From the American Revolution to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Afikim Foundation?s "Fighting for a More Perfect Union exhibit" will weave together the many stories of different minorities into a compelling exhibit designed to educate, inform and inspire.From the Irish Brigade to the 54th Massachusetts to the Tuskegee Airmen to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the exhibit will feature the stories of minorities who served bravely, without reservation and, all too often, without proper recognition.The United States Army, National Guard and Reserves have an extensive network of more than 50 excellent museums across the country and around the world.These museums bring to life the proud history of the Army.The museums seek to educate, enrich and inspire those in uniform and the general public.These museums are a precious national resource.Together they tell an important story ? one that should be passed on from one generation to the next.Over the last four years the non-profit Afikim Foundation has worked with the U.S.Army Center for Military History to develop an innovative Holocaust exhibit project for Army museums, public libraries and schools, and other community facilities.Through its collaborative work with the Center for Military History, Afikim has gained vast experience and expertise in developing historical exhibits.For this project, the Foundation plans to work with the National World War 2 Museum in New Orleans, LA as well as the Center for Military History to develop a dynamic exhibit for the Army museum system, U.S.military facilities and community settings such as libraries, public schools and community centers.The Fighting for a More Perfect Union exhibit will be comprised of several panels with removable graphics.It will also feature a ?tool box? of materials such as educational DVD, booklet, facsimiles, artifacts, posters, reading list and on-line resources for curators, teachers and librarians.The exhibit will educate, inspire and inform active duty service men and women and their families.It will also serve to educate and inform school children and the general public.Finally, with its on-line resources, the exhibit will benefit teachers, museum curators and researchers across the country.

Project COPE (of Agudath Israel) is currently active in New York and New Jersey with an excellent rate of success.The purpose of beginning Project COPE in South Florida is to be able to train and educate people that are in search of a new job or a career change or even for small businesses to provide their employees with skills that can raise their productivity and salaries.Agudath Israel of Florida currently runs a Job Placement Program which has successfully been able to find good paying jobs for members of the community.This service will be provided to those individuals that would complete a COPE course.

This project merits federal funding because it serves a much needed purpose in economically hard-hit and crime ridden areas of Miami-Dade County.Beginning with its opening of the Overtown Youth Center in 2003, Alonzo Mourning Charities has focused its work on helping children and their families to succeed in school by providing tutoring, mentoring, in-school support and after-school and summer care.The mission is to encourage the educational development of youth by creating programs and youth enrichment centers that promote positive change in low socio-economic communities.The funding requested would support the four major components of Alonzo Mourning Charities.Federal funding under this request would serve to continue these much needed programs by providing operational support.This funding would retain 37 jobs and create 5 new jobs, with a considerable ramp up in the future.

This project will create an infrastructure for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Genetics research in the Palestinian Territories by training clinical personnel in all aspects of cancer genetic counseling and molecular testing.To accomplish this, the mutations responsible for inherited susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer among women of Palestinian, Arab-Israeli and non-Ashkenazi Jewish origin will be identified.Oncologists and Surgeons in Palestinian hospitals will identify and enroll breast cancer patients from families with multiple affected women.Specific mutations identified in a family will then be tested across all breast cancer patients of the same ethnic origin.DNA and expression tumor profiles from women of these populations will be compared with profiles from women in other populations.This will identify shared and unique properties of these tumors, and determine whether known prognostic indicators are applicable to patients of Middle Eastern origin.Risk associated with mutations identified in these families will be assessed.Finally, a program will be established to follow-up high risk women.This is an expansion of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership on Breast Cancer Awareness and Research program.In addition to scientific merits, this project promotes peace and understanding through medicine.At present, meaningful genetic analysis of Middle Eastern women has been conducted only on one segment of the Jewish population.That research, much of which has been carried out at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, has been identified as world class.No comparable services are available for Arab women in the Palestinian Territories.The foundation of the project is a decade of research by Professor Ephrat Levy Lahad of Shaare Zedek and Dr.Mary-Claire King of the University of Washington in identifying and characterizing the key genetic mutations relevant to breast cancer in Ashkenazi Jewish women.Their research, supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, has focused on mutations and interventions that could reduce risks of contracting cancer for women who carry them.

Following the designation (in 2006) of then President George W.Bush establishing May as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM), a group of American Jewish cultural and historical organizations (The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, the American Jewish Historical Society, the Jewish Women?s Archive, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the Council of American Jewish Museums, and the Jewish Historical Society of Washington, D.C.) came together to form the Jewish American Heritage Month Coalition (JAHMC).The JAHMC was created to maximize JAHM?s effectiveness in commemorating and celebrating Jewish American history, heritage and culture all across the U.S.The coalition?s mission is to develop themes and activities for the annual celebration of JAHM.The attached proposal lays out plans whereby the coalition can better develop nationwide programs and activities for the continuing observance of JAHM, while utilizing JAHM related activities to provide a solid investment in the constitutional capacities and outreach of each of the coalition?s partnering organizations.In this plan the coalition proposes the hiring of a project coordinator who will serve as a liaison between the coalition partners and will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing specific JAHM related activities.

Many dedicated active duty military, National Guard and Reserve service members and their families call the South Florida region home; the Red Cross has a long and proud history of assisting our diverse and multicultural military population.While a great deal is being done to support our troops, based upon feedback from community leaders, military service providers, NGOs and representatives from the Red Cross, significant gaps in the current safety net of services have been identified.Multiple and long deployments in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in new challenges.Coping with deployment and re-adjustment upon return, family problems, dealing with injury and disability, the current housing mortgage crisis and high unemployment levels in South Florida can leave our military families financially unable to cover basic expenses and needs.If not addressed in a rapid manner, these problems can compound over time and leave our troops and their families in a financially untenable situation.In addition, we find that members of the Guard and Reserve, as well as non-citizens serving in uniform, lose their benefits when they return to South Florida after completion of active duty, thus some are falling through the cracks of the established social service delivery system.In the past, service members and their families have requested assistance for basic needs such as, rental assistance, mortgage payments, medical and medication costs, food, utilities, burial costs transportation and care-giving needs to name a few.While the Red Cross continues to assess clients? needs and refers him/her to the appropriate social service agencies or organizations, it is clear that insufficient resources exist to meet the pressing requirements of our complex military community ? particularly within the critical 24-72 hour time frame.The requirements of our diverse military members are ever-changing as are the needs of the families left behind.Additional resources are required to address the increasing challenges of our military community, some who don?t qualify for current program benefits and others who have issues that are best addressed in a rapid response to avert a deepening and compounding financial crisis.

Barry University has developed a nationally recognized Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine which not only has been reaching tens of thousands of low-income individuals with health care services, but has virtually unparalleled success in developing nursing and podiatric health professionals.The University's Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine continues to move forward.New lab space will prevent us from turning interested students away from participating in research that is a vital part of preparing students who can be competitive in the job market and graduate and professional school application process.Natural science research opportunities exist in genetics, cancer research, developmental biology, endocrinology, toxicology, and biotechnology.All of Barry?s science and health care programs promote scientific research opportunities and training for minority students, meeting the critical, national need for minority students with doctoral degrees.Barry University? s nationally recognized Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine has been reaching tens of thousands of low-income individuals with health care services, and has virtually unparalleled success in developing nursing and podiatric health professionals.In addition, our science programs provide educational programs for 15 secondary schools and 20 primary schools in Miami Dade.

In Miami Dade County, two of Barry University?s undergraduate courses that require a service-learning component and several other programs are providing service-learning and internship opportunities in more than 100 businesses, government offices and service agencies including the Red Cross, the Community Partnership for the Homeless, Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Forensic Imaging Bureau, Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office, Switchboard of Miami and the Cities of Miami, Miami Beach and North Miami Beach.The CCI will support activity across the entire university and service other counties across Florida, thus benefiting residents throughout the state.Students and faculty: serve in primary health clinics; act as the Public Guardian for the entire 17th Circuit (Broward County); provide adult and family literacy programs, and; generally administer to the needs of older adults, migrant farm-worker families, the indigent, medically-underserved, and often forgotten populations of our state.As service-learning is expanded throughout the university and across the state, we anticipate a significant increase in the number of communities and organizations that will benefit.

Improvements to Barry?s technology infrastructure will benefit all students across all campuses; thereby affecting more than 8,500 individuals.Funds for this project would allow Barry to expand its wireless coverage, providing local residents adjacent to main campus access to internet service.Professionals in education, healthcare, business, the sciences and the arts will be prepared to take their place in a 21st century, high-speed information workplace environment.Barry will provide the most modern learning and teaching methodologies, access to and use of information technology, and learning in a challenging and stimulating environment resulting in more expertly trained graduates joining the workforce.

The Institute for Community and Economic Development delivers research-based education and training to minority and women-owned business enterprises and those providing leadership in the non-profit sector in South Florida.Continued support for the Institute will bolster small businesses, family businesses and community-based/non-profit organizations to meet the challenges related to the present economic downturn.In addition to no cost seminars, BICED evaluated 26 non-profit organizations and developed action-business plans for 24 of those assessed.Dialogs have been opened with Junior Achievement, SER-Jobs for Progress funded by the US Labor Dept., Connect Florida, Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, INC.and several other organizations to broaden exposure and identify sources of potential help to the community.This outreach has resulted in the securing of grants and contracts to deliver services to organizations such as Connect Florida.BICED will be hosting their Spring 2011 Young Leadership Conference (3 day weekend) here on Barry?s campus, focused on developing Florida?s leaders of tomorrow.The Connect Florida program involves approximately 30 young future leaders from all over the state who will come to Barry to receive, along with training from other sources, hands-on exposure, directed by BICED that is designed to make them more aware of community needs.The desired learner outcome is to develop a greater sense of social responsibility and to identify opportunities in community service.Organizational strategic planning is another service to small business provided by BICED.Community partners in this effort include area churches/synagogues and local neighborhood community revitalization projects.

The failure to adequately respond to delinquency costs our community.Barry University?s Juvenile Justice Center is reducing this cost by improving the quality of advocacy for the children and families caught in the juvenile justice system.Full-day trainings held at various locations throughout the state have been provided to approximately 120 lawyers in the last year.If each attorney who attended a training session carries a conservative estimate of 250 cases a year and each one used his or her new skills to help their clients, the Center has impacted 30,000 children in Florida.The twenty public defender offices in the state, the five regional counsel offices in the state, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and all the juvenile judges in the state benefit from the Center.However, the ultimate beneficiaries are the children and families in each county of the state who are caught in our juvenile justice system.No one other entity provides the training and resources provided by the Center.All these organizations and communities benefit because the attorneys served by the Center provide better representation and improve the quality of justice in Florida.As a result, the communities these juvenile defenders serve benefit because the juvenile crime rate is reduced by meeting the holistic needs of the child.

All of Barry?s science and health care programs promote scientific research opportunities and training for minority students, meeting the critical, national need for minority students with doctoral degrees.Barry University? s nationally recognized Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine has been reaching tens of thousands of low-income individuals with health care services, and has virtually unparalleled success in developing nursing and podiatric health professionals.In addition, our science programs provide educational programs for 15 secondary schools and 20 primary schools in Miami Dade.Research programs could create a number of jobs.For example, the upcoming Department of Defense research project will employee 33 new positions (students and three full-time staff).Construction projects will generate approximately 30 jobs in the design phase and 150 people on the site at the peak of construction (approximately 300 involved in total).Additionally, jobs will be created related to peripheral manufacturing and support functions.The Barry plan builds on the Department of Defense recognition of Barry's activities in 2003 in reaching and training minority students in research arenas consistent with DOD needs, and incorporates the goal to reach and an involve an ever-increasing number of women and minority students in in-depth, advanced biochemical and biotechnological techniques; to prepare them for careers in biotechnology and fields consistent with national security and defense missions; to ensure access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and laboratory/ instructional facilities; to ensure that these students are immersed in advanced laboratory skills; and afforded critical research opportunities.

As a result of Barry's rapidly growing instructional and research activities, Barry is at "critical at ?critical mass" in terms of its laboratory and research facilities.Barry's growing instructional and research activities have led the University to commit to a new generation of interdisciplinary, collaborative research facilities, laboratories and teaching facilities through a multi-site, collaborative institute.Funding is needed for both laboratory renovation and instrumentation needs that have been set forth in a detailed and scientifically-justified outline (see attached agenda document), as well as to expand support for both faculty development and student development, i.e., undergraduate research participation.Natural science research opportunities exist in genetics, cancer research, developmental biology, endocrinology, toxicology, entomology, environmental science, marine biology, and biotechnology.All of Barry?s science and health care programs promote scientific research opportunities and training for minority students, meeting the critical, national need for minority students with doctoral degrees.

The renovation of Building 22 at Central Campus is currently the highest priority renovation for the College.The building houses the College's Institute of Public Safety, and the project will provide for renovation as well as additional new space for a total of approximately 43,000 net square feet.The new building will include laboratories and reality based simulator facilities for tactical training, driving, firearms, crime scene, emergency management, fire sciences and other classrooms.The funds will be utilized to purchase energy efficient cooling units, lighting, floor finishing and paints, and to finalize LEED certification.Approximately $350,000 would be utilized to purchase solar panels The highly utilized space was built in the 1970s and is extremely ill-equipped to meet the 21st century law enforcement training needs.As the premier certified police academy in the state, the Broward College Police Academy graduates 500 new officers per year, and more than 5000 pursue professional development opportunities at the Institute.This project is the top priority for the campus because of the impact it will have on the community.

The Kauffman Foundation recently listed South Florida as one of the metropolitan areas nationally with the highest self-employment.Broward College is an urban community college with 60,000 students, three major campuses and eight centers located in the hotbed of this small business climate, the Broward County metropolitan region.While Broward College has a history of being supportive of small businesses and entrepreneurs, many demographics within this group continue to be underserved.The burgeoning numbers of the self-employed and small businesses have created an increasing demand for small business development education and other related services.Existing entrepreneur and small business resources in the region are not co-located, creating either a complicated web of isolated services or none at all, depending on the location of the business.The creation of a one-stop center available to underserved populations, integrated with BC?s fledgling Entrepreneurial Institute, will address this predicament.

Justification for Funding Request/Economic Benefit This is the expanded version of the project?s purpose; it is the more in-depth explanation of why the project requires or merits federal funding (typically 1-4 paragraphs).Please feel free to provide additional supporting documents with further detail, but note that this is my primary source of information about your project.This regional project will develop park and ride lots along existing limited-stop routes that cross county lines and connect with Tri-Rail, a tri-county commuter rail service.Properties have already been identified that are well-suited to serve as park and ride lots, with an emphasis on properties that have adjacent development that complements transit facilities.Many sites are ready-to-go and retrofitting will be expedient.The three proposed sites are Turtle Creek and Sample Road in Coral Springs, Hollywood Boulevard and I-95 in Hollywood, and Broward Boulevard and University Drive in Plantation.Upon completion, Broward County residents will have easy access to park and ride lots throughout the region to facilitate the use of public transportation.The project is estimated to create 54 jobs.

The Urban League of Broward County's planned Community Empowerment Center (CEC) will offer direct social services and economic development programs for children, youth, adults and families in Broward County.The 28,000 square foot, two story community facility will offer educational programming as well as services related to housing, workforce development and health.The site is abandoned warehouse space, located in a federally recognized economically distressed census tract and will serve as a revitalization effort in the community.The CEC will be model for green technology and energy conserving features.Green aspects have been carefully incorporated to its overall architectural design and include, but are not limited to: Photovoltaic panels, rainscreens, lumicor resin paneling and exterior insulation.??? CEC will expand economic and social development services to a community in need of revitalization attention and residents in need of services; it will provide an avenue for community, business and political leaders to convene on issues of importance to urban areas; and, it will provide an opportunity to feature energy saving and green technology in a highly economically deprived area.The short term jobs created on a project of this size is estimated to be 150 onsite construction jobs and approximately 50 to 75 jobs in manufacturing and general assembly of the building components.The Urban League anticipates at least a 50% growth in program revenue by 2012 when the building is completed and occupied.As a result, based on the current expenditures in staffing, we anticipate adding a minimum of 20 full-time management and/or direct service positions at an average annual salary of $39,500.This does not include the additional job opportunities created visa vie part time employment, consultants and contractors.??

The beaches of south Broward County are chronically erosive.The federal navigation features of Port Everglades (deep draft channel and rock jetties) block the predominantly southward movement of sand, creating beach erosion that endangers over $600 million per year in economic activity, 17,000 jobs, $30 million in annual local tax revenues, and over $4 billion in upland structures and infrastructure.Federal, State, and locally cost-shared beach nourishment using offshore sources of sand has successfully restored Broward?s beaches eight times since 1970.When completed, the Broward County Segment III and Segment II Shore Protection Project places approximately 2.5 million cubic yards of sand on 11 miles of beach.Restoration of Segment III was completed in 2006.Planning, engineering and permitting for Segment II will continue during FY09 and FY10, with beach construction expected in FY11.

In the mid-1980?s, Port Everglades lacked the width, depth, and navigational clearances to accommodate the newer larger classes of ocean-going vessels.To remain internationally competitive, Port Everglades undertook an ambitious expansion of its container facilities and developed the Southport Container Facility.To safely accommodate vessels using this new facility, the Port worked closely with the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) on plans to widen and deepen the Southport Channel and to construct a new Turning Notch.However it was determined that the excessive time requirements to study these waterway improvements before construction began would inhibit The Port?s ability to remain competitive and reactive on a timely basis to the requirements of Port users and customers.As a result, the Port opted to move forward without the Corp?s financial assistance and began construction using Port funds.This decision helped to ensure that the Port was able to serve existing and future customers, but it left the Port with more than $15 million in construction costs, which would have been borne by the federal government.While the project meets eight major objectives of the Florida Transportation Plan--such as those relating to navigational and intermodal safety, promoting commerce, and improving connections between major transportation facilities--the debt acquired from the project could harm the Port?s ability to pay for additional improvements needed in the years ahead.

Broward County?s population growth and subsequent traffic congestion has generated additional demand for public transportation.Twenty percent of the County?s residents are over 65 years of age and rely heavily on public transit.In order to keep pace with demand, Broward County must expand service, leaving replacement of older, failing buses behind schedule.If buses are not replaced in a timely manner, repair costs escalate and service levels drop.A total of $16.5 million is needed for ten 40-foot hybrid buses, ten 60-foot hybrid-articulated buses and two hydrogen buses.Each hybrid bus costs $600,000, each hybrid-articulated bus costs $850,000 and each hydrogen bus costs $1.0 million.The County will replace older buses with cleaner, more efficient hybrid buses.In addition, the purchase of the hybrid-articulated vehicles will allow Broward County to address transit capacity and expansion needs, while also addressing clean air issues, but without adding significantly to operating costs.The articulated buses currently in service on the busiest routes are not energy efficient, thereby leading to increased production of harmful carbon emissions and contributing significantly to lower air quality.Moreover, the purchase of two new hydrogen buses presents the County with an opportunity to introduce into its bus fleet the latest environmentally-friendly, energy efficient prototype vehicle.The two hydrogen buses will have no emissions other than water.Broward County is the second largest county in the State of Florida and has the second largest transit system in the State.Broward County continues to be challenged by population growth and changing demographics that require transportation alternatives to meet changing needs.In response, Broward is committed to adding more fixed routes, increase bus frequency, increase accessibility to buses and bus stops, expand community bus service, and implement creative marketing campaigns and partnerships with the private sector and other transit agencies throughout the region.

