October 2019, the Broward County Aviation Department (BCAD) joined forces with local and federal law enforcement partners to launch the "Pack the Fun, Not the Gun" public awareness campaign to remind travelers it is illegal to enter a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) passenger screening checkpoint with a weapon. The intent was to convey a clear message that weapons and airports don't mix.

Health

• The BARC 23-Hour Triage Hold Bay: Broward Addiction Recovery Center (BARC) offers a comprehensive range of services for persons age 18 and older affected by substance abuse and/or co-occurring disorders. BARC developed the 23-Hour Triage Hold Bay, an innovative service to respond to capacity needs and reduce costs and dangers associated with lack of detox bed availability for county residents. Patients receive medical care and monitoring for up to 23 hours, while waiting for a bed in our inpatient detoxification unit or until the patient is stable enough for release, rather than being sent away or to an emergency department. In providing this care, BARC efficiently extends the limited bed capacity we can offer and reduces costly hospital visits and potential overdoses. Over the past year, BARC has served 595 adults in this program, both admitting them into detox when a bed became available or providing care until they were sufficiently stabilized to be released with interim care. In 2020, the program has resulted in 350 less individuals being turned away due to lack of bed availability versus the previous year, a 29% reduction. Since BARC serves almost exclusively indigent patients, the program saves resources in transport, emergency department visits and potentially saves many lives. 

Human Services

• Animal Care Doghouse Program: Broward County Animal Care is the County’s shelter for lost and stray dogs and cats. We are considered an “open-admission” facility, which means that we cannot turn any pet away. Each year, approximately 10,000 dogs and cats come through our Adoption Center. One of the main objectives of Broward County Animal Care is to reduce the surrender of pets to our shelter. Many of these pets are brought to us due to major life-changing situations such as eviction; job loss; divorce; illness or death of the pet owner. However, other circumstances are less severe, but still important to the well-being of the pet, such as the need for food, medical assistance, or proper sheltering. That is the impetus behind developing the Doghouse Program -- to give residents the basic help they need to properly care for their dog and to keep them home. To date, the program has provided aid to numerous pet owners and has helped to keep the pet with their family instead of being surrendered to us.

Information Technology

• ​Document and Memorandum Manager (DMM): The Document and Memorandum Manager (DMM) application was developed by the Broward County Transit Information Technology (BCT IT) Section and the Broward County Transportation Department’s Labor Relations Section to improve upon the efficient and equitable issuance of discipline to its extremely large, primarily unionized labor force. The DMM is a robust web-based application that has had a major impact on the way discipline is generated and tracked within the Department. It is prepopulated with automated fields of all applicable county and collective bargaining agreement rules and policy violations pertaining to the Department’s employees. Furthermore, it is linked to the Department’s accident/incident database, which stores information and documentation related to all accidents and/or incidents that have taken place within the agency, as well as the Department’s employee roster. The DMM allows the Department the ability to administer discipline in a streamlined manner and has not only dramatically decreased the valuable time it takes management staff to generate disciplinary documentation, but it has also significantly improved the timeliness, accuracy and consistency of discipline being issued. The DMM also provides a repository for all disciplinary documentation generated, which may be easily tracked and queried by the Department’s Management Staff within the tool.
  

Libraries

• ​Broward County Library’s Response to COVID-19: Using Data to Make a Difference: When the COVID-19 crisis closed the buildings of Broward County Library (BCL) to the public in March 2020, BCL responded immediately by going virtual and transitioning into a fully online “branch” providing outstanding customer service when the community needed it the most. By expanding digital resources, offering online programs and enhancing customer communications through a targeted marketing campaign, BCL was able to quickly, successfully adapt to a virtual model that ensured customers received seamless and efficient library services. A surge of new digital card registrations, a rise in usage of the Library’s e-resources, a dramatic increase in views of BCL’s on-demand library programming on its YouTube channel as well as positive media coverage of BCL’s efforts during the COVID-109 crisis were proof that the library was more than up for this challenge. Additionally, during the closure, Broward County Library earned the titles of the Florida Library Association (FLA) 2020 Florida “Library of Year, the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2020 “Library of the Future,” the ALA’s Reference and also received ALA’s Reference User Services Association Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award. Additionally, three key promotional elements used in the project received honors in the 2020 AVA Digital Awards.
  