Broward County has a population of over 1.7 million residents and is the second largest county in the state of Florida, encompassing 33 municipalities and 39 municipal public safety agencies who share contiguous borders and operate on 5 different radio systems.In addition, each of the municipalities rely on their own archaic and limited radio systems to coordinate field services of their Public Works Department who are incapable of communicating with public safety and are critical to the successful mitigation many public safety emergencies.To improve inter-operability among jurisdictions and municipal components, Broward County has championed Inter-local Agreements (ILA's) with each of the municipalities of the County to join the County-wide Radio System which now has over 12,000 users involving 28 municipalities, 32 public safety agencies and 4 public works departments.However limited by available frequency spectrum, the County must expand their County Radio System into the 700 MHz spectrum to provide ample inter-operable communication capacity to the remaining public safety agencies and public works departments.Therefore, the Broward Sheriff's Office must purchase 2,612 radios with 700/800 MHz frequency band capability which will free up capacity in the 800MHz for municipal public works departments as public safety migrates into the 700 MHz band while remaining inter-operable with public safety.The cost of such radios are approximately $5,000 each with a total cost of $13,060.000

Broward Health Broward General Medical Center is the primary site for Medicaid and uninsured mothers to deliver their children in Broward County.This unit served nearly 4,200 women in 2009; more than 72 percent were Medicaid or charity / self pay.Further, the unit is linked to our entire clinic system, allowing uninsured and Medicaid mothers to access the entire continuum of pre-natal and post delivery care which ensures improved maternal outcome.Broward General is investing in new technology and services designed for the unique needs of women.The current Post Partum unit was constructed several decades ago and does not provide the family centered care that is the standard in our community.This unit provides no private rooms and no in room bathing areas.Plans are developed for a 36-bed, 28,000 square foot, state of the art unit that will allow the mother, baby, and family to engage post delivery, maximizing the birth experience in improving the birth outcome for mother and child.

This project is a worthwhile use of taxpayer money for a variety of reasons.It fulfills 3 key areas of the Stimulus of the economy: a) Saving Public Sector jobs ? several jobs will be created (at least 8 new positions) and two staff maintained in our non profit agency, with one external consulting position available for University based staff to secure (NOVA Southeastern Univ.) b) Lowering Healthcare costs ? by reducing the substance-using behaviors, and providing targeted education about the importance of maintaining their health, and dealing with their HIV related healthcare needs, clients will learn how to access healthcare in a more proactive and preventative manner.This results in reduced emergency room visits for episodic health care, which is far costlier.Accessing HIV related healthcare has documented cost savings to a variety of funders and this is well proven in the literature.c) Education for the 21st Century ? This program will be dealing with getting clients to understand the value of self sufficiency and getting back to work.This will require them to go back to school for education, and we will coordinate them to access the Social Security ?Ticket to work? program to ensure their success.This will be a great referral source for local community colleges and vocational schools as we try to get clients to improve their education levels and become prepared for the workforce.

Camillus has provided humanitarian services to persons in Miami-Dade County, Florida who are poor and homeless for nearly 50 years.The organization has grown from a small soup kitchen into a full service center offering comprehensive services countywide, helping thousands of individuals and families achieve lives of self-sufficiency and independence.Today, more than 1,000 individuals receive shelter and housing with Camillus each night, with more than 10,000 persons passing through its doors each year.Services include housing, treatment, primary health care, career development, and basic emergency services such as food, clothing and shelter at 15 sites around Miami-Dade County.Camillus is committed to ending chronic homelessness in Miami within the next 10 years.In order to achieve this goal, Camillus must relocate its current main center of operations, located at 726 NE 1st Avenue, to a new site able to accommodate larger number of clients in a clean and dignified setting.The organization has negotiated an agreement with the University of Miami, the City of Miami, and the State of Florida, whereby Camillus will attain a 60-year lease on a 3.1 acre plot of land located at NW 7th Avenue and NW 16th Street.The new campus will provide 340 beds of emergency, treatment, and permanent housing, as well as comprehensive support services of mental health and addiction treatment, employment training, primary health care, HIV/AIDS education, homeless prevention services, and basic human services of food, clothing, showers, and overnight shelter.Camillus House, Inc.is requesting $3,633,000 in support of costs to relocate and expand its main center of operations located in downtown Miami.This funding would supplement the $1,867,000 already provided through HRSA for this project.The $3,633,000 requested will be used entirely for construction costs.Camillus estimates that at least 500 temporary construction and permanent jobs will be created by the project.This includes 450 construction related jobs and 100 new permanent jobs to operate the facility once completed.

Camillus House has provided humanitarian services to the poor and homeless populations of Miami-Dade County, Florida for nearly 50 years.Camillus House is planning to construct a new campus of seven buildings that will allow a major increase in their capacity.Camillus is requesting $1,500,000 to help support costs associated with pursuing green design and sustainable development at its new campus.Camillus is committed to environmentally sound practices that respect and protect the earth for its inhabitants and future generations.The entire 7-building campus has been registered as a LEED project, with Camillus intending to achieve Gold Level certification.By relocating and expanding its main center for behavioral health treatment and supportive services programs to a new facility, Camillus will be able to provide more health care and social services to the poor and homeless in Miami-Dade County.Camillus is committed to ending chronic homelessness in Miami within the next 10 years, and this new expanded facility will help them reach that goal.By incorporating green technologies into its new facility, Camillus will reduce its energy and water consumption and increase its cost savings.Furthermore, Camillus estimates that at least 550 temporary construction and permanent jobs will be created by the project.This includes 450 construction related jobs and 100 new permanent jobs to operate the facility once completed.The total projected cost of the proposed new facility is $46,824,000, plus another $22,385,000 for the associated permanent housing units.The total cost of $81,628,000 encompasses hard and soft costs, as well as some operating costs and reserves.The $1,500,000 requested will be used to incorporate energy efficient technologies in its new facility.Green elements include solar panel arrays for both power and hot water; installation of green roofs and a roof-top urban garden; efficient plumbing fixtures; drought-resistant landscaping with a drip irrigation system; usage of regional, recycled, and low-emissions materials; and efficient design measures such as high performance windows, centralized chilled water system and energy-efficient building systems.

Mayor Fenty and the DC Council have both been very supportive of the Mission acquiring the former Gales School historic building at 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, DC for an emergency shelter.This private-public collaboration will provide a solution to the homeless crisis by addressing the critical need for emergency housing in a location that will have a direct and immediate impact on transforming the lives of homeless persons downtown.The District will provide a long-term 40-year lease to the Mission for the Gales School.In return, the Mission will renovate and equip the Gales building.The Mission will relocate to the Gales School to provide shelter and critical services for the homeless and needy.This arrangement is projected to save the District more than $60 million in operating costs relieving the District of a significant financial burden, and indeed, social services burden.Preliminary renovations and the acquisition of an administrative and transitional services facility are underway.However, equipment and infrastructure improvements are critically needed for these new facilities such as beds, computer equipment, cooling equipment, communication equipment, audio-visual, furniture, fire safety, etc.The Massachusetts Avenue location will provide expanded vital services including medical, dental, legal, drug treatment services, computer training, job and life skills training, transitional housing, educational and GED services, residential apartments, and a multi-purpose dining facility.Between 8,000 and 10,000 individuals are homeless each year in the District of Columbia (source: Coalition of Housing and Homeless Organizations report).One in five persons in the District of Columbia live below the poverty line and many more are on the verge of becoming homeless (source: U.S.Census Bureau), Given the current economic crisis, the number of homeless and indigent have increased dramatically.The Central Union Mission?s current facility on R Street, NW, lacks adequate space to properly serve this increasing homeless population and to implement vital services and programs including medical, dental and legal clinics, drug treatment and prevention, comprehensive counseling services, and expanded educational and job training programs.

It is particularly difficult for families with disabled children or children with chronic illnesses to receive dental care in our community.There are very few pediatric dentists in private practice and only one in Broward County, Florida who will serve these special populations.Few dentists have the requisite training or skills to provide care to children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) or wish to deal with the amount of paperwork required for a Medicaid client or the time required for a medically complex child when a visit will bring them a small reimbursement.Children with disabilities and/or delays need highly specialized oral health care which often requires an extended office visit, sometimes an hour or more, and can require sedation.As many of these children have cerebral palsy, chromosomal anomalies, down syndrome, etc., they also require continuity in their provider with whom they can become familiar and can trust.Although we have considered collaborations with local universities for this project, the lack of continuity and limited experience of student providers is a real concern for this population who do not respond well to treatment from different providers at each visit.These children go without regular oral health care and are only seen when medical emergencies arise (e.g.abscesses, oral cancers, etc.) as a result of the lack of regular checkups and treatment.This is especially serious for those children who have multiple/complex medical diagnoses which make them particularly vulnerable to oral disease and decay.The primary goal of this project is to offer oral health services to CYSHCN who receive patient?centered primary care at Children?s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC).The Center is already a familiar place for the children and, with a permanent dental staff, a place in which they could feel comfortable receiving dental care.The Center already has an existing two-chair dental operatory on-site to provide essential oral health care to this underserved population.CDTC is requesting funding to staff the dental clinic three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:30 AM ? 5:00 PM, for all CYSHCN served at CDTC.The funding would be for a dentist, hygienist and referral coordinator/health education assistant.

The Center for Hearing and Communication in Ft.Lauderdale (formerly the United Hearing and Deaf Services, then League for the Hard of Hearing) serves approximately 8,000 people annually.Of these, about half are seniors over the age of 65.CHC-Florida is a branch of the Center for Hearing and Communication in NYC which was established in 1910 and is a leading, non-profit rehabilitation center for people of all ages with hearing loss.The proposed project MAPS (Mobile Audiology Program for Seniors) is a mobile hearing health care program that will enable needed services to be provided to seniors who cannot travel to CHC.The need to treat seniors with hearing loss is great.Hearing loss is one of the fastest growing disabilities in the United States, with the highest prevalence in the elderly population.Research indicates that 1/3 of people over the age of 65 have a hearing loss and 2/3 of people over the age of 75 have a hearing loss, but less than a third actually seek help and treatment.Barriers to seeking treatment include a lack of awareness and limited access to accurate information about what to do and where to go for help, an inability to travel to obtain needed services, finances, and denial of the impact of hearing loss on their life.The proposed mobile program operated in Ft.Lauderdale will be based on our New York City office's experience with a similar program that has provided mobile hearing health services to seniors for close to seven years; the last four funded by the NYC Department for the Aging.This initiative has shown that hearing loss is untreated in this population.Over the four years, almost 3200 seniors were screened; 62% failed the screening and 920 received follow-up diagnostic hearing tests.Approximately 520 were found to have a mild to moderate hearing loss and 190 had a severe loss.None of the seniors diagnosed with a hearing loss had known that they had a hearing loss and therefore had not sought treatment (e.g.hearing aids).The purpose of the proposed project is to operate a pilot mobile hearing health care program providing clinical services and support to senior citizens in Broward County.Center for Hearing and Communication-Florida has extensive experience in providing hearing health care to seniors on-site in the Ft.Lauderdale office.

The City of Cooper City, Florida has determined that the proposed crossing is necessary to effectuate transportation efficiency.Flamingo Road (SR 823) is a major 6-lane state/county/city arterial highway that generates traffic of thousands of vehicles per day.Direct access at the Flamingo Canal will substantially enhance traffic flow on SR 823 and improve access to very busy community-based service provider reached by thousands of vehicles per week.The direct arterial access will significantly reduce traffic congestion within the City and neighboring communities.Public safety, including a reduction in traffic accidents, will result from the proposed crossing.The direct access will create a public safety resource critical to meeting the City?s emergency response capabilities following extreme events.Direct all-weather access will be provided to six-acres of valuable space that will then become available as an emergency staging area to facilitate humanitarian relief and security support assistance.The direct access also facilitates use of heavy lift equipment and high payload resources that are not presently accessible.Engineering plans have been prepared, approved and permitting nearly completed.Plans can be construction-ready within weeks allowing this shovel ready project to create a productive project and jobs immediately.

In the State of Florida, the economic impact of the marine industry is approximately $18.6 billion dollars and employs approximately 220,000 people.In Broward County, the direct, indirect and induced impacts of the marine industry have accounted for an economic impact of more than $10.6 billion dollars and created more than 134,000 jobs.Due to the diminishing number of waterfront parcels suitable for marine industry development, South Florida continues to lose boat manufacturers and related marine industry uses to others.The City of Dania Beach, which is located in Broward County, has created one of the most ambitious marine industry expansion plans in recent memory in order to stem the tide of the loss of valuable waterfront parcels.The City?s plan calls for the reconstruction of two major bridges over the Dania Cut Off Canal, including the US-1 Bridge and the Florida East Coast Railway Bridge.These bridges would be replaced by either a drawbridge or a fixed bridge with a minimum height of 22 feet.These existing bridges have been an impediment to marine industry expansion because their 12-foot heights prevented most boats over 26 feet from traveling east-west along the canal.Additionally, these bridges also present a very real safety hazard to the small boaters who currently sail on the canal; the bridges are very narrow which means that water is also higher on one side than the other.Boaters have to be very careful in order to not have their boat hit against the base of the bridge.This is not only a dangerous navigational scenario but a dangerous transportation scenario for the vehicles that use the roadway above.In conjunction with the realignment of certain roadways in order to place more land directly on the waterways and the reconstruction of two smaller bridges, this project is projected to create approximately $1.5 billion dollars in yearly economic and wage impacts over the next 10-15 years and create 4,000-6,000 new high-paying jobs during that same time period.

After several hurricanes in 2006, Florida Power and Electric told the City of Dania Beach that it would take between 3-5 years before new street lights could be added or removed from municipal streets due to backlog of work.The City looked for alternative methods of supplying much need street lights to newly annex neighborhoods.The City of Dania Beach started the first Solar-Powered Street Lighting project in April 2007 and 121 units were installed by the June 2007.To date, the City has installed over 254 Solar-Powered Street Lights.Currently, the City has a project to install up to 131 additional Solar-Powered Street Lights throughout neighborhood areas.Future plans include installing supplemental solar-powered lighting at intersections.

Several rain events over the last decade have cause major damage to property in residential neighborhoods throughout the City.Dania Beach was the first city in Broward County, as such; its infrastructure is old and requires upgrading.The land use since the founding of Dania Beach in 1904 did not plan adequately to handle storm water runoff and the conditions have been made worse with subsequent development.The City is planning to address storm water in two areas of the City which are the southeast neighborhood and west griffin neighborhoods.One project will address storm water drainage issues in the SE Section of the City between US-1 to the west and SE 5th Avenue to the east, Dania Beach Blvd.to the north and Sheridan Street to the south.Federal Highway (US-1) lacks a storm drainage system, subsequently; the runoff goes east into the SE Section.This project will include storm water retention and treatment areas along SE 5th Avenue in an effort to lessen the impacts of runoff from the neighborhoods west of SE 5th Avenue.Retention/treatment areas will be constructed in conjunction with upstream storm water projects.The existing pump station at Meadowbrook Condominium Lake will be upgraded.The two pump stations along SE 5th Avenue will be removed and 3 new pump stations will be constructed along 3rd Avenue.The pumps will discharge to the east of SE 5th Avenue.The discharge to the east will require treatment/detention.This work has been coordinated with the new linear park along SE 5th Avenue.The estimated construction cost is $3,000,000.Funding for engineering will be from City storm water fund, $250,000 will be provided by FDOT for construction and City will investigate SRF for remaining construction cost.

Downtown Dania Beach is currently the closest City Center to Ft Lauderdale ?Hollywood International Airport with its 21 million passengers a year and to Port Everglades which is one of the largest container and passenger ports in the nation.With a location that is only ½ mile from both locations, Dania Beach is perfectly positioned to handle any emergency that arises.The city currently has automatic aid agreements with both the port and airport so that if any emergency arises we are able to respond.However our emergency response resources are severely outdated and therefore put an undue burden on our already overworked first responders.The current EOC is not adequate facilities for male and female emergency respnders, and has health safety and welfare issues due mold growth.In addition our police force which is currently manned by officers from the Broward County Sheriffs Office are currently housed in a run down section of City Hall.Portions of the roof need to be repaired, the building is not ADA compliant and there are other serious health safety and welfare issues here as well.The City of Dania Beach would like to construct a combined Emergency Operations Center that would service not only the needs of out city in the event of an emergency but can also be a staging ground for emergency efforts that need to take place at both Ft Lauderdale International Airport and Port Everglades.

To address concerns of residents and businesses located east of U.S.1 (bordered on the north by Broward Boulevard, on the south by Las Olas Boulevard, on the west by Federal Highway, and on the east by the Intracoastal Waterway) regarding the amount of roadway congestion and cut-through traffic in the area.The request is to implement the recommendations in the 2000 Las Olas Community Transportation Plan that include streetscape/landscape enhancements, traffic calming, and improvements to traffic flow including ROW acquisition.These improvements would result in a steady, consistent flow of vehicular traffic through the area as well as increased, sustainable economic development and an increase in non-motorized travel.The City requests $1,600,000 to fund this project.

Funding requested for this project will be a first step to enhance the present radio system that serves all City of Fort Lauderdale operations, including its Fire-Rescue, Police, and Public Works departments, as well as other jurisdictions in the area.This project will modernize the system, ensuring reliable communications within the City, and it will also bring the entire radio system into Project 25 Compliance, thereby facilitating regional interoperable communications and satisfying a Department of Homeland Security requirement.Three phases of this project are planned: replacement of radio infrastructure, replacement of subscriber units, and implementation of a training and exercise program.A communications study was completed by the City of Fort Lauderdale detailing the full impact of the upgrade project and the relevant costs.The City is leveraging funds from a variety of sources including its own municipal funds and grant funds, but a significant gap remains.Project 25 (P25) is the officially adopted technical standard for digital public safety radio systems.P25 equipment is interoperable with any other P25 equipment, thereby eliminating gaps in communications between first responders, cities, regions, or between any other agencies that rely on radio communications.Reliable communication within the City and among neighboring municipalities is critical to public safety.

A redundant communications center in a ?hardened facility? to house the Fort Lauderdale Public Safety Communications Center is a critical need as it will ensure the City receives 911 calls during a major event so that crucially needed emergency services can be delivered.In a disaster or major hurricane event, the Broward County Sheriff?s Office will abandon their own headquarters building and all of their contracted communications centers including that of Fort Lauderdale and relocate them to the County EOC building.The communications room in the County EOC is not large enough to accommodate all of the Broward County Sheriff?s Office communications personnel, thus severely limiting the ability for City of Fort Lauderdale residents to call 911 and crippling the City?s Fire and Police Departments ability to provide crucially needed emergency services.The City of Fort Lauderdale?s Public Safety Communications Center is housed in the City?s Police Department facility and is run by Broward Sheriff?s Office who dispatches for the Police Department and answer 911 calls.

The City of Hallandale Beach has major traffic congestion issues affecting not only the residents and businesses of the city but also the many that use the roads en route to other destinations.Traffic studies and community forums have determined that the single most effective solution to the city's traffic congestion is the synchronization of traffic lights along the major corridors: Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach Boulevard and A1A.The City has budgeted $500,000 to begin implementation of the program and has begun investigation of several alternatives, including 1)Expansion of Broward County's traffic control system to incorporate the City of Hallandale Beach, 2)Creation of the City's own traffic control system, and 3)Implementation of a new technology that employs adaptive signal control utilizing computerization, cameras and connecting communication lines.The third option has been evaluated and determined to be the most effective solution.The City has met with Broward County and the Florida Department of Transportation to coordinate a pilot project for real-time adaptive signal control.The next step will entail installation of the system.As a result of this project, a 30% reduction in traffic congestion throughout the city is anticipated.The result will be vastly improved traffic conditions, reduction in fossil fuel consumption (estimated 5,000 gal/yr/intersection), reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide (97,000 lbs/yr/intersection)and an enhanced quality of life.

The Southwest Quadrant in the City of Hallandale Beach is often subject to flooding, due to regional drainage deficiencies.While there has been significant expenditure of funding to reduce local pockets of flooding, the regional issue will entail a more comprehensive flood mitigation program.Currently the most viable option appears to be injection of stormwater into the aquifer, which has already succumbed to saltwater intrusion.This project will entail installation of the infrastructure required to implement stormwater injection as required in the Southwest Quadrant.It is anticipated that this project will result in significant mitigation of flooding in the area.Repetitive loss properties especially will find relief from the flooding that has often resulted from major rainfall.Additionally, this will result in environmental benefit, as it will provide an effective means of both recharging the aquifer and of reducing the saline level within the affected aquifer.

The replacement of the current surface parking spaces into a structured garage will allow for significant land to be available for redevelopment for "Sheridan Station", South Florida's first live/work Transit Oriented village which will be a dynamic mixed-use community linked with public transportation that included a carefully designed mix of residential units, retail and office space, a hotel, and mass-transit parking.As one of Florida's first true Transit-Oriented Developments (TOD), Sheridan Station will provide a high-quality, walkable living environment that smoothly integrates connections to the Tri-Rail commuter railroad and Broward County Transit bus lines (including the new 95 Express bus routes), as well as vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian transportation.In addition to furthering the public policy directive to put high intensity places for people to live, work and play at transit stations and major interstate corridors, the project will generate over $6 Million dollars of public revenue (ad valorem and sales tax).

In 2004, the Hollywood Police Department received General Obligation Bond (GOB) funds to purchase necessary Law Enforcement technology.Officers are now able to receive vital information such as mug shots, driver license and vehicle registration information while conducting daily activities in the field.This technology is vital for Critical Incident, Community Policing, Homeland Security and Emergency Operations activities.The technology is at the end of its life cycle and must be replaced.Funding is needed to replace Toughbook laptop computers for every Officer and Community Service Officer in the field (approximately 328).Peripheral equipment to be replaced includes microphones, ergonomic mounts, docking stations, drivers license readers and printers.Officer-safety has been significantly enhanced since Officers can access real-time criminal histories, BOLO?s, gang databases, Homeland Security alerts and crime mapping.The Department?s efficiency has been greatly enhanced since it is virtually paperless and essential information is emailed to all Members.Due to the rigors of Law Enforcement activities, as well as the age of the hardware, much of the equipment is in need of replacement.Due to the age of the Hollywood Police Headquarters, it provides insufficient technologically.Due to the growth of the City, Headquarters houses over 500 employees; this has caused insufficient work space issues.Funding is needed to conduct an engineering study/rendering for Headquarters replacement.

The project will include design and construction of Greenway Trails to serve the east portions of the City from NW 31st Avenue to NW 30th Avenue along the C-13 Canal.The project will construct a quarter of a mile of trails and connectivity to 5 miles of existing trails along the C-13 Canal.The Lauderdale Lakes Greenway Trails will serve as an alternate transit system for pedestrians and cyclists, offer transit and mobility connectivity, fitness trails, and safe passage for students walking to and from three local schools in the area with accessibility to adjacent residential communities.Other project amenities include trail signage, playground, pavilion, motor vehicle parking, bike parking, seating, shade trees and lighting.Upon completion, the trails will be a vital link to the Broward County Greenway Trail system.The City requests $50,000 for the design phase and $275,000 for the construction phase of this Greenway Trails Project for a project request of $325,000.The City?s Capital Improvement Plan allocated funding in the amount of $780,000 for the east and west sections of the trail from NW31st Ave.through SR7 and the Florida Turnpike along the C-13 Canal, with a total project cost of $3,030,000.

Funds for an expansion of 2,000 square feet to the City?s Senior Center including an Alzheimer Care facility, which provides therapeutic activities for cognitively impaired adults in a reassuring, supervised and safe environment.The expansion will allow an increase of services by over 65%, accommodate a growing number of participants, eliminate waiting lists and allow for the service of seniors in need of immediate assistance.Also, the expansion along necessary equipment will avoid premature and more costly nursing home placement, and aid more elderly to age in place with dignity.

To fund the Lauderdale Lakes Public Safety/Emergency Operations Facility Project.There is no current fixed based Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the City.The City uses a conference room in City Hall that does not support any of the key function areas for an emergency.Most recently, during Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina, the City?s emergency response capabilities were strained under the current temporary Lauderdale Lakes EOC conference room arrangement.This EOC is not compliant with National Incident Management System standards.A fully capable EOC is essential to a comprehensive local and regional emergency management system and is necessary to ensure a continuity of government operations in major disasters.Funding would be used to renovate an existing Library building into a Public Safety/Emergency Operations Facility, and harden it against hurricanes with protection against a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) incident.The City has embarked on a multiyear Capital Improvement Program to improve emergency management and preparedness capabilities by supporting a secure and interoperable EOC focused on addressing an ?all hazards? approach to mitigating hurricanes and other emergencies within the City.The project will be completed on an aggressive timeline with design, planning and engineering phases to be completed in 120 days, construction to begin thereafter, and the project to be completed by December 2012.Overall, this project will provide effective emergency operations and public safety to the community and centralize essential municipal services and programs to efficiently serve City residents.This project is expected to employ approximately 22 (twenty two) workers.

Funding for high priority renovations to repair and /or reinforce the City?s eight miles of canal banks that were built for swamp drainage in the 1960?s and 1970?s by developers for construction.Due to sloughing and Hurricane damage, these canals are eroding with trees uprooted from the canal banks causing additional instability to the canal bank infrastructure.Repairs are required to protect the health and welfare of Lauderdale Lake?s residents.Over the past 40 years, there has been little done to repair and/or reinforce the canal banks from the forces of erosion and sloughing.For the most part, the canal banks are the property of the City.The banks are in various states of instability, depending on a variety of factors including the geological composition of banks and how the canals were built and maintained.The City has budgeted funds for the first phase of a project to address the long-term stabilization of the City?s canal bank.In partnership with the State, the City completed a comprehensive study of the entire canal system.A geotechnical study of the canal banks was conducted in 2007 to assess and prioritize those areas most in need of stabilization.An engineering evaluation determined that it will cost approximately $3 Million to address the stability concerns at the highest risk areas of the City?s canals.

Funding for law enforcement technology equipment critical to the first responder and emergency requirements of the City.The City is requesting assistance for an Interoperable Radio Communication System with Radio Frequency Repeaters to allow for VOIP, 800 Mhz and 400 Mhz radio systems to function during critical operations.The technology would be installed at the City?s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and frequency repeaters at primary locations throughout the City to ensure secure and citywide radio transmission coverage across Lauderdale Lake?s boundaries.As part of the Interoperable Communication System, the City seeks to deploy Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology as a redundant communication system to provide fail safe communications via internet technology during disaster.The project will include a command center at the City?s Emergency Operations Center, and satellite mobile phone equipment and downlink receivers.This will ensure critical retrieval and dissemination of information.The project also includes critical computer technology equipment for the Emergency Operations Center/Public Safety facility to ensure full response and surveillance capabilities to include: EOC compatible computer equipment; geospatial technologies; Hazmat software; and Video Conferencing Technology.The requested equipment will allow public safety officers to respond more precisely, effectively and safely to emergency situations.The cost for the purchase and implementation of the law enforcement technology for these critical functions to enhance public safety in Lauderdale Lakes is $500,000.

The Facility is a part of a sports complex, which will include the Central Broward Regional Park, Carishoca (a Caribbean showcase), and an America-Caribbean Trade Center.The Facility will provide 30 jobs for capital improvements, 15 to 30 full-time and seasonal jobs, and 45 to 60 total jobs.The City plans to host the Florida Caribbean Games at the Facility.Over 1,000 athletes and members of the region's diplomatic community, and thirty-five nations within the Caribbean will be represented at the games.This will be the largest gathering of foreign athletes in the United States since U.S.Olympics.

The requested funding would be used to create a free trade zone in Lauderhill's International Business Incubator.This would allow the City to warehouse, package, inspect, label, exhibit, assemble, fabricate and trans-ship imports without being subject to that country's tariffs or quotas.This would lower bureaucratic requirements, which would attract companies and increase incentives for doing business in this zone.

Due to budget cuts and the current economic recession, Lauderhill requests federal funding to renovate five lift stations that are in critical condition.In addition, the City's sewer system has serious infiltration problems, therefore, funding is needed to renovate and reline the sewer system piping.

The 2000 U.S.Census showed Miami to have the highest incidence of poverty among large cities across the country.Major contributing factors include a large numbers of low-skilled and low-wage workers and residents with limited levels of education.Many of these individuals lack the basic knowledge of financial and credit markets needed to succeed and assure economic opportunity for themselves and their families.These residents are exceptionally disadvantaged in their ability to understand and navigate these systems and therefore lack the financial tools that are fundamental to economic prosperity and success.As such, the City has implemented a focused and integrated program to reduce poverty by targeting the City?s low and moderate income residents and ensuring that they receive financial education; utilize resources to assist them to achieve long-term sustainable financial stability and wealth creation opportunities; and participate in programs designed to promote job acquisition and retention.The program will be implemented on a city-wide basis and executed by the City of Miami?s Office of Economic Initiatives through its ACCESS Miami initiative, which will collaborate with Miami?s extensive network of community based organizations to ensure maximum community outreach and impact, leveraging resources with the participation from community-based organizations and residents.Whether residents are planning to buy a home, balance their checkbook, or invest in a 401k, the programs? valuable resources will provide them with the training and background information necessary to achieve each of these objectives.By focusing on enhancing household financial security, asset accumulation, access to capital and job acquisition and retention, the program represents a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy designed to promote economic prosperity for all Miami residents to improve their financial independence and sustainability.The City?s ultimate goal is that by teaching these residents the basics about finances and the importance of job acquisition and retention, they will become economically self-sufficient, stimulate the economy through their small businesses, and maintain their economic independence and stability by growing their assets.The initiative managing these programs, ACCESS Miami, is an example of Miami?s strong dedication to assisting those in need by providing them with the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed.

Miami Beach is a dense urban environment, with the highest housing density in the United States, following New York City.Effective alternative modes of transportation are crucial to the continued economic success of Miami Beach, one of Florida?s most important economic assets, and according to the 2000 Census, only 58% of the labor force drove to work alone, and over 15% specified that they walk to work, with many using bicycles and rollerblades.This indicates the local population?s acceptance of alternative modes of transportation.Continued investment into this network will increase usage not only by tourists and residents, but by the local workforce as well.By connecting the Greenway trails with improved transit stops in strategic residential areas, employment centers and regional parking facilities, the Network will encourage greater utilization of public and alternative modes of transportation for daily commuting, lowering transportation costs and freeing critically needed parking in the business districts.Through the creation of innovative employee park & ride programs for local businesses, the Network will shift additional cars away from key business and tourist centers to less utilized regional parking facilities.As trail usage increases, there will be a corresponding increase in the demand for services by the trail users, which in turn will stimulate the growth of local tourism-based businesses such as hotels, restaurants, rental facilities, retail shops, galleries and other small businesses.

The City of Miami Beach has entered into an education compact with Miami Dade Public Schools.The compact targets enhanced student achievement, including establishment of a seamless curriculum of advanced studies through the International Baccalaureate program at the middle and high school level in all Miami Beach schools.This request will provide educational enhancements to the compact, including mentoring and entrepreneurship opportunities to the students.The program includes enhanced counseling and teacher-to-student rations, creation of the internship initiative, creation of a speaker?s bureau for schools to additional opportunities to teachers, and enhanced collaboration on grant development.

The majority of existing watermains in the City were installed anywhere from 50 to 80 years ago, and have reached the end of their useful life.Planned enhancements will replace corroded galvanized pipes and pipes installed with lead joints and will improve safety issues related to potable water distribution.Some water mains have become almost ?blocked? by a process called tuberculation, where deterioration of a pipe?s interior wall lining has occurred as result of chemical reactions with potable water.Excessive tuberculation has significantly decreased the effective pipe diameter, thereby affecting public safety through inadequate fire flows and by decreasing water pressure at the household tap, or more drastically, causing pipe collapse or failure.The new or rehabilitated watermains will improve water pressure and provide appropriate internal pressure to safeguard against backflow contamination during fire flows or other peak use situations.While the majority of the Program is currently locally funded, requesting Federal cost sharing is reasonable.The City is one of the few large Dade County communities to embark on such a program before regulatory pressures require it.Typically, municipalities have waited to make such improvements until either State or Federal officials used regulatory reform or enforcement actions to force the issue through a consent degree, administrative order or court judgments.In contrast, the City has already bonded $60,000,000 for these improvements from local resources, which represents two-thirds (2/3) of the total Program cost.

The primary goal of the Teen Club is to prevent and reduce delinquent behavior and keep the community?s at-risk youth in a positive environment to foster personal growth and encourage teens to become well-rounded individuals through the accumulation of new skills, awareness,and knowledge.Moreover, the program?s aim is to promote healthy relationships that facilitate social skill development, decrease teen substance and alcohol abuse, and increase quality programming offerings that appeal to teenage youth.As a result, the participants involved in the Teen Club are less likely to entertain outside and detrimental participation in other unsupervised activities, including involvement in gangs and / or drugs.Current enrollment figures demonstrate more participants return for subsequent years in the program.

Mount Sinai Medical Center (MSMC), located in Miami Beach, Florida is located on a barrier island, placing this vital community health resource at great risk each hurricane season.Mount Sinai is a 955 bed, not-for-profit, tertiary healthcare facility and Miami Beach?s primary community health care provider.It has also been designated as a regional Emergency Command Center (ECC).As such it is mandatory that its facilities, power supply and services are and remain available for use by patients, local law enforcement and first responders during these events.The 2005 Hurricane season underscored the need for Mount Sinai to harden its facilities against the very real possibility of a severe storm occurring at least once each year.Hurricane Katrina caused unprecedented devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi.But the combined impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma were a very serious one-two punch on South Florida, and caused widespread damage at Mount Sinai Medical Center.As part of its hardening initiative, the Medical Center?s current emergency power generators must be replaced and a new Centralized Storm Surge Emergency Power Protection facility constructed.This Project will ensure the institution?s patient care services and facilities are operable during disaster events, such as recent hurricanes Wilma, Rita, Katrina, Jeanne, Ivan, Frances, and Charley.The Storm Surge Emergency Power Protection Project will save the lives of our patients who depend on equipment and technology that require electricity.This Project is a substantial financial undertaking for Mount Sinai.The total cost for the new Storm Surge Emergency Power Protection facility is over $24 million.Mount Sinai is prepared to contribute $12 million over the course of the next several years towards this project.Given the multifaceted nature of this project, Mount Sinai is seeking federal funding through the Department of Health & Human Services (HRSA) pr the Department of Homeland Security (FEMA, Predisaster Mitigation) to support individual elements of the initiative.

The adopted master plan for the economic revitalization of the Kennedy Causeway calls for the construction of improvements to the most traveled public street in North Bay Village?literally the face of the City and one of six connectors between the mainland of Miami and Miami Beach.The City?s Business District is located on this major transportation corridor.Improvements include traffic safety upgrades; median, curb & gutter, and sidewalk enhancements; lighting, signage; landscaping; entry way features; and development of a bay walk system to create an identity for the commercial corridor and provide safe and attractive pedestrian and vehicular linkages between the residential and commercial sectors of our City, Miami and The Beaches.

The City of North Bay Village is a coastal community on Biscayne Bay.The City has been working for several years trying to obtain funding to alleviate some of the hardship in completely funding this project.Delay of the project reached the critical point when the wastewater line was determined to be posing a risk to the state and national protected waters of Biscayne Bay.Accordingly, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection placed the City under a Consent Order to complete construction of the force main by November 30, 2010.The City contracted for its construction in October 2009 and will meet the completion deadline for its replacement.The replacement of the sewer line will result in avoiding a potential regional disaster in Biscayne Bay that would affect all of the coastal communities.

The City has spent approximately $100 million on its water plant expansion.During recent implementation, contamination, primarily from dry cleaners, was identified.Additional water treatment is needed due to well field contamination caused by such industrial applications.The project is critical to provide safe and healthy drinking water to the utility?s consumers.

Oakland Park?s goal with this mile long project is to make the improvements necessary to create a safer, attractive street which will encourage access to the revitalizing downtown thus promoting redevelopment.Reducing flooding, replacing waterlines and creating an esthetically pleasing gateway into the downtown will increase property values, providing an impetus for redevelopment.This project will create 82 jobs and set the stage for investment in Oakland Park.Park Lane East Revitalization Project will reduce blight in the City's 1000 acre Community Redevelopment Area.

The City respectfully requests funding to design and construct a Utilities Emergency Operation Center and Public Safety IT Bunker Safe House.In the event of an emergency, properly working sanitation systems and clean running water are essential to the health and welfare of citizens.Plantation?s Utilities department services over 85,000 residents and nearly 4,000 businesses.Additionally, the City services an additional 2,700 residents of unincorporated Broward as part of the Broadview Estates neighborhood, and has reciprocal agreements with neighboring cities (Sunrise, Lauderhill, Ft.Lauderdale, and others) to provide clean water and sanitation services in the event their systems become inoperable.Having a centralized command and control system for Utility operations during emergencies is a critical component of the City?s emergency operation plan, and is paramount in maintaining the City?s security.Hurricanes and other disasters and emergencies including severe heat, cold, flooding, water main breaks or power outages, explosions, terrorist attacks, biological or chemical threat and influenza pandemic ?necessitate the City ensure its Utilities infrastructure so they remain in tact and operational.Currently, the city's Public Safety computers, servers, critical data, and software, are dispersed throughout the City at several different facilities, none of which are rated as ?data center? grade buildings.Should a natural or manmade disaster occur, the potential exists for the City?s entire public safety communication system to be lost, due to damage and destruction to the buildings in which the servers holding the communication software and files are housed.This would include Police and Fire computer-aided dispatch (Intergraph CAD and ACS Firehouse softwares) systems, vehicle and officer communication, historic paperwork (Intergraph I/Leads), 911 transcripts and more.Additionally, the running of the City?s day-to-day business is impacted by a hosts of other applications housed on servers.