Risk and Emergency Management

• ​Content Value Capturing Program: Maintaining an accurate, up-to-date “statement of values” is imperative to comply with Broward County ordinances and to secure the correct property insurance coverage at the most competitive rates. A statement of values is a declaration to insurance providers identifying which structures and contents Broward County intends to insure. In most cases, the statement of values is a spreadsheet with a long list of structures. Each entry on the statement of values includes the total content value associated with each structure. Broward County’s Risk Management Division Insurance and Contracts Section custom-tailored a formal program entitled, Content Value Capturing Program, for capturing and itemizing the value for the contents located in each of the more than 100 Broward County-owned structures. The value of the contents and electronic data processing equipment constitute a significant portion of the County’s overall Total Insured Values (TIV) and insurance premiums paid annually by the County. Utilizing the new Content Value Capturing Program in conjunction with a new property inspection program implemented in 2020, the Risk Management Division saved Broward County thousands of dollars by reduced property insurance premiums in 2021.
• Safety Twenty20: Broward County (County) has experienced a high number of slips, trips, and falls incidents in, or on the premises, of County buildings and facilities. To address this critical issue, the Broward County Risk Management Division (RMD) has created an online slip, trip, and fall prevention and awareness training program. The program is entitled “Safety Twenty20” and is designed to minimize slip, trip, and fall incidents to Broward County employees and its patrons. This innovative endeavor uses contemporary technology to communicate to employees in an attempt to meet the proposed objectives. Since slips, trips, and falls account for twenty-five percent of the County’s annual workers’ compensation claims, RMD has been challenged by County Administration to improve the safety culture and reduce the number of incidents involving slips, trips, or falls. Consequently, RMD has proactively targeted the County agencies with the highest incidents per year and requested that respective agencies encourage all employees to participate in the new online training/awareness class.

• No Sail Order Repatriation Plan: The goal of the Port Everglades’ (PEV) Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) is to identify potential emergencies and to ensure that a viable capability exists to continue essential Port Everglades functions, specifically when our primary facility is either threatened or deemed inaccessible. By mid-March of 2020, the United States realized it was amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease caused by a novel coronavirus. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had issued a “No Sail” order for cruises, dated March 14, 2020, however, some cruise vessels remained at sea having difficulty dealing with a lack of repatriation options for passengers. Of these vessels, 27 cruise ships had either departed Port Everglades for a round trip voyage or were scheduled to end their cruises at the Port. Because Port Everglades is the winter homeport for Holland America Line, Carnival Corporation, its parent company, and the Port Everglades Unified Command developed a coordinated plan to repatriate the passengers of Holland America Lines’ ZAANDAM and ROTTERDAM cruise ships with the goal of not overburdening local resources. Though the Port’s COOP plan addressed various hypothetical situations, repatriating cruise passengers from around the world during a pandemic was not addressed. Port Everglades and the Broward County Government organization had to be innovative in coming up with a solution that was not common practice.
  

Transportation

• Broward County Paratransit Rider's Choice Pilot Program – BEST IN CATEGORY: The Rider’s Choice Pilot program was a three (3) year pilot which began in February 2018 and was scheduled to end January 2021. The program was made permanent by the Board of County Commissioners in January 2021. The pilot was created to provide a new enhanced transportation choice for paratransit customers to complement their existing paratransit services. Unlike paratransit, the Rider’s Choice trips could be same day, direct to the customer's destination, and free to the customer if below the subsidy provided. The Rider’s Choice Pilot program provides eligible paratransit customers, who voluntarily enroll, the choice of calling a local taxi company or transportation network provider of their choosing from a list of firms that can accept the County’s payment card, to arrange their trip. The Rider’s Choice Pilot program is cost neutral and provides work for local transportation companies.
  

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