Funds to upgrade the City's law enforcement technology program within its Police department with the acquisition of in-car digital video camera equipment for patrol vehicles and a close circuit television surveillance system for the Plantation Central Park.With this technology the City will enhance crime prevention, detection, and public safety, and allow for improved police investigations, acquisition of stronger evidence, and extend officer time out on patrol while maintaining high standards of officer conduct.The camera program will cost approximately $645,000, for 103 cameras, installation, software, and support.Additionally, the City seeks to implement a closed circuit television surveillance system throughout the parking lots and facilities at Plantation Central Park, the City?s largest and most frequented public facility that hosts national sporting events, including tournaments and games, clinics, and other recreational activities.Large numbers of adults, students and children visit the park playground, indoor and outdoor facilities, and trails.To address a rising number of ?smash and grab? crimes in the park the City seeks to implement a closed circuit television system (CCTV) to deter and detect these crimes through a 24 -7 surveillance capability.The cost of acquiring 29 cameras, along with CCTV monitoring and recording equipment is $255,000.

Demographics within Sunrise reflect over 26% of it?s population are senior citizens, age 55 or older.Because of this high percentage, many of the City?s operations and programs are geared to this group.Many of these people are on fixed incomes and live within low income communities.The City has always prided itself to provide high quality services to this population.Many of these services are provided at the Sunrise Senior Center.This facility is over 15 years old, and much needed improvements to some of the building would only serve to enhance the ability to provide adequate services to this population.Within the building, a large banquet style room serves many needs, from social functions to social service needs, including but not limited to dances, recreational classes and clubs, blood pressure screenings, aging concerns, property tax seminars, health lectures, choral groups, bereavement support groups, health insurance seminars, card and game days, movies, parties, blood drives, and many more services/programs.A replacement floor is needed to enhance this room, and provide a safe space for the patrons.In addition, upgrades to the kitchen and restrooms within the building should occur to improve functionality and safety as well as provide a clean environment for the patrons.

In 2007, the South Florida Water Management District adopted the Regional Water Availability Rule, which limited use of the traditional water supply for the regional system (the Biscayne Aquifer) in order to preserve water supply to the Everglades.This rule requires urban water and wastewater utilities in Southeast Florida to identify Alternative Water Supply (AWS) sources for future water demands.Sunrise, one of the largest water providers in Broward County (serving approximately 215,000 consumers), already has existing facilities in place to meet the needs of its customers, but the Regional Water Availability Rule limits our use of those facilities and leaves millions of gallons per day of production capacity stranded and unused.The principle AWS source for this region is the Floridan Aquifer, a brackish water body located approximately 1,000 feet below land surface.In order to meet required water quality standards, a very high level of treatment is necessary to remove salt, disolved solids and other impurities from the raw water source.This treatment will include reverse osmosis and additional pre- and post-treatment processes.Sunrise is prepared to proceed with the implementation of a full scale project that would result in the production of at least 4 million gallons per day (mgd), would enhance sustainability of the regional water supply system, and would protect the Everglades.The cost of this project is estimated at $20 million, which substantially exceeds the cost of developing facilities using the fresh water Biscayne Aquifer.Sunrise is asking for support in its commitment to sustainable alternative water supply development and assistance with funding this project in order to reduce impacts on and promote restoration of the Everglades.

The City of Sunrise utilizes a conventional 400MHz radio system for its public service, water utility, gas utility, and backup to Fire-Rescue operations.This municipal radio system is greater than 20 years old, is outdated, and has reached its useful life.The proposed system would allow greater flexibility and interoperability with area agencies.The improvement in flexibility and interoperability would be achieved by installing a new trunked system that allows greater availability of assigned frequencies than the current conventional system.Additionally, the proposed system would meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1221 Standard for ?backup radio system?.

The City of Sunny Isles Beach is a small Atlantic coastal resort community on a barrier reef island that is home to many children and elderly residents as well as many beach goers and international visitors.The City is designing and planning to build an emergency vehicular bridge with pedestrian access.Currently, A1A is the only north/south route and if that is blocked during an emergency, there is no other safe evacuation route for residents.Without an alternative route, our more than 20,000 residents could become trapped on the island and unable to reach safety.The bridge will span the canal at North Bay Road from 172nd Street to 174th Street and will provide a much needed safe path for children to walk to school as well as an alternate evacuation route in the event of an emergency or hurricane.This project has been designed, in part, to encourage pedestrian traffic and studies indicate it will reduce traffic on heavily congested A1A.The bridge will help improve the environment and safety by providing children a safe path to school and an alternative evacuation route for hurricanes and other emergencies.

There is currently no safe pedestrian crossing of Pine Island Road at the Northwest 57th Street intersection, an 8-land roadway that serves the surrounding elementary and middle schools, as well as the Community Center, the Aquatic Center, the Library, and the soon-to-be-built mixed use Town Center (Main Street Revitalization project).This intersection is too close to a second intersection at Pine Island Road and N.W.57th Street to construct a typical pedestrian crosswalk for safe passage of pedestrians crossing the roadway; therefore, a pedestrian overpass is needed.The project will enable adults and children to safely cross over this 8-lane roadway in order to reach a multitude of present (library, community center, aquatic center) and future community resources (Main Street revitalization).The project will also positively impact traffic flow by decreasing the dependence on vehicle transportation and eliminating stoppage of traffic to accommodate pedestrian crossing.

The City has been experiencing an increased level of auto break-ins and vandalism at City parks.The cameras will serve as a crime deterrent and will assist police personnel by being an additional, electronic patrol in the area.Security cameras will record park activity to a digital video recorder and will then communicate to the city?s wireless network via wifi provided by the city.In addition, the cameras will allow police to view park facilities in real time, through laptops in police cruisers.This remote patrol feature will improve our ability respond to an issue while in progress.This is an important security benefit to Tamarac as the City?s demographics are getting younger and the parks are becoming increasingly utilized in the evenings.

The City of Tamarac is working to renew its city center through the creation of its first ever mixed use district, the Main Street Revitalization project.The purpose of the project is to make the corridor more inviting to new businesses and recreational users thereby promoting private economic investment along the corridor.All improvements (utility and roadway/streetscape) are being constructed simultaneously to maximize efficiency and reduce costs.Engineering is already 90% complete and the requested funds will go toward completion of Phase I improvements to the potable water, sanitary sewer and storm drain systems on 57th Street between 94th Avenue and Pine Island Road.Phases II and III will continue these improvements on Main Street from Pine Island Road to University Drive.The business community supports this project as an economic development initiative.

The City Commission and Community have adopted Environmental Sustainability as one of 5 Strategic Goals.The City has tested the induction lighting technology and it is very effective.This project is part of the City?s commitment to ongoing environmental efforts and as a demonstration project will further serve to educate the residents as to the availability and viability of new technology.The conversion to induction lighting is estimated to result in energy savings of over 55% and life expectancy extension of five to ten times the life of HID lights.The project will serve as a demonstration for green alternatives to standard lighting installations and provide another opportunity to showcase City Commitment to environmental effort.In the long run, in addition to the public education benefit, the project will save money and energy.

This program will improve driver safety, reduce carbon emissions, and reduce vehicle and tire wear by improving tire traction, eliminating damaged and uneven roadway sections, and adding reflective striping.Each phase of the program will create an estimated 27 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs each up to one year in duration.There are a total of thirteen phases of the program containing thirteen main arterial roadway sections that have been identified as being more than twenty years old and requiring resurfacing and restriping.Thus, the entire program is estimated to create up to 351 FTE jobs each up to one year in duration.The City will measure the success of the roadway resurfacing and restriping program by comparing traffic incident data along the thirteen roadway sections prior to the implementation of the program to incident data after completion of the program such as: causes of incidents, number of incidents, severity of vehicle damage and human trauma, and vehicle breaking ability.The City will also monitor the success of the program by comparing the actual number of FTE jobs created and their duration to prior estimates.

The emergency operations center construction project will replace the current EOC which is a small 500 square foot meeting room located in the existing Police Services Center with a 5,000 square foot EOC and training center able to support City, County, State, and/or Federal staff and equipment simultaneously.These agencies need a physical location in the City to respond to direct impacts such as: hurricane force winds, flooding, brush fires, contagious disease outbreaks, and any other direct threats to the City of Weston.The City's Police and Fire/Emergency Medical Services provider, the Broward Sheriff's Office, uses the existing 500 square foot meeting room for disaster management training and exercises; however, the existing 500 square foot space is unable to support the full complement of disaster personnel and equipment employed solely by the City.In addition, the existing Police Services Center and the nearby Fire and Emergency Medical Services Station (FEMS) #81 have approximately 70 feet of open space between the two buildings which creates a burden for disaster management personnel and equipment that must travel between the two buildings during a disaster event in potential inclement weather and debris.This newly constructed EOC will be able to support over 50 disaster management personnel for training and live action events.The new EOC structure will be wind storm tolerant up to the standards of the current Florida Building Code.This project is estimated to create 30 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs each up to two years in duration.The success of the project will be measured by the actual number of jobs created and their duration to prior estimates and the number of additional training events and personnel that can be supported in the new EOC.

The City of Wilton Manors is requesting funding through the Federal Appropriations Process for a streetscape enhancement project along the entire .48 mile segment of Old Dixie Highway within the city limits.The area near Dixie Highway has been significantly redeveloped in recent years, adding a number of nearby residences and businesses.Pedestrian volumes have increased due to the adjacent location of Wilton Manors? Arts and Entertainment District.Dixie Highway serves as a mass transit corridor providing the route for Broward County bus line 50, which travels to the central bus terminal in downtown Fort Lauderdale.The Dixie Highway corridor runs parallel to the FEC railway, a potential opportunity for future passenger rail transit.In anticipation of future passenger rail on the FEC, Wilton Manors has worked to increase and upgrade nearby facilities and residential housing stock, including the recent completion of a 272 unit mixed-use development adjacent to the railway.Working with the nearby business owners and stakeholders, Dixie Highway is currently being studied as an area for a transit-oriented overlay district to provide zoning and land use categories to further the area?s redevelopment in a guided method to improve access and facilities to coordinate with intermodal transit.If awarded, this transportation enhancement funding would continue the City?s efforts to improve the Dixie Highway corridor.The core of the proposed project will include the replacement of the aging bridge connecting Wilton Manors to Fort Lauderdale; the addition of entry signage; sidewalks; bicycle lanes; landscaping; and pedestrian safety lighting.The construction budget is estimated to be $3,750,000.The improvements proposed will be maintained under the City?s existing budgetary appropriation to include capital improvement expenditures in the future.

The future of quality and cost-effective patient care is dependent on innovation and the timely training of health care professionals.With the advent of less invasive surgical techniques, rehabilitation and recovery from surgery have seen dramatic improvements.As the world?s population ages, new technological advances will be required to expand the range of surgical procedures that can be performed using these least invasive techniques.Continuous learning and tireless practice are imperative for military and civilian surgeons to grasp advanced techniques of contemporary least invasive surgery.The surgical skills required are now more technically demanding, and must first be learned on simulators, and then tested in experimental surgical models before they can be employed for human use.Less invasive surgery saves lives and money, and decreases the incidence of infection and complications, especially in populations with multiple medical issues.In addition to the above, the State of Florida does not currently have enough surgeons to meet its own needs due to a dearth of surgical training programs.A state of the art surgical training program would provide military physicians and the four medical schools in Florida a surgical skills program dedicated to furthering the education, research, and innovative technology efforts across the surgical disciplines of highest demand to the military.The establishment of the Cleveland Clinic Florida Surgical Skills and Simulation Training Program (?Program?) will provide workshops that Florida based military and civilian physicians can use to gain new surgical skills or improve their existing surgical techniques in all disciplines of general and minimally invasive surgery.The economic impact to the surrounding area will include; construction jobs and at least 15 new, permanent, high-paying positions that will be created to staff the Program.Initially, we anticipate an average of 20 trainees per week will participate in each 2 day workshop, with workshops offered 50 weeks per year.Many of these training slots will be filled by physicians who will be traveling to the area.We estimate that the total annual

Covenant House Florida will combine private and federal funds to renovate its shelter for homeless and runaway youth in Ft.Lauderdale where it has operated since 1985.Last year, CHF provided crisis shelter to 1,596 homeless youth, making it one of the largest private agencies serving this demographic in Florida.Each year, 1.3 million kids run away from home.This number does not include teens who are thrown out or chronically homeless.They come from all socio-economic and ethnic-cultural backgrounds, so there is no typical profile of street kids.This project will allow Covenant House Florida to expand its crisis shelter services to even more runaway and homeless youth in Florida.Also, Covenant House Florida enjoys wide support across the entire state of Florida.Last year, more than 52,000 Floridians donated to CHF, with an average gift of $40.00.Last year, CHF raised more than $7,000,000 from private sources to support its programs.Covenant House Florida takes a significant financial burden off of the state, local, and federal governments.If Covenant House Florida did not exist, all of the at-risk youth it serves would become the responsibility of the state, local, and/or federal governments.Additionally, a recent Vanderbilt University study estimated that for each at-risk youth diverted from a life of crime, the country (federal, state, and local governments) saves $1.7 million.Finally, the Children's Defense Fund found that future losses to the economy from the effects of just one year of child poverty for 14.6 million children nationwide could reach as high as $177 billion.

CHF will expand its program for expectant and parenting teens and young adults that provides an effective foundation for pre/post natal care counseling, proper nutrition and health and parenting education classes, GED training, vocational training, and community service involvement.Of the 530 youth who came to the Covenant House Florida?s (CHF) Crisis Shelter last year, 16 percent (or 85) were 0-5 years old.CHF has formal partnerships with key social service and community based organizations to provide vital services to homeless youth and young adults who are pregnant or have babies.Among these services, CHF prides itself on reducing duplication and improving service delivery these youth and their babies while they are in CHF residential care.CHF creates permanent community linkages and aftercare follow up so that they can continue to access services once they leave CHF?s residential Crisis Shelter.Jumpstart funding will enhance the quality of life for youth and young adults who are pregnant or have babies through CHF?s programs and educational services focused on childbirth, infant feeding, baby care basics, parenting skills, and education to prevent risky behavior and other risk factors that may be unhealthy and impact childbirth (i.e.tobacco, alcohol and drug use).CHF takes a significant financial and logistical burden off the local and state governments by providing nationally recognized and approved services to young at-risk and homeless mothers who may be pregnant or have babies.

Continuing support later in life is key to the success of individuals with developmental disabilities in fulfilling their potential, thereby lessening their dependence on government programs and benefits.Seven out of every ten young adults with developmental disabilities living in South Florida are not able to secure a job.There are many contributing factors to this alarmingly high unemployment rate, but the bottom line is this: They are ready and willing and have the potential to become productive, valuable members of the workforce.Experience shows that most potential employers are open to employing people with disabilities but do not have the necessary information and training to make it happen.It also shows that most young adults with disabilities need extra supports, although generally minimal, to fully integrate and thrive as a member of the private sector.Research shows that when barriers are removed, young people with disabilities can thrive in a corporate setting.Life Launch provides these adults with integrated supports while on the job.The Foundation will recruit employers and provide them with ongoing training in working with adults with developmental disabilities.The benefit will be young adults with developmental disabilities will gain their independence, lessen their dependence on government benefits and most importantly be given the opportunity to live their best quality of life in the least-restrictive environment.

The Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority is seeking $25 million to design and construct a 2.7 mile streetcar system ? The Wave - that will serve as a local circulator in downtown Fort Lauderdale.The Wave will have 10 stations, which will be solar powered and feature real time information and informational kiosks displaying destinations/attractions in the downtown, as well as upcoming community events.The Alternatives Analysis/Environmental Assessment phase is complete.The Wave is proposed to meet both long-term transportation needs, as well as to facilitate the development and redevelopment of downtown Fort Lauderdale into a transit and pedestrian oriented, mixed-use environment.The Wave is consistent with, and supportive of, the state Growth Management Plan and the Broward County and City of Fort Lauderdale comprehensive plans.The proposed transportation improvements are the results of a concerted effort at all levels of government to carefully plan and coordinate land use and transportation strategies.Broward County Transit will operate the system once constructed.The local comprehensive plans are dependent on a transportation strategy that serves as an anchor for existing development and attracts future development and redevelopment to the prescribed areas designated in the land use plans.The plan is to concentrate new commercial and residential growth in the city of Fort Lauderdale within the defined Downtown RAC and the northern part of the South RAC, near the hospital.The system will increase both local and regional access to new jobs and induce approximately $2 billion in new development, which is estimated to support 35,000 new jobs.The project will concentrate commercial growth in the downtown study area, reducing the cost of government services, and providing a more stable economic environment.

The Downtown Transit Corridor Program has three main components: the Downtown Transit Circulator light rail streetcar system; Intelligent Transportation System components; and Streetscape Enhancements.The Circulator will run along SE 2nd Street, Andrews Avenue and SE and NE 3rd Avenue.The Streetscape Enhancements include modifications to existing land configurations, wider sidewalks, landscaping, hardscape, lighting, street furniture, crosswalks and shade trees.The Streetscape is being applied along the Circulator alignment and the approaches to the system.These improvements will 1) provide the growing downtown residential and employment base with a mobility option to significantly reduce short auto trips; 2) assist in meeting the regional objectives of pollution and congestion mitigation; 3) provide residents, employees and visitors with an attractive, easily accessible and quality mobility option that is linked to the community and regionally based transit networks/; and 4) stimulate sustainable economic development in the urban core.The Alternative Analysis/Environmental Assessment for the Downtown Transit Circulator has been completed and the project partners have applied to the Federal Transit Administration for approval to enter into the Project Development phase for Small Start projects.

The latest research has found that the cost of substance abuse in the United States is estimated at $510.8 billion (Hardwood 2000).Acknowledging the massive budget deficit in our Nation, policymakers are urged to pass legislation that would directly impact reductions in costs.Financial implications of substance use and abuse upon our community include lost productivity (unemployment) and lost wages, drug-abuse related illness and their impact on an already fragile and overburdened healthcare system, crime and victimization, and social justice and incarceration expenses.Using a cost-benefit analysis as an informative tool reveals the importance of supporting effective substance abuse prevention programs as part of a comprehensive strategy by policymakers to lessen its impacts on a host of societal factors.DFYIT is South Florida?s only prevention program (one of two substance abuse prevention programs in Florida and one of 69 in the U.S.) accredited by CARF (Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities) for Prevention/Diversion: Alcohol and Other Drugs/Addictions (Children and Adolescents) and Governance Standards.The agency is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) as a Universal Substance Abuse Prevention Program, and is the only school-based initiative approved by the Broward and Miami-Dade County public school boards to utilize drug testing as an integral program component facilitating direct intervention from school-based counselors.With 18 years? operating experience, DFYIT has a proven track record of preventing initiation of ATOD first use consistently reporting a 95% or higher drug-free test rate amongst its club members, and modifying maladaptive behaviors associated with use and abuse.CARF?s 2007 Survey Report notes that DFYIT excels at providing an ?enriched environment in which students can grow and prosper.Using knowledge and application, DFYIT club members rise ?Above the Influence?.?

Funding would be used to produce real-time standoff detection of IEDs utilizing state of the art sensor technologies to better anticipate and possibly prevent deadly threat to U.S.and Allied military forces.

The Charles E.Schmidt College of Science of Florida Atlantic University, in conjunction with the Center for Breast Care at the Women's Center at Boca Raton Community Hospital (hereafter the ?Center for Breast Care?), is creating a Center of Excellence for the Development of Computational Clinical Imaging.This Center will perfect revolutionary new techniques to aid clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.Our approach is to use some unique, innovative image-processing tools, which have been shown to be effective in finding additional breast cancers and in determining patient management strategies.These strategies have lead to biopsies directed by these image-processing tools, surgical planning modifications, and monitoring the efficacy of a course of chemotherapy.But to have a wider impact on patient care, these tools need to be ?packaged? so they are usable outside of a dedicated, focused medical center for breast cancer diagnosis and management, such as exists at the Center for Breast Care.Our goal is to continue the clinical evaluations at the Center for Breast Care and to ?package? the tools so that they can be used by clinicians in more routine settings and hence have wider impact on patient care.This can be accomplished via the unique partnership described and will be facilitated by the he computational and sharing capability of the LA Grid.We intend to integrate our activities with the educational opportunities afforded by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine at FAU.The requested funding will enable us to become self-sufficient and we will have sufficient momentum and accomplishments to submit to a competitive bidding process with traditional agencies such as the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program which has a particular emphasis on imaging improvements in a clinical setting.

The Charles E.Schmidt College of Science of Florida Atlantic University, in conjunction with the Center for Breast Care at the Women's Center at Boca Raton Community Hospital (hereafter the ?Center for Breast Care?), is creating a Center of Excellence for the Development of Computational Clinical Imaging.This Center will perfect revolutionary new techniques to aid clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.Our approach is to use some unique, innovative image-processing tools, which have been shown to be effective in finding additional breast cancers and in determining patient management strategies.These strategies have lead to biopsies directed by these image-processing tools, surgical planning modifications, and monitoring the efficacy of a course of chemotherapy.But to have a wider impact on patient care, these tools need to be ?packaged? so they are usable outside of a dedicated, focused medical center for breast cancer diagnosis and management, such as exists at the Center for Breast Care.Our goal is to continue the clinical evaluations at the Center for Breast Care and to ?package? the tools so that they can be used by clinicians in more routine settings and hence have wider impact on patient care.This can be accomplished via the unique partnership described and will be facilitated by the he computational and sharing capability of the LA Grid.We intend to integrate our activities with the educational opportunities afforded by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine at FAU.The requested funding will enable us to become self-sufficient and we will have sufficient momentum and accomplishments to submit to a competitive bidding process with traditional agencies such as the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program which has a particular emphasis on imaging improvements in a clinical setting.

The Center for Ocean Energy Technology (COET) at Florida Atlantic University continues to build upon funding received in FY 2009 and pending in FY2010 towards achieving recognition of the Center as a National Open-ocean Energy Laboratory (NOEL).With the goal of advancing research in open-ocean current systems, COET is building the capability, infrastructure, expertise and strategic partnership needed to develop, test and deploy commercially-viable ocean energy systems to assist the Nation in managing its energy crisis and assist in the development of a commercial marine energy industry.The designation of a new national laboratory would build upon the existing activities of COET and its partner capabilities.Ocean current, and thermal power are the focus areas of experimental research testing.Experimental testing in the NOEL is necessary to develop the knowledge base to assist governmental agencies in establishing rules for permitting and continuous monitoring for the experimental site and subsequent commercial expansion.Proposed work for this request is directed at taking results from testing and evaluation of individual prototypes into the next level towards technology readiness, that of understanding the effects of the interaction of an array of devices on the resource and marine environment, and the optimal positioning of devices for maximum power extraction and minimize cable transmission network.The work identified here is in anticipation of industry requirements as well as regulatory oversight prior to commercialization of large scale deployments of arrays of energy-producing devices.Research and development will focus on physical modeling and assessment of laboratory scale testing of multiple devices.It will establish the appropriate framework, infrastructure, modeling and standards criteria and testing methodologies, to carry out fundamental technology research and design tool development in areas of significant impact.Modeling of arrays will build upon the expertise of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and modeling and operational experience in testing and evaluation of wind power devices., This effort is consistent with the mission of DOE?s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to develop hydropower and geothermal technologies in collaboration with universities and industry.

With increasing seafood demand and collapsing wild fisheries US marine aquaculture development is urgent.Wild harvest of seafood has remained static at about 200 billion lbs since the 1980?s.To keep pace with a growing world population, aquaculture?s contribution to seafood demand must rise from 30% to 50% in the next 25 years.The expansion of the US aquaculture industry is challenged by several factors.The most important constraints are the high cost and limited availability of coastal land and water resources, environmental impact concerns, high production costs, appropriate feeds that use sustainable alternatives to fish meal, lack of quality fish seedstocks, and insufficient technology transfer to the farmers and workforce.This cooperative research program is addressing the critical concerns holding back the growth of the domestic aquaculture industry.This program includes development of cost-effective, energy efficient aquaculture systems and production strategies capable of reliable year-round production of salt water food fish, Florida pompano and cobia, in inland low salinity environments.FAU-Harbor Branch and USDA-ARS scientists are leaders in the development of aquaculture technology and the transfer of aquaculture technology to industry.A 25,000 ft2 water reuse aquaculture facility is used to develop energy efficient production systems to grow juvenile fish to market size, diets with ingredients replacing fish meal, and improved techniques for reliable production of fish seedstocks for year-round availability.Timely delivery of the information has been provided through three international Sustainable Marine Aquaculture Conferences, industry workshops, scientific presentations, and over 80 publications.The overall goal of the research program is to take the cooperative research breakthroughs and develop production-scale technology to a level where it provides the industry with an economically viable business opportunity.In addition, this project directly supports 14 full-time ARS and Harbor Branch staff and numerous student fellowships and internships throughout the year.

A ship or submarine traveling on the surface or under water typically has significant steel or other metal components which give rise to detectable local disturbances in the Earth?s magnetic and electric fields.Our adversaries take advantage of this by planting weapon systems such as buried mines which are triggered by such disturbances.However, magnetic signatures are influenced by the local environment in ways that are not clearly understood.Towards this end, it is necessary to characterize and quantify the background magnetic and electric fields in littoral ocean environments and develop an understanding of the physics behind the sources of these fields in littoral waters.The requested funds will allow Florida Atlantic University and its partners at Nova Southeastern University and the Naval Surface Warfare Center ? Carderock Division (NSWCDD) to continue the accelerated research program which began in FY 2010.The program involves an in-depth study of the characteristics of the magnetic and electric fields in the coastal ocean environment and the development of predictive techniques in support of development of improved techniques to distinguish electromagnetic signatures of ships and submarines from those produced by oceanographic features in coastal waters and in support of cancellation of magnetic signatures of ships and submarines.Specifically, the project seeks to develop the capabilities to cancel or reduce the magnetic signatures of US ships and submarines so that they can be protected from magnetically-triggered buried mines in coastal waters as well as developing advanced technologies for new ships equipped with magnetic railguns that are likely to have considerable magnetic signatures.The overall objective of the project is to determine how magnetic and electric fields respond to physical forcing under various oceanic conditions on a narrow continental shelf (deep water close to shore) off the east coast of the United States.

According to recent reports by the Florida Center for Fiscal & Economic Policy, the Florida Board of Governors, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Council of 100, there is a critical and time-sensitive need to increase our investment NOW in Florida?s knowledge economy.One calls it a ?crisis in human capital? while another emphasizes our urgent need to build a workforce that can compete globally in this era of innovation.While these reports call for some bold action in education policy that is beyond our mission, Florida Campus Compact is uniquely poised to assist with many of the basic tenants essential to our state?s success, such as preparing more engaged and knowledgeable college graduates who are invested in sustaining and improving Florida?s communities.(please see attachments for more examples) Alarming statistics noted in these publications include the following: Florida?s high school graduation rate is 45th in the country.Our most seasoned and highly educated professionals are nearing retirement with too few replacements.Every student who doesn?t graduate from college costs $6 million in lifetime economic output.The income gap between the most affluent and the middle/lower socio-economic rungs are among the largest in the U.S.One in ten Floridians now receives food stamps.Far too many Floridians languish on wait lists for health and human services needed.And the lists go on? Florida Campus Compact is comprised of over 50 institutions of higher education in Florida, including Palm Beach State College, Broward College, Nova, Barry, St.Thomas, Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University.Through research-based best practices and curricula, FL|CC works to improve collegiate access, success, diversity, retention, timely graduation, student learning outcomes, career and workforce development.In addition, our students acquire the skills to become innovative and critical thinkers while working to solve community problems.Although the state does provide our operating budget, federal funds are appropriate to expand our campus-based programs as our work markedly improves the outcomes of higher education and the preparation of our future workforce in the nation?s 4th largest economy.Moreover, we leverage limited state and federal dollars for an exponential return on investment through the expertise and support of our state and national network of academic leaders.

The goal of the Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP) is to sustain the United States? citrus industry, to maintain grower?s continued access to export markets, and to safeguard the other citrus growing states against a variety of citrus pests, diseases and disease vectors.This is a collaborative effort involving growers, Federal and State regulatory personnel and researchers.With citrus canker and Huanglongbing (HLB)/greening being endemic in Florida, as well as other exotic citrus pests, diseases and disease vectors on the doorstep, new approaches have become necessary to help protect U.S.citrus production and mitigate the impact of these unwanted pests CHRP was developed by APHIS?working closely with regulatory officials from Florida, California, Texas and other citrus-producing States, industry stakeholders, university scientists, and scientists with USDA?s Agricultural Research Service?developed the CHRP to compile industry production guidelines and best practices for fruit and nursery stock production that addressed citrus canker and other citrus diseases such as HLB/greening.The CHRP Technical Working Group action plan is to prevent these diseases, conduct surveys, provide diagnostic services, and deal with the Asian Citrus Psyllid vector and HLB/Greening inoculum.Along with nursery stock product compliance the CHRP provides guidelines for fruit inspection, treatment, and certification.The CHRP also identifies minimum standards, where available, for implementing appropriate survey, diagnostic, and mitigation measures to reduce the proliferation and spread of citrus canker, citrus HLB/greening, and other diseases of regulatory significance.

Due to the rapid-spreading nature of the disease and the enormous potential damage, it is important for the Congress to appropriate resources in Fiscal Year 2011 to conduct coordinated and timely research on the ACP vector and the HLB disease.The U.S.citrus industry has been working closely with U.S.Department of Agriculture?s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) through the Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP) as well as the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to devise strategies to respond to this multi-state threat.The CHRP, administered by APHIS, is the appropriate vehicle to combat the spread of the ACP and HLB.However, we believe research through ARS and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is necessary to provide a solution to this destructive threat.

Funds would be used to dredge the IWW in four locations: (1) St.Augustine area; (2) Indian River Reach Area; (3) for St.Lucie Reach Area; and (4) the Jupiter Area.This will maintain the IWW?s safe navigability.Shoaling has been documented by hydrographic surveys and areas of the waterway are as shallow as 6 feet.The Waterway annually: provides $14.7 billion in economic output, which includes $4.4 billion in personal wages and 113,849 jobs; transports over 1.7 million tons of commercial cargo and over 500,000 recreational vessels; and increases property values by $19.4 billion.Studies by FIND, the local sponsor of the IWW, have shown that these benefits would be reduced by 50 percent if the Waterway were not properly maintained.

Three primary public policies related to healthcare disparities would be addressed by this project.First, healthcare utilization, or improving the percentage of residents with ?medical homes? while simultaneously decreasing the rates of emergency room visits and preventable hospitalizations as a result of poor health literacy, lack of screening and socially determined barriers to healthcare.Second, improve healthcare quality, or reducing the rates of medical errors and wastes that occur as a result of systemic inefficiencies and counter-productive policy.Finally, improve the quality of data collected related to healthcare disparities through coordinated and comprehensive databases that support the generation of recommendations that extend outside of the healthcare industry to address complementary industries that impact health outcomes.It is estimated that within 15 years the College of Medicine will generate 66,000 new jobs.Any activity that seeks to support its long-term success will assuredly sustain and add to this estimate.

The new capabilities will produce a breakthrough in enabling quick, substantive, and affordable solutions, thereby achieving major scientific advancements beneficial to the State and the Nation, and paving the path to developing carbon-neutral, zero waste cities fully powered by renewable energy.Economic impact will occur from increased sustainability and energy efficiency.Based on the products associated with the innovations (e.g., anchorage systems for PV panels, stabilization systems for green roofs), new businesses will be developed and spin-off companies will be created supporting new jobs and hiring of personnel.

This project will create a unique program designed to meet specific DoD stated needs in forensic science research.The State will benefit since most students that attend FIU originate from the State of Florida.Florida companies will be involved in commercializing the technology developed from this research.Intellectual Property generated from research conducted at FIU is now being commercialized by a Florida company (Field Forensics) and it is expected that this company will become a $ 50 M/year company in the near future, according to the CEO of the company.

Identifying unknown toxicants as quickly as possible and at as low a concentration as possible would be highly applicable to the civilian community.Circumstances may sometimes be identical to military ? dilemmas encountered when unknown agents of mass destruction are released on an unsuspecting population.In addition, many sites located in civilian venues have been contaminated by industrial pollutions (superfund sites) or prior weapons testing.Both contain toxicants of unknown nature and quantity.Even if the nature of the chemicals deposited were once known, subsequent chemical reactions could have generated by-products of unknown nature, reflecting years of incubation.In fact, there are no universal guidelines applicable to cleanup.No evidence-based guidelines can state the length of time a soldier or civilian worker can remain at work at a contaminated site.The device(s) we expect to create and validate should fill this gap.Devices are further expected to be portable, rugged, inexpensive and hence, applicable to public purpose.Funds from this project will help develop prototype biosensor devices that will protect military and civilian personnel from exposure to unknown toxicants.It is anticipated that these devices and future enhancements will be licensed to commercial entities who will manufacture in high volume these ruggedize products utilizing significant workforce resources.

These multi-disciplinary research labs will allow for collaboration between corporate and research partners to incubate emerging industries focused on industries relevant to South Florida, such as solar energy, water quality and green construction.FIU is ideally positioned to lead this research and train the next generation of environmental entrepreneurs, considering its location on Biscayne Bay, a recently inaugurated world-class marine biology facility, great economic development needs in North Miami and existing partnerships with key agencies such as NOAA and the Department of Energy.Taxpayer money will be used to enhance American competitiveness worldwide in green building and energy, stimulate the local economy through 1) creation of both short-and long-term jobs and 2) development of a facility that can be used to host out-of-town events, enhance technological development needed to ensure climate stabilization, provide educational opportunities for tens of thousands of students, and support research on pressing environmental and societal challenges at local, national, and international levels.The economic impact of the project within the district will be large and occur both immediately and over longer periods.First, many new jobs will be created in the design and construction phase.This will include green jobs associated with the construction of a green building.These jobs will be retained in the area because the economic benefits of this method of building ? which this project will showcase ? will be increasingly adopted in the district.

The Department of Labor is the primary federal agency that provides training funds.The MOST program is a proven training AND job placement program successfully piloted in New England and improved in Florida with DOL funds.During this period of unprecedented job losses, training and placing people in existing vacant jobs after only two weeks of training should be a priority.Funds will be used for training.Funds will not be used for construction or equipment purchases.In addition to the placement of workers in existing jobs after two weeks of training, outcomes would include: placement rate of 85 percent; retention rate of 85 percent after six months; positioning of new hires on career ladders that allow long-term growth and higher earning potentials; an average of $27,000 in saved federal spending and federal income taxes per new hire; return on federal investment per new hire in 4 to 6 months; and a projected 5-year economic impact of $1.1 million per new hire.

Several recent General Accounting Office (GAO) reports have re-affirmed problems the Defense Department is still having (in costly excess in billions of dollars) with inventories of spare parts and in finding spare parts necessary to maintain our current weapon system readiness and meeting surge demands.Previous reductions in defense spending and industry consolidations over the past 20 years have reduced the defense manufacturing supply chain.In 1984 there were over 120,000 defense contractors in the United States.By 1994 this number was 30,000 and there are undoubtedly fewer today -- ranging from tiny machine shops and consultants up to industry leaders.The duration of the war has extended beyond predictable levels of anticipated utility and support for these systems and continues to do so.Many of the weapon systems themselves are legacy or within them contain legacy parts which no longer have a source of supply from the original manufacturer as the original manufacturer may no longer exist, or the technical data package necessary to procure and manufacture these machined parts is inadequate or nonexistent.

Currently, there are over 20,000 children and teens in Florida?s Foster care system.Finding stable homes for these children and teens helps them to avoid many of the problems that plague this community including: teen pregnancy, homelessness, unemployment, and involvement with the criminal justice system.Using the power of television and radio, Forever Family educates and recruits adoptive parents, foster parents, mentors, Guardian Ad Litem, and volunteers.In addition, Forever Family raises community awareness about the plight of emancipated (Independent Living) foster teens that age out of the system.On the air since 2002, Forever Family is unique within the national child welfare and media communities.Forever Family?s multi-faceted approach includes twice weekly news segments on a number of Florida television stations (including NBC and CBS stations in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach, Okeechobee, the Treasure Coast, as well as the northern Florida counties of Leon, Madison, Gadsen, Franklin and others surrounding Tallahassee).Moreover Forever Family conducts an aggressive PSA campaign, radio and print campaigns, community events and web hosting with streaming video and adoption resources.Forever Family will be expanding to the Orlando media market (WESH-2) this Spring.In 2010, Forever Family viewing impressions will total more than 27 million resulting in an average of 70% of the children featured being adopted.In addition to utilizing these many mediums to raise awareness and increase adoptions, Forever Family also raises private funds (over $300,000 to-date), which go towards providing Independent Living youth with necessary financial assistance to help make rent, utilities, and other critical needs.Seeking to expand its scope of assistance, Forever Family will use FY11 funding to expand its recruitment and awareness efforts in the greater Orlando area, including the 24th Congressional District.Expanding these efforts will have a dramatic effect in reducing crime, alcohol and drug abuse, and homelessness among this targeted population of youth, particularly those transitioning out of the foster care system.Funding will also be used for emergency resources and special media projects.The expansion of Forever Family?s Child Safety and Adoption Initiative will also have the added effect of producing a net savings for the state of Florida.

According to a recent study by the Jumpstart Coalition, financial literacy among high school seniors is on the decline, with respondents accurately answering only 48.3 percent of questions.In the wake of the recent economic downturn, being able to successfully navigate the turbulent waters of finance has never been more important.To be successful and sustainable, financial education must begin early, continue throughout elementary and secondary education and be relevant.Furthermore, after-school and community-based programs are effective in complementing formal education, and can help girls learn money management in real-world, practical settings.Recently, Girl Scouts has begun a three year plan to expand our financial literacy programming.With the support of federal funding, Girl Scouts began the process of revising and updating a series of age-appropriate financial literacy badges tied to the Girl Scout cookie sale.Federal funds are being used to review financial literacy resources, draft curriculum, create supporting content about financial literacy, and other activities.In year two, Girl Scouts seeks to build on these badges to help girls maximize this experience.

The Girls Get IT! Science Club, an after-school STEM program, is designed to increase science and math literacy rates in girls.The Girls Get IT! Science Club extend the learning experience beyond the classroom through fun, interactive, hands-on activities throughout the year and culminates in a super summer camp full of college-bound and career-bound resources, competitions and work based learning.Ultimately, the overall goal is to ?move the needle? on the number of young women entering STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields of study and careers.We believe this is a critical initiative.Women comprise 52% of the population yet fewer than 33% of students in computer courses are female, women comprise only 20% of IT professionals, 13% of engineers are female and only 6% of pilots are women.

As a result of the renovation/replacement of this facility Goodwill will create 250 new job positions for people with disabilities, and Goodwill will also rehabilitate, train and place at least 200 people annually into competitive community employment.Once this project is implemented, it will create $7.9 million in new wages and about $1.1 million in new federal taxes annually for many years.Based on Goodwill's success in implementing a similar plan in Miami, these estimates for Broward County could result in creating new employment for over 800 persons, $281 million in new wages and $30.9 million in federal taxes paid over ten years.According to the US Census, Broward County has 98,926 people of working age with disabilities - 55,926 or 56.5% are unemployed.The majority live in the poorest areas of Broward County.The Broward County School Board reports a current enrollment of 28,946 students with disabilities in kindergarten to high school - an indication of future need of Goodwill's services.

Hadassah would like to increase its current Breast Cancer Education programs geared towards women in the US to offer additional education programs about the disease and early detection.Current programs involve qualified and well-trained speakers speaking to women in churches and synagogues as well as students in high school about the importance of early screening and testing for young women.There is also staff available for follow-up with participants who have additional needs and concerns.

Underwater mines pose a major threat to our Navy and commercial fleets and suspicious objects need to be rapidly identified and neutralized.Identification through high-resolution imaging is needed to classify the threat; furthermore, it is paramount to rapidly communicate the nature of the threat to a command center or to those who may be in danger.In murky coastal waters, currently available technology is inadequate at providing this capability.However, the underwater laser imaging and communications techniques recently developed by the staff of the Ocean Visibility and Optics Laboratory at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, a campus of Florida Atlantic University have the potential to be transitioned into the next generation of underwater laser imaging and networking technologies used by the Navy to protect our shores.Underwater communications are complicated by the inability of radio waves to propagate through water.In contrast, lasers can transmit images, voice communications and data even through murky water.This makes underwater laser systems very relevant to the Navy and Coast Guard in near-shore warfare, defense and homeland security.Underwater imaging tasks include fleet protection, submerged obstacle reconnaissance and surveillance, and identification of threats on the bottom or in the water column.Recent advances in laser technologies, miniaturized optical and electronics components, fast detectors and image processing techniques have greatly improved the performance of electro-optical sensors, while also reducing system size and cost for deployment on existing and future Navy underwater vehicles and platforms.This effort will build on the recent federally funded development of underwater laser imaging and networking techniques which have been demonstrated to offer quantum leap performance improvements over the currently used systems for identifying and communicating threats in turbid littoral waters.Once fully developed and used onboard groups of small, co-operating underwater robots, these laser sensor networks will provide identification-quality underwater imagery in real-time across much greater regions of seabed than current technology allows.Therefore, laser sensor networks will be vital for effectively classifying both military and environmental threats to our coastal regions in the future.

Recognizing that Here?s Help supports the attainment of key Florida performance goals ? namely, to reduce crime, and decrease juvenile and adult re-offenses (Public Safety); promote healthy lifestyles (Health and Family); and reduce unemployment (Economy and Taxes) ? the agency requests $1 million from the Florida Legislature to support health and safety renovations and enhancements to its North (residential and outpatient) and South (outpatient only) treatment centers located in Miami-Dade County.Studies have proven that the scarcity of funding for capital improvements presents an obstacle to delivering best practice interventions.While facing growing demand for services, rising operating costs and lagging revenues resulting from a tepid philanthropic environment, Here?s Help has maintained quality evidence-based programming that has been the key to its success.As a result, the agency has focused its energy and limited budget over the past several years on the services provided rather than the condition of the facilities it occupies.Based on the belief that appropriate physical facilities can strengthen human services and enable providers to better serve their clients, state appropriation dollars will be allocated to improvements in the adult residential dorm, juvenile residential dorm, administrative building, dental clinic, and South Dade outpatient center.Using a cost-benefit analysis as an informative tool reveals the importance of supporting effective substance abuse treatment programs as part of a comprehensive strategy by policymakers to lessen its impacts on a host of societal factors.Recognized as one of South Florida?s premiere substance abuse treatment facilities, Here?s Help directly impacts lower crime rates and overall societal costs reporting a successful residential program completion rate of 69% and an outpatient successful completion rate of 89%.The agency?s recidivism rate is a mere 11%.The typical success rate of drug rehabilitation centers is 2-to-20%.Florida's adult recidivism rate is 34-to-35%, and its juvenile recidivism rate for males is 46% and females 28%.

Nearly 20% of Florida?s children are uninsured.Low-income accounts for more than 75% of this population.Less income means more emergency room and urgent care visits.Most of the uninsured are eligible for Kid Care coverage.Health knowledge and behaviors impacts educational achievement.During the past three years, the Health Literacy and HIPPY Pilot Program has provided evidence-based data that for less than $1 a day, pre-K children, their siblings, and often their families can have access and insurance to medical and dental homes; provide parents with a health skill set that changes behaviors and serve as a catalyst in advocating for well-being in their extended family and community networks.The economic investment brings a return of 7:1 in savings to the health system.The pilot program is a strategy that builds capacity and leads to informed action by individuals and organizations.It supports recent Congressional health initiatives.

The Center, which began in 1980, was envisioned by Arnold Picker and Abe Halpern as A LIVING MEMORIAL THROUGH EDUCATION ? an ecumenical institution, rooted in eyewitness testimony.The primary mission of the Center is to preserve, protect, and perpetuate the authentic memory of the Holocaust by creating a permanent and irrefutable record of the testimonies of the Survivors, liberators, and rescuers.The Center has come far in twenty-nine years and is now ready for the next step ? the creation of a museum that will teach the lessons of the Holocaust in English and Spanish and which will allow the voices of Survivors to be heard and remembered for generations to come.The museum is currently in the design phase.The overall goal of the museum is to teach the students and others that prejudice and hatred for reasons of culture, religion, ethnicity, or any other reason can result in seemingly unimaginable horrors.Hatred and prejudice must stop with us.Visitors to the museum will include middle school, high school, and college students in South Florida, as well as teachers, researchers, historians, and the general public.Our location in Hollywood, Florida, a popular tourist destination, ensures that we will receive national and international visitors to the museum.With the creation of an online virtual exhibit, our reach is endless.

Jackson Health System (JHS), operated by Miami-Dade County?s Public Health Trust and is the county's sole public health system and primary provider for the county's indigent and uninsured.Jackson's Ryder Trauma Center is the only adult and pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center in Miami-Dade County.When a hurricane warning is issued, JHS serves as an emergency evacuation shelter for medically at risk individuals.The number of psychiatric emergency issues countywide increases and presents at JHS.Employees are required to remain in place until they are relieved, which is often after storm conditions pass.These factors contribute to hurricane related occupancy levels that are considerably higher than normal levels of operation.The Jackson Health System Hurricane Mitigation Structural Reinforcement Initative resolves multiple vulnerabilities that presently threaten the Ryder Trauma Center.It solves the existing issue of the insufficient structural integrity, currently designed for a low category 3 hurricane up to a category 5 storm based on the 3-second wind speed of 200 miles per hour.The proposed project will solve the susceptibility to hazards brought on by extreme weather conditions at the Ryder Trauma Center.JHS will use this funding to structurally reinforce and fortify the Ryder Trauma Center through an exterior skin upgrade beyond the minimum required for an essential facility by current Florida Building Code.Though built to code in 1992, the current EFIS exterior is lightweight by design and, therefore, is unstable under threat of a strong 3 or higher category storm.This is an unacceptable vulnerability for the County?s only trauma center.According to the Chief Architect of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, medical facilities similarly constructed did not fare well in Hurricanes Ivan and Charley and many suffered severe damage.

The Army Trauma Training Center, in cooperation with Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center has functioned as a national training center for Army forward surgical teams since 2002.The Army chose Jackson's trauma center as the Army Trauma Training Center site because it offers Army medical personnel exposure to a high volume of traumatic injuries that closely mimic those seen on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan.The real-life training that Jackson provides is vital to the success of patient care on the battlefield.Through this groundbreaking partnership with the U.S.Army, Jackson helps train military surgical teams from all across the United States to effectively treat and improve the outcomes of soldiers who experience life-threatening injuries.During an intensive hands-on training period, the military personnel are able to work and learn from our experienced trauma personnel.Each team consists of 20 individuals in the areas of surgery and anesthesiology.These military surgical teams are then deployed to areas of conflict, such as Iraq and Afghanistan.These planned information technology upgrades will help Jackson improve its training programs by offering the modern comprehensive interoperable communications capabilities, as well as the electronic health records that are a part of trauma care in the modern military.Jackson is requesting funding to make needed upgrades to its information management and communications systems in order to improve its trauma center training programs in conjunction with the Army, and its ability to provide critical first response care for patients in Miami-Dade County, including the military installations in the area.Furthermore, as one of the nation's largest hospitals, the state-of-the-art information system Jackson intends to implement can serve as a model for other medical centers and the military medical community interested in improving their response capabilities and patient care in a mass casualty environment.

Jewish Community Services currently provides a wide array of services to seniors and their families in Miami-Dade County, and has been doing so for 90 years.In Florida, there are 1.7 million family caregivers who collectively provide 1.8 billion hours of care which translates into $17 billion in informal care.Nationally, 31 percent of households include a family caregiver and, given the proportion of older adults in Miami-Dade County, this number is estimated to be similar if not higher.Within Miami-Dade County, approximately 430,000 individuals are 60 years of age or older, of which 75,000, or more than 17 percent, are living alone.Of the 65 and older age cohort, nearly 200,000 are individuals with two or more disabilities, are medically needy or have some level of dementia.Family caregivers provide unpaid care to loved ones with physical, mental and/or emotional impairments.Many individuals do not identify themselves as ?caregivers?, as other caregivers in addition to spouses and life partners may be children, grandchildren or even friends of the care recipient.Family caregivers can be susceptible to any number of afflictions, i.e.isolation, depression, loss of income and potentially substance abuse-related issues.The provision of support services can decrease the impact of care-giving and significantly prevent or delay out of home placement/institutionalization of care recipients.It is evident that the data supports the need for greater outreach to assist families who can benefit from information pertaining to available resources that will allow them to better care for their loved ones at home.Additionally, direct service needs must be assessed which will allow for the development of the most appropriate care plan for each individual.Finally, referrals for service assistance within a coordinated system of care must be provided to promote the well being of the caregiver as well as the care recipient.Family caregivers indicate that their primary direct service needs include the following: help with household chores, respite care and the need for emotional support.Thus, the three main components of JCS? Family Caregiver Access Network (FCAN) will address those needs through the provision of outreach/education, assessment and care coordination to a minimum of 500 families.

Located on the grounds of the JAFCO Respite & Residential Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities to be located in Sunrise FL, the Respite Home & Family Resource Center for Children with Autism will provide a home base for temporary respite services, including family caregiver relief, parent training, therapy, recreation and life skills training to autistic children in the South Florida area.The estimated number of children served will be 1,000 per year.Upon completion, the Center will provide a unique, state of the art facility to promote research,programs and treatments in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities to be shared on a national basis.While the primary benefits include providing a safe, educationally sound and positive environment for children with autism while giving their families the respite and support so desperately needed, the project, once constructed, will generate a minimum of 50 new health-related jobs in direct care, therapy, social work and management.The construction phase will also provide construction jobs to a community in dire need of them.In 2008, 27,000 children were diagnosed with autism in the State of Florida.The Broward School District alone serves over 2,000 children who are "autism eligible" in that they have been tested and diagnosed.The JAFCO Respite Home & Family Resource Center for Children with Autism will provide the respite, training, independent living and support services to children in the South Florida area and will establish Broward County as a leader in the nation working with autistic children and their families.

The arts are great investment.Nationally, the arts industry provides a financial return of 8-to-1 on government spending.Dozens of national studies continue to demonstrate the viability of the arts and culture as an economic engine.In Florida, where tourism is a principal industry (and we get a large share of tourism revenue on South Beach), the impact is important in promoting balanced growth, creating a well-educated workforce, promoting economic opportunities, and supporting the enhanced quality of life as a key infrastructure for communities.Our annual budget, which includes the funds spent on producing our exhibits, invigorates the economy.Visitors from around the nation and the world stimulate the economy, especially restaurants, retail shops, hotels, buses, taxis and tour companies.The Museum is the only cultural institution in the Ocean Beach Historic District; we helped the transition from a high crime area to a very high value one.The City completed a $6 million Streetscape project of new streets, sidewalks, plaza and landscaping with the Museum as the centerpiece.The maintenance of our historic buildings as well as the staff, consultants and vendors of our many exhibit projects, events and store products all impact the economy.Our buildings are made available for meetings of community groups, as a site for special events and we host national and statewide conferences - all directly impacting the economy of the city.We are in the planning stages for a new 10,000 SF building as a Collections & Research Center; monies for materials, contractor, and sub-contractors will help the economy.

Memorial Healthcare System (MHS) is the second largest providers of breast cancer services in the state, with patients traveling from Dade, Broward, Palm Beach counties as well as from South America and the Caribbean.MHS is dedicated to helping women stay healthy through prevention, detection and wellness programs, and providing comprehensive breast cancer services for women diagnosed with this deadly disease.As part of that effort, MHS' Women?s Imaging Center at Memorial Regional Hospital (MRH) is a special facility set apart by its woman-centered approach to breast cancer treatment.As a public hospital system, MHS provides comprehensive breast cancer services to numerous uninsured and minority women.Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 50% of all admissions; 708 women did not have any type of insurance coverage.Demographics indicate that these trends are mirrored in Miami-Dade County.And the demand for MHS' services is increasing substantially.In 2007, MHS' had an increase to 4,827 encounters (up from 4,117 in 2006) relating to breast cancer.In coordination with the Women?s Imaging Center, MHS utilizes our Mobile Mammography Van to provide a comprehensive breast cancer outreach and screening program to medically underserved minority women in Broward and northern Miami-Dade Counties.Our mobile mammography van travels to the heart of underserved communities ? neighborhoods and workplaces -- providing free, culturally sensitive services through a highly skilled staff.The Mobile Mammography Van works frequently in conjunction with MHS?s Adult Mobile Health Van to provide clinical breast exams and other health screenings at many of the sites.Barriers to routine cancer prevention are minimized by providing access to screening mammograms in the targeted communities through the Mobile Mammography Van.

Memorial Healthcare System will be visited by TATRC - Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center on February 24, 2010 to finalize the request.At this time, we will provide an updated request.In the meantime, with funding from the DOD, MHS is embarking on a significant contribution to develop effective and efficient tools for diagnosis and treatment of TBIs, while advancing the care of patients suffering with the brain injuries attendant to both ischemia and trauma.MHS will diagnose whether the combined approach will have legitimate benefit for diagnosis and treatment of TBIs.In addition, the training component will allow for the maximization of knowledge transfer and technical skill development for the military medical corps.Finally, this initiative will also allow for the advancement of best practices and protocols for staff.

MBCHC has provided quality primary care and outpatient services to uninsured and underinsured residents of northeastern Miami-Dade County for over 30 years and is a fully integrated medical facility offering a broad spectrum of services for patients of all ages.Since 2006, the Miami Beach Community Health Center (MBCHC) has provided counseling and other psychiatric services to its patients in a culturally and linguistically competent and sensitive community setting.In our community, one particular need is access to behavioral health services for the large number of youth in foster care.Children in foster care are three to six times more likely than children not in care to have emotional, behavioral and developmental problems, including conduct disorders, depression, difficulties in school and impaired social relationships.Some experts estimate that about 30% of the children in care have marked or severe emotional problems.Various studies have indicated that children and young people in foster care tend to have limited education and job skills, perform poorly in school compared to children who are not in foster care, lag behind in their education by at least one year, and have lower educational attainment than the general population.The service area for Miami Beach Community Health Center includes several zip codes targeted by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice as high risk neighborhoods (33138, 33161, and 33162).Working with Our Kids of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, the community-based care organization for children and youth, we plan to serve 200 youth ages 12-15 in foster care and will implement trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy and parent management training to improve patient outcomes for the fostering hope project as we believe these will have the greatest positive impact on our target population.

The Biscayne Bay Water Quality Model represents the second phase of an ongoing partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the effects of the Central and Southern Florida (C & SF) Project, the network of flood control and water supply canals that extend from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades, on Biscayne Bay and related water bodies.Earlier stages of the project, authorized by Congress in 1986 as the ?Biscayne Bay Feasibility Study?, included a reconnaissance study and development of a physical model, which is being used to evaluate circulation and salinity patterns.Development of a coupled water quality model will provide a tool to assess distribution and transport of water pollutants, such as nutrients, pathogens, or toxics, that may be delivered to the Bay by operation of the federal canal system or through groundwater, other surface flows, or catastrophic spills.The need for such a management tool is particularly critical at this time, since decisions are currently being made about the design and operation of Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects that will alter the volume, distribution, and source of freshwater to the Bay system.Upon completion of a comprehensive water quality model, future phases are anticipated to develop ecological models, that could be used to simulate effects of water management or pollutant discharges on sea grass habitat, fisheries, and wildlife resources.The Water Quality Assessment Model will provide the capability of assessing effects from proposed water management modifications being investigated in various local and regional restoration activities and planning projects on water quality in Biscayne National Park and Biscayne Bay, an Outstanding Florida Water Body.The water quality model, together with physical models of circulation and hydrology, will support evaluation and design of CERP and Acceler8 projects, such as the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project.Physical and water quality models are also an essential element in developing Minimum Flows and Levels for Biscayne Bay and may play a role in establishment of Total Maximum Daily Loads by the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection for impaired water bodies in the Biscayne Bay watershed, as required by the US EPA pursuant to the Clean Water Act.Such a model will also be valuable in evaluating potential effects on Biscayne Bay of alternative water supply, reuse of reclaimed wastewater, discharges from the C & SF Project, or catastrophic spills of pollutants during hurricanes or other disasters.

The proposed project would be funded and conducted pursuant to an existing Local Cooperation Agreement between Miami-Dade County and the federal government.This agreement was executed in 1972 to provide for ongoing nourishment of the project as necessary throughout the fifty-year project.The project will include the placement of sand along eroded portions of the 13-mile long Miami-Dade Shore Protection Project which extends from Government Cut through Sunny Isles Beach.The Miami-Dade County Shore Protection Project provides a number of both local and regional environmental and economic benefits.At the local level, the project protects billions of dollars of beachfront development and infrastructure.It is estimated that over 80% of the economic benefits associated with the project are attributable to storm damage reduction during storms.During a single storm event, Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the project prevented in excess of $20,000,000 in storm damage based on Army Corps of Engineers computer models.The project also provides regional and national benefits in the form of domestic and international tourism.Surveys conducted by various tourism bureaus consistently indicate that area beaches are the number one destination for visitors.

The funding for this project would be used to purchase software and radios to improve public safety radio interoperability and communications between neighboring public safety agencies that requires effective command, control, coordination, communication, and sharing of information with numerous criminal justice and public safety agencies, as well as public utilities, transportation agencies, and private industry.This proposal directly addresses the inability to share information across jurisdictions for emergency first responders at local, state, federal and tribal levels to work together, enhancing crime fighting and public safety.The Miami-Dade County strategy for interoperable voice/data communication is a multi-agency multi-discipline initiative for the 35 municipal police departments, Miami-Dade County Police Department, tribal police department, 69 General Government agencies, and 4 Fire departments along with state agencies (FDLE, M-DCPS, SAO) and federal agencies (FBI, US Marshall?s, South COM, DEA, ATF) and extending through the region to Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties.The anticipated benefits include better communication and coordination among first responders in Miami-Dade County.Therefore, residents of Miami-Dade County will be more secure and have a higher quality of life.The entire South Florida Region will benefit from this improvement for the County?s first responders.Local law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency medical services, and other first responders will be able to provide the highest quality of service to the residents of Miami-Dade County.This project has the support of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, the Director of the County?s Enterprise Technology Services Department, the Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Director of the County?s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

This project continues the critical work that was initiated under the first phase of the Juvenile Assessment Center?s National Demonstration Project.It provides information and guidance on how communities can take what has been documented to effectively plan and allocate their resources when addressing a complete juvenile arrest population that consists of both serious and minor offenders.Since its beginning, over 13,650 juveniles were evaluated for this program, over 10,580 have been enrolled and over 8,688 have successfully completed.The program has documented a savings of over $47 million in savings to the system by providing services outside of the juvenile justice system.Also, legislation was enacted so that upon successful completion of the program, the juvenile?s arrest record is sealed.This program is well into its eighth year of operation with funding from Miami-Dade County General Fund as part of the JSD continuum.Most important, the PAD as part of the JSD continuum provides a format to apply the best research practices at the earliest point of entry, identify risk factors, and apply a personalized diversion program that addresses the issues of a child, including the family, and not the offense.It is the purpose of this National Demonstration Project to establish a juvenile justice system model available for replication around the United States, with measurable outcomes to improve a juvenile justice system.A major step to bringing that goal to fruition was the co-sponsored ONDCP/OJJDP Juvenile Justice Summit held in Miami Dade County, Florida in May 2008 to showcase our model.Additional funding will allow for enhancement to the Juvenile Justice Model.

The funding for this project would be used for the creation of a mortgage fraud task force national model to train law enforcement individuals in those identified 15 states with the highest rates of mortgage fraud, participants from all 50 states and U.S.territories will be eligible to attend.The Miami-Dade County MFTF will serve as a national model based on its proven performance.The national model will be coordinated by Miami-Dade County and administered by the United States Department of Justice.The anticipated benefits include a more effective process of dealing with and prosecuting mortgage fraud in Miami-Dade County and nationwide, and eventually, a decrease in the occurrence of mortgage fraud.

The 50-/52 foot channel draft has been authorized by Congress (WRDA 2007) and Congress has already appropriated close to $1 million for preconstruction.The improvements are recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers as the National Economic Development Plan.With $37.5 million in appropriations, the Army corps Jacksonville will be able to advertise for a construction contract in summer of 2011, with a completion date of 2014.The Port of Miami is one of the nation?s strongest economic engines, responsible for 176,000 jobs.By dredging to a depth of 50 feet, the Port of Miami will be able to double the amount of cargo it currently handles, making it competitive with nearby foreign ports such as Freeport, Bahamas, which is already at the critical 50 foot depth.This is a project of national significance which will stimulate the economy be creating construction jobs and more importantly, will allow for continued growth at the port, creating additional thousands of well paid permanent trade related jobs throughout the region.On completion, an additional 33,000 high paying jobs will be created over 10 years.As the closest US port to the Panama Canal, the deeper channel will position the Port to accommodate the larger vessels which will transit through the Panama Canal once the Canal?s expansion concludes in 2014.The recommended improvements to the entrance channel will assist all vessels to safely navigate through the cross wind and currents at the existing channel?s narrow opening.Biscayne Bay pilots have warned of safety issues for ships utilizing the entrance channel.This project has broad support, including Miami - Dade County, the State of Florida, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Biscayne Bay Pilots, local shippers and operators at the Port of Miami and the Greater Miami chamber of Commerce.Documents in support by the Miami Dade County Board of Commissioners and the Biscayne Bay Harbor Pilots will be submitted separately.

The 50-/52 foot channel draft has been authorized by Congress (WRDA 2007) and Congress has already appropriated close to $1 million for preconstruction.The improvements are recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers as the National Economic Development Plan.With $37.5 million in appropriations, the Army corps Jacksonville will be able to advertise for a construction contract in summer of 2011, with a completion date of 2014.The Port of Miami is one of the nation?s strongest economic engines, responsible for 176,000 jobs.By dredging to a depth of 50 feet, the Port of Miami will be able to double the amount of cargo it currently handles, making it competitive with nearby foreign ports such as Freeport, Bahamas, which is already at the critical 50 foot depth.This is a project of national significance which will stimulate the economy be creating construction jobs and more importantly, will allow for continued growth at the port, creating additional thousands of well paid permanent trade related jobs throughout the region.On completion, an additional 33,000 high paying jobs will be created over 10 years.As the closest US port to the Panama Canal, the deeper channel will position the Port to accommodate the larger vessels which will transit through the Panama Canal once the Canal?s expansion concludes in 2014.The recommended improvements to the entrance channel will assist all vessels to safely navigate through the cross wind and currents at the existing channel?s narrow opening.Biscayne Bay pilots have warned of safety issues for ships utilizing the entrance channel.This project has broad support, including Miami - Dade County, the State of Florida, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Biscayne Bay Pilots, local shippers and operators at the Port of Miami and the Greater Miami chamber of Commerce.Documents in support by the Miami Dade County Board of Commissioners and the Biscayne Bay Harbor Pilots will be submitted separately.

The total cost of dredging and disposal, including the Corps overhead, but not including land acquisition, was estimated at $74,000,000.The Corps was to provide 80 percent of the funds for dredging and disposal of sediments within the federal channel.The non-federal sponsor, Miami-Dade County, was required to provide matching funds and lands needed for staging equipment and disposing of dredged material.The non-federal match, including cost of land for staging equipment or handling the dredged material, was estimated at $15 million.This cost applied to maintenance dredging of the federal channel only.Separate funds were required for additional dredging of areas beyond the federal navigation channel.The non-Federal partners (Miami-Dade County, State of Florida, South Florida Water Management District, Florida Inland Navigation District) contributed $21 million to cover the Federal shortfall.Contributions from the non-Federal partners were critical for the project to move forward.Not covering the Federal shortfall would have stopped the contract leaving 60% of the river dredging incomplete and any delays could have led to the loss of federal funds.Only by fronting the $21,000,000 to replace the missing Federal funds was the dredging able to restart by the contract deadline of September 2008 and complete the project by November 2008.Subject to the availability of excess funds after all project cost and claims are settled, reimbursement of contributed funds transmitted to the Corps is allowed under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) executed by the County and the Corps in July 2008.The maximum contributed funding eligible for reimbursement under the MOA is $10,000,000 contributed by the South Florida Water Management District and sent to the Corps by the County in July 2008.The requested $11,000,000 would reimburse the non-Federal partners up to $10,000,000 and the additional $1,000,000 would be used for anticipated claims by the contractor.The expenditure of $21,000,000 by the non-federal partners has only served to exacerbate the current economic hardships faced by Miami-Dade County and other non-federal partners.Reimbursement of these funds would allow the non-federal partners, such as Miami-Dade County to direct spending to other projects that benefit the County?s citizens.

Miami-Dade County and the South Florida region are growing rapidly, and it is anticipated that approximately 50% of the current transportation workforce will likely retire by the 2010 year end.A well-trained transportation workforce is critical to not only replace those who are retiring, but also fill new positions resulting from increased needs of the region's burgeoning population.The need for "middle training," or continuous training, of existing employees will continue to be a factor as new technologies in transportation emerge.It is estimated that during the next 20 years, the county will experience approximately a 40 percent increase in population and employment.To accommodate this growth, the county continues to plan for improvements and upgrades to its transportation system.Freight movement by rail, sea, and air shows similar energetic increases.A future well¬trained workforce in the transportation industry will be essential in order to keep pace with South Florida's increasing economic activity.Miami Dade College proposes an Institute for Intermodal Transportation to provide workforce training that will address the occupational needs of Miami-Dade County and the region's dynamic and growing transportation industry.

The Institute will promote an independent judiciary and promote autonomous and effective legal representation, with emphasis on improving the access of poor and disadvantaged people to the justice system and alternative dispute resolution methods.It will promote of the rule of law and social justice and foster the creation of a stable environment which encourages foreign investment and further development of the Latin American and Caribbean countries.Public and private institutions have concluded that economic growth and democratization cannot take place in the absence of a modern and efficient legal system.The Institute is an effective vehicle for US leadership in the development of democratic institutions.Such leadership is now of paramount importance.Domestic leaders in some of the target countries are not democratic.In other cases, destructive external forces have not been counterbalanced by US interests and their influence has been growing relatively unchecked.

Healthcare has a major problem in determining how to reach people rapidly.Communications technology can improve communications by reaching the right person directly and quickly in an efficient manner across the healthcare spectrum.Today, most healthcare providers rely on primitive technologies.Electronic pagers, abandoned by most industries, are the core devices for hospital communications.Mobile phones are often banned from hospitals, despite evidence that in most areas this technology is safe.E-mail is often discouraged for clinical communication for security reasons, and more advanced technologies, such as instant messaging, videoconferencing, or Web-based collaboration, are almost unknown in healthcare.Implementing modern communications technologies is complicated by a lack of interoperability among databases and applications.There may be numerous directories, on-call databases, and coverage lists that must interoperate to streamline the process of identifying the proper contact.By MBCHC implementing a unified communications approach ­ - the integration of disparate communications systems, media, devices, and applications - offers an effective solution to these communications barriers.UC, running on a Medical-Grade Network (MGN), enables healthcare institutions to employ multiple types of communications, including inter-computer, Internet Protocol (IP), voice, and video, while providing wireless access in a secure, comprehensive, and resilient manner.

Miami Children's Hospital (MCH) is requesting funding for facilities and equipment related to its expansion plan.MCH is a non-profit, safety net hospital centrally located in Miami-Dade County.MCH is South Florida's only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists.MCH is an internationally recognized pediatric care facility serving local children as well as children from across Florida, the United States, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.Recognizing the age and capacity limits of its existing main campus, MCH has developed an expansion plan, which includes a new six story inpatient pavilion that includes an expanded Emergency Department and Trauma Center, a 34 bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, a 44 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and three pediatric medical/surgical units totaling 78 beds.The plan also includes a retrofit and re-development of its operating room complex, and conversion of approximately 53 medical/surgical beds to private rooms.The "shovel-ready" construction project will allow a more efficient use of the hospital and provide the space and capability to serve the growing demand for subspecialty care in a pediatric environment.Miami Dade County has already approved the project.MCH is already completing two pre-requisite projects ? a new Energy Center to accommodate mechanical requirements and a 700 vehicle parking garage at a cost of $43.7 million.This project will expand the hospital's capacity to care for children and families in need in a safe, caring, healthy environment.

The Miccosukee Reserved Area is located on the north boundary of Everglades National Park.Congress passed the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act in 1997 which increased the size of the Tribe?s area and changed its status so that it is to be treated as if it were an Indian Reservation.The Miccosukee Reserved Area (?MRA?) is narrow and linear.It is located on two roadways in western Miami-Dade County.These roads are Old Tamiami Trail (3.11 miles in length) and Loop Road (2.07 miles in length).The Miccosukee Tribe is in the process of replacing/upgrading its main water line for the Tribal Community in order to meet the needs of the community with increased water pressure, fire flow, and to address the problems caused by dead end water lines by looping the water lines.We have an asbestos cement water line on Old Tamiami Trail, which needs to be replaced due to water quality concerns.In order to do this and not disrupt the service, the Tribe has to install the new line under the north lane of Loop Road on the MRA.This lane will need to be repaired/resurfaced.By resurfacing both lanes, the Tribe will have a road without differing maintenance conditions on both lanes.The water line on Old Tamiami Trail will be placed on the north shoulder of the road.We anticipate some patches will need to be done to the road on the north lane.Old Tamiami Trail needs resurfacing.It has cracks all over the road that are more than ¼? in width and exceed 5? in length.It has bumps in it.While there are currently no potholes, it is just a matter of time before they will start to appear, especially after the new water line is installed.This funding request will allow the Tribe to completely resurface both lanes of these roads in order to avoid a patchwork approach which leads to potholes and road deterioration.We are requesting funds to mill and resurface with 1 ¼? of asphalt.It will also extend the life of these roads by an estimated 5-10 years with routine maintenance.

The Museum of Discovery and Science is in the final stages of a $26.5 million expansion and renovation that will double exhibit space and strengthen the Museum?s impact in the community as a vital cultural resource.The focus of the expansion is the EcoDiscovery Center, a new construction project that will immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of the Everglades.Environmentally themed exhibits (including an AirBoat Ride, an Otter Habitat and Storm Center) will guide visitors through the Everglades' fragile ecosystems, the Florida water cycle, and the potential impact of global climate change on South Florida ? all through the lens of environmental stewardship.The expansion project also includes construction of a visitor pavilion (completed in 2008), four new classrooms and labs, a high-tech science theater, an outdoor science park, and new science exhibits on aviation, health, waste management and recycling, prehistoric Florida and the Florida water story.The Museum?s expansion and renovation project, with its diversity of exhibits complemented by cutting-edge augmented technology programs, will provide visitors with fresh, stimulating experiences for years to come.The project will enhance the Museum's visibility and prestige and draw thousands of more visitors to the emerging downtown Fort Lauderdale Arts & Entertainment district.(Approximately 15-20% of Museum visitors are tourists.) Upon completion of the EcoDiscovery Center, Museum attendance is expected to grow from 400,000 to over 500,000 visitors annually, including an estimated 120,000 children on school or field trips.The project supports HUD?s focus on economic development in urban communities.MODS is located in an underserved ZIP code, and employs many people within a 5-mile radius, including part-time students and youth interns.MODS is easily accessed by mass transportation, with a bus depot located within walking distance.The expansion and renewal project will enable the Museum to add at least 15 more employees and contracted staff.The increase in staff and visitorship will enhance the Museum?s economic impact on downtown Fort Lauderdale?s arts & sciences district, producing a ripple effect of $21,525,000 in total industry expenditures and 570 total industry jobs.

The South Florida Education Center (SFEC) is a collection of seven Colleges, Universities and Technical/Vocational schools with a student population in excess of 40,000 students.It has the second largest trip generation within the entire county of Broward (a county of 1,700,000 people).The SFEC has in excess of 70,000 trips per day.Currently 36th street is a two lane road with numerous 90 degree turns, substandard lane widths, and poor drainage.This project will relocate the road (right of way has already been donated) to a continuous standard lane width road with a landscaped median.Additionally, the dedicated corridor has been engineered to accommodate an additional two travel lanes.The eastern permanence of 36th street intersects College Avenue which is the major road leading to all the colleges and universities within the SFEC and is adjacent to the technical and vocation school.The western terminus connects to a fully entitled mixed use residential, office, research project (Academical Village) which upon build-out will exceed 3 million square feet of mixed use product.The first phase of the Academical Village is in excess of 1,000,000 square feet and has a construction value in excess of $220,000,000 dollars.This project is in the final stages of financing.Upon build out, the projects taxable value will exceed $700,000,000 dollars.Traffic level of service of the road network abutting the proposed Academical Village is currently sub standard and the relocation and rebuilding of this road will greatly improve the LOS and performance of mobility within the SFEC.

One of the most serious problems in the current health care system is the prevalence of medical error.The classic well-known Institute of Medicine 1999 report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, estimated that medical errors kill as many as 98,000 people yearly.Handwritten charts and other information are often poorly legible and together with failure to coordinate care frequently lead to medical error.Among other important causes of medical error are inadequate communication between health care providers who share responsibility for the same patient, improper doses of drugs or radiation, life threatening drug interactions, unreadable medical orders and prescriptions, and the performance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures by health providers who have not been adequately trained.Not only do such errors jeopardize the life of patients, almost immeasurable is the economic impact on society as a result of how medical information currently is stored.In 2004 it was estimated that 1 in 7 hospitalizations occurred because medical records were not available and 1 in 5 laboratory tests were repeated because results were not available at the point of care.Exchanging records from different health care settings using the Electronic Health Record (EHR) can facilitate coordination of healthcare delivery.This includes providing such information as demographics, medical histories, medications and allergies, immunization status, laboratory results, and imaging studies.Fast access to medical literature and current best practices also are incorporated in EHR programs.The operation of the center will create 9 new jobs in addition to the Electronic Health Specialist which will produce 15-20 highly marketable jobs yearly.

Medical experts predict that regenerative therapies have the potential to benefit up to half of all Americans who suffer from an incurable disease, injury, or congenital defect.The number of Americans who suffer from these types of ailments include: The worldwide demand for regenerative medical treatments may exceed 100 million patients per year once the technologies are fully developed.Skin substitutes are already approved for used on burn victims by the FDA, however progress to develop other medical regeneration therapies has been slow.The productivity of our researchers, the well equipped laboratories, and supportive research environment at Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division (NSU-HPD) has allowed us to make rapid progress in stem cell and regenerative medicine research.NSU-HPD has been engaged in adult stem cell research for the past seven years with the objective of regenerating and creating new tissues, including skin, bone, muscle, nerves and teeth.All of our stem cells are sourced from adult tissues and cell banks.Breakthroughs in regenerative medicine will revolutionize treatment to ailments that were previously permanent.NSU is seeking a partnership with the Department of Defense to advance this important research to address some of the permanent injuries sustained by thousands of veterans and active servicemen and women.The applications to the defense health program and the potential benefit to those injured in the line of duty are virtually limitless.NSU intends to leverage its research to date to advance regenerative therapies that will benefit civilian and military health alike.

The Navy has developed technology and new operational methodologies that can transform the nature of environmental assessments and the speed of operations in areas of deep water and strong ocean currents.Utilizing the new technologies, the project will complete a detailed environmental baseline required for the US Navy?s South Florida Testing Facility.The National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) of Nova Southeastern University will partner with the US Navy South Florida Testing Facility, Carderock Division, to conduct extensive environmental assessments within the Navy range.The purpose is to establish a detailed and complete baseline from which change, both anthropogenic and climate induced, can be determined.Special attention will be focused on establishing assessment and observational parameters that will allow differentiation of effects from Navy range maintenance and use as compared to various other coral and reef impacts from local, regional, and global causes.Baseline and monitoring data will be essential for continuing range operations in the most environmentally friendly and responsible manner, avoiding adverse environmental impact, and seeking any appropriate mitigation for planned or existing actions with such requirements.Remote sensing, ocean observing instrumentation, and in-situ ground-truthing will be used for data acquisition on a host of biological and physical oceanographic parameters of interest and importance.Techniques for using newly developed equipment will be useful in forward deployed areas with ocean environments that present similar challenges to speed and facilitate required characterizations.

As a result of Executive Order 13089, Congress appropriated funds to support coral reef research initiatives, which resulted in the creation of the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI).NCRI has been funded by Congressional Direction since 1998.NCRI operates under a 5- year peer-reviewed cooperative agreement with NOAA/CSCOR renewed in 2009.Coral Reefs are in decline worldwide and research and management support are required to protect them.NCRI focuses on US coral reefs worldwide and within Florida reef systems.

According to data released by The United States Department of Health and Human Services in 2007, 12 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are found to be victims of some form of maltreatment.Many victims of abuse also suffer from eating disorders, drug and alcohol addictions and bullying.Early detection and screening for abuse and child safety is critical in ruling out more serious behavioral manifestation of abuse.Ohel has developed a comprehensive set of school-based prevention, education and intervention programs to enhance the social and emotional functioning of children and adolescents who are at-risk or are victims of abuse.Since 1969, Ohel has served abandoned, abused and neglected children, as well as families in crisis.Ohel?s At-Risk Youth and Child Abuse Prevention Program is an ongoing service that supports people in need in South Florida on a year-round basis.Ohel recognizes the need for intervention on the individual, family, organizational and community levels, and has developed programs of Prevention, Intervention, and Risk Management.Ohel?s At-Risk Youth and Child Abuse Prevention Program in South Florida engages at-risk youth in elementary and high schools.The program includes school-based services, community and parent education, as well as teacher and principal training.These programs interact with students and include the use of role playing, small discussion groups, videos, and modeling exercises that use current topics of discussions.Training is provided for teachers, guidance counselors and principals, and workshops for parents emphasize communication with children.Through community seminars, Ohel offers public forums for parents, educators, and community leaders on topics including self esteem, conflict resolution (bullying, anger management, etc.), relationship building (social skills training, peer pressure, etc.), and prevention of at-risk behaviors such as addictions, eating disorders, abuse, and internet addictions.

Through BRIDGING THE GAP, PACE Center for Girls, Inc.will build a quality workforce to decrease the number of girls at risk for entering the juvenile justice system and increase the number of girls that are adequately prepared for the challenges of the new economy.Over recent decades, studies have revealed that not only do institutionalized females have fewer opportunities for career and vocational training than males, but the programs offered are limited to service skills that are associated with underpaid and unstable jobs.In order to ensure an effective transition for at-risk girls into the workplace and/or post secondary education to be prepared to achieve financial independence, PACE Center for Girls focuses on the development of strong skills.The quantity and types of programming, and resources for these programs, serving delinquent girls are relatively limited, primarily driven by the argument that the small numbers of delinquent females do not warrant a big investment.This argument has had an effect not only on the availability of services, but as significantly, on the availability of the training required for staff working with girls to deliver quality gender responsive programs.Since funding is increasingly dependent on the ability to demonstrate evidence-based outcomes, this lack of training in the delivery of quality services creates a significant gap in proven outcomes.

The project is located within the Plantation Acres Improvement District (PAID), Plantation, Florida.The improvements are within the residential areas throughout the District.PAID was created as a rural ranch community in the mid 1960s with dirt roads, pastures, and primary canals.Since then, the roads have been paved and most pastures have been developed into residential communities.Some canals have been added.Many older communities have no connection to the primary drainage system.There is a history of drainage related problems, such as localized flooding, prolonged standing water, stagnant ponds, and sewage septic systems that stop functioning and/or leech into swales during storms.A master drainage plan has been developed to address these issues.The goal of this project is to create or restore deep swales and to provide a positive connection between the neighborhoods and existing canals.The objective is to improve the level of service of the drainage system, to improve the water quality by routing runoff through new swales, to reduce the threat of flood damage and to reduce the adverse impact of saturated sewage septic system drainfields by improving the removal of surface water before saturation can occur.This phase of the project will focus on the highest priority areas that are closest to a canal.The swales leading up to the canal will be created or restored.Inlets and culverts will be installed to eliminate erosion at the intersection of swales and canals.This phase will also connect isolated ponds to the overall stormwater system in the oldest neighborhood in PAID.

RAINN is seeking an earmark appropriation to support the following anti-sexual assault initiatives of national significance: National Sexual Assault Online Hotline: In 2006, RAINN launched the nation?s first online crisis hotline, providing live, secure, free and confidential help to victims.The award-winning Online Hotline is run by trained staff and volunteers and experienced professionals.The hotline has served over 45,000 visitors since 2006 and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Demand for the Online Hotline has doubled over the past year, and RAINN is struggling to meet the growing need for services.$1,500,000 of the requested funding will be used to expand hotline capacity through continued recruitment, training and supervision of hotline staff and volunteers; to expand the salaried Online Hotline staff for the purpose of ensuring oversight of the volunteers who provide crisis support services online; for continued security monitoring; and for development of online victim resources.National Sexual Assault [Telephone] Hotline: RAINN created this toll-free telephone hotline (800-656-HOPE) in 1994 and continues to operate it with approximately 1,100 local affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including 36 in the state of Florida.The telephone hotline is accessible to victims across the entire United States and is staffed by experienced professionals, with the assistance of more than 10,000 volunteers.The hotline has helped over 1.3 million callers since 1994.RAINN?s Nationwide Education and Outreach Programs: College-age women are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted than any other group.In response to this staggering situation, RAINN created a peer education program known as ?RAINN Day.? The program helps promote sexual assault awareness and risk reduction among our nation?s youth through educational events, speakers, petitions and posters.There is extensive demand from colleges and schools for RAINN to expand the existing RAINN Day program, which currently takes place on over 1,000 college campuses and educates more than one million students annually, to hundreds of additional colleges and to high schools nationwide.RAINN would also use the requested funding to strengthen and expand its existing relationships on college campuses (to educate as many students as possible).

Millions of children nationwide do not receive the necessary support and assistance they need to develop critical skills and enter kindergarten ready to learn.To close this gap, the federal government, through the US Department of Education, provides funding for a variety of literacy programs and strategies that reach children and parents, and the professionals who interact with them.Reach Out and Read is a national, nonprofit organization.Reach Out and Read has been proven to be among the most effective strategies to promote early language and literacy development and school readiness: pediatricians and other health care providers guide and encourage parents to read aloud to their children from their earliest years of their life, and send them home from each regular checkup with a new book and a prescription to read together.Today, Reach Out and Read serves 3.8 million children annually, at 4,500 hospitals and health centers in all 50 states.More than 6 million new books are given to families annually.Fourteen research studies demonstrate the impact of the Reach Out and Read model and the importance of promoting early language and literacy skills in preparing children to excel in school.Funding will allow us to continue to support the current Reach Out and Read programs across the country, and expand to serve additional children in need.We have received federal funding since FY 2000.In Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz? district, we currently serve 8,700 children at 5 locations.The Congresswoman visited one of our programs in the district in November 2009.She is also a cosponsor of our authorizing legislation, the Prescribe a Book Act (HR 1526).

Currently there is no other nonprofit in Broward County like Rebuilding Together Broward that caters to low income homeowners with a whole life approach of home repair, safety modifications and energy efficiency.We focus on low-income individuals who own their home, especially the elderly (65+), disabled individuals, veterans, and families with children under 18 years old.The funds being solicited will not only help to restore safe and sanitary living conditions for these homeowners, but will also help support the economy by hiring additional staff for Rebuilding Together Broward to address the increase in need and more importantly help put to work struggling contractors, plumbers, electricians, carpenters as well as other skilled laborers.100% of funds raised in Broward stays in the community by hiring local vendors, shopping at local stores and servicing homeowners residing in Broward County.Our community centric approach strenghtens our communities and local economy.Our work addresses not only quality of life issues but also preserves the much needed affordable housing stock.

Safe Kids USA seeks to expand our Kids Don?t Float program in order to address childhood drowning ? the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 14.In 2008, there were 4,789 recreational boating accidents involving 709 deaths and 3,331 injuries, according to the U.S.Coast Guard.Of those deaths, 510 were boating-related drownings, including 7 children ages 12 and under.The good news is that most boating-related drownings can be prevented.The single most effective safety device available to prevent boating-related drowning is a life jacket, also known as a personal flotation device (PFD).In 2007, it is estimated that 90 percent of boating-related drowning victims of all ages could have been saved if the victim had been wearing a life jacket.With a previous grant from the U.S.Coast Guard in August 2007, Safe Kids launched an innovative water safety program, Kids Don?t Float, which was adopted from the Safe Kids coalition in Homer, Alaska.To date, at least 15 children in Alaska have survived a near-drowning incident because of a Kids Don?t Float life jacket.Given the success and effectiveness of the program, Safe Kids expanded, in part, Alaska?s Kids Don?t Float program to other select locations across the country.The Kids Don?t Float program is comprised of two chief components: (1) life jacket loaner stations, and (2) an educational program that teaches children and parents about water safety, including the importance of wearing life jackets in and around lakes, rivers, and oceans.If given federal support, coalitions from our nationwide network would be eligible for a grant to replicate a life jacket loaner station in their communities.Life jacket loaner stations are one way for communities to provide education and safety devices to parents and children.The stations consist of life jacket loaner boards from which families can borrow a life jacket for their child before heading out on the open water.An educational program in the community involves teaching children and parents about water safety, including the importance of wearing life jackets in and around open water.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools? Office of Mental Health and Crisis Services and the Miami-Dade County Public School Police Department have been working hand in hand over the years to coordinate resources and services ensuring the most safe and supported environment for the youth within our communities.Our youth do not live in a vacuum and often feel the impact of society?s stressors (i.e.economy, family relationships, and peer pressure); in addition to these factors, today?s youth have access to technologies and information that were not available to them a mere 10 years ago including texting, social networking sites, blogs, and emails.As children enter our classrooms, faculty and staff have to be better prepared to support their students and families dealing with this quickly changing world.The proposed funding request supports the development of a strong network of resources and support to engage at-risk youth and identify and outreach to students in the most need.M-DCPS recognizes the importance of student safety at home and in the classroom.If children do not feel safe, they will not be able to learn.Currently MDCPS has 112 trust counselors in place throughout the District providing individual, family and group counseling related to personal issues that require intensive interventions.These counselors have held 46,581 individual sessions, 12,966 family sessions, and have led 20,857 classroom lessons linked to topics such as violence / crisis prevention / intervention; attendance/truancy; suspension; and/or bullying/harassment.The Trust Counselors provide the human infrastructure to not only prevent a crisis, but to support and address the fall out when students are faced with challenges.The School Resource Officers are an important piece of the puzzle within this prevention/intervention framework at our school sites.They are called upon to intervene and protect when there is a problem, but at the same time they work very closely with the school site Trust Counselors in sharing incident data linked to truancy and gang involvement.They share information that is gathered from the community and develop relationships with faculty and staff at each school site.

The current limitation in providing training for additional postsecondary students in career and technical education is the student?s ability to satisfy the tuition and book purchase requirement.Although several funding sources are available such as Pell grants and the District Financial Aid Program many students turn to the workforce board to meet this need.The local workforce board has been unable to meet the local need due to lack of resources leaving many adult learners that require training or retraining to enter employment without the required support.The ability to receive direct tuition funding for qualified students would allow the district to be more responsive to the local employment trends.Additionally, more students would be able to be served and subsequently employed assisting in helping the local economy rebound.

Construction of Segment 3 of the Snake Road Improvement Project is estimated to generate 162 direct jobs and 310 indirect and induced jobs in Hendry County, where unemployment was 13.5% as of December 2009.The first phase of the Segment 3 project, replacement of the bridge and approaches, will break ground in April of this year.This estimate was developed using methodology used by Miami-Dade Transit in reporting to the Federal Transit Administration.The project also addresses a major safety concern for the Seminole Big Cypress Reservation.Seventy-four accidents resulting in 46 injuries, six deaths and more than $400,000 in damage were reported on Snake Road from January 1997 through July 2001.Snake Road is the primary route to the Big Cypress Reservation.It runs north from "Alligator Alley" (I-75) through the Big Cypress Swamp, and is used not only by Seminole tribal members, but also by tourists and agricultural haulers in the area.In addition, it provides an essential alternative evacuation route to central Florida in case of a hurricane or other disaster on either South Florida coast.This project is a phased implementation of the Snake Road (Josie Billie Highway)(BIA Route 1281) and Bridge Project, a collaboration among the Tribe, the U.S.Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Federal Highway Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation.Snake Road is a rural major collector roadway that extends from the interchange with Interstate 75 in Broward County northward to County Road 835.The Bridge and Approaches section of Segment 3 is located within the residential, business and community-services area of the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation.The existing bridge over the Sourth Florida Water Management District's North Feeder Canal (L-28-I) is a low-leve, three-span canal crossing constructed in the mid-1960's.

The Corps critical project program is building the first round of environmental restoration projects in anticipation of full implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), as authorized by Congress in WRDA 2000 and WRDA 2007.Both CERP and the critical project program are intended to reverse the hydrological and ecological damage caused the C&SF project to the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.Effectively, Everglades Restoration projects, including the Tribe?s critical project, are the federal government?s modernization of the C&SF projects, correcting the unintended negative consequences of the original flood control and water supply projects.As the local sponsor, the Seminole Tribe operates the critical project.These requested funds will support public sector jobs.Also, these funds will support maintenance of the built project as required to ensure effective operation throughout the life of the project, estimated to be 50 years.Ongoing maintenance will preserve the original federal investment.The first phase of the project is complete and the second is under construction.Operations and maintenance activities will include the purchase of maintenance equipment, operation of pumps and other equipment, and monitoring equipment, laboratory fees, and scientific evaluation needed to implement the Wetland Management Plan.This operations and maintenance funding request is critically needed to support the parts of the Big Cypress project that are built and operating in order to ensure environmentally effective operation and to preserve the substantial federal investment in this federal water project.This critical project will bring a measurable wave of positive impact on the beleaguered national treasure, the Everglades.This funding request will support the federal share (50%) of the cost of operations and maintenance required for the Big Cypress Reservation Everglades Restoration Critical Project that the Seminole Tribe is building in full partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers.These funds support a federal water project operating on federal land to improve and protect water resources on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation and on the Big Cypress National Preserve.

In 1987 the Seminole Tribe entered into a Water Rights Compact with the State of Florida and the South Florida Water Management District (District).This Compact was ratified by federal and state legislation.Under the Water Rights Compact the Tribe has water rights that are recognized under federal law.In exchange for recognition of these Compact rights the Tribe gave up its federally reserved water rights under the Winters doctrine.The Tribe is obligated to comply with the "essential terms and principles" of the system for regulating water use under state law, as the state law was codified in 1986, as reflected in the Compact.This means that the Tribe is bound to comply with those non-procedural provisions of the Florida Water Resources Act of 1972, as amended and codified in 1986 in Chapter 373 of the Florida Statutes.The Tribe is not, however, subject to the procedural provisions of the Florida Water Resources Act, nor is the Tribe subject to administrative control by the District.Rather, the Tribe exercises regulatory authority over water use and surface water management within the Tribe's reservations under Tribal law.Since 1987, the Tribe has recognized that its reservations' environments create a water demand that must be met in order to maintain a healthy ecosystem.This concept is one of the underlying principals of CERP.Environmental water supply needs were not considered when the Tribe's water entitlements were calculated.The Tribe now recognizes that it must have access to sufficient water supply to support not only its "built" system, people, agriculture, and tourism primarily, but also its lands' natural systems.In order to prepare for a review of its entitlement under its Water Rights Compact, the Tribe needs to conduct hydrologic modeling necessary to quantify the water demands produced by environmental needs on the Brighton and Big Cypress Reservations.Before the Tribe can request an amendment to its water entitlement, the demands must be quantified.The Water Rights Negotiation/Litigation Program in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Trust Services, Division of Natural Resources, Branch of Water Resources is authorized to support this activity.

SCORE's Web site is one of its best tools for providing services to clients and counselors.SCORE provides a series of self-help templates, online counseling, online workshops, and other important information for clients on starting and managing a small business.SCORE?s website services over 7 million Americans per year and serves as a critical entry point for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.Online workshops serve as a key education component to familiarizing entrepreneurs with SCORE?s services.The workshops fit into a blended approach to help small business owners be successful in starting and growing their businesses.Today SCORE services over 70,000 Americans with its limited online courses and proposes to expand its online program to a full entrepreneur university.SCORE?s proposed small business university will be the first in the country to blend online learning with face-to-face mentoring and local workshop curricula.SCORE will build on the knowledge base of its 12,500 volunteers and 45 years of small business mentoring and training experience in developing the course curricula.This new online university will allow SCORE to significantly expand its online course offering in order to significantly expand awareness of SCORE?s services.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has promulgated regulations to end overfishing and rebuild the valuable Gulf red snapper fishery.These regualtions require a substantial reduction in red snapper bycatch in the shrimp fishery through the 74 % reduction in shrimp fishing effort in vast juvenile red snapper habitat areas in the Gulf.Failure to achieve this effort reduction triggers the closure of the shrimp fishery in those vast habitat areas.Consequently, the regulations necessitate implementation of this program to precisely monitor shrimp fishing effort.The principal tool used to measure shrimp fishing effort as required by federal regulations are Electronic Logbooks (ELBs) This project funds the development, manufacture and deployment of ELB technology in the US shrimp fleet, and the collection and analysis of data generated for the purpose of NMFS enforcement of the red snapper bycatch reduction regulations.To date, more than 500 offshore shrimp vessels have been equipped with ELBs under this program.Continued annual funding to further equip and monitor the entire active shrimp fleet (about 1200-1500 vessels) is necessary to meet these regulatory requirements.This research is not only critical to achieving Federal statutory and regulatory fishery conservation requirements, it is absolutely crucial to the future survival of the Gulf shrimp fishery which has to date suffered severe economic impacts from dumped imports, storms and the economic downturn.As such, this project benefits thousands of low to moderate income individuals employed in at-sea or shoreside jobs in the shrimp fishery in Florida and coastal communities throughout the Gulf.

With the requested FY 2011 funds St.Thomas University intends to continue the work being carried out by the Neuroscience Research Consortium with the Spinal Cord Repair Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to study the regeneration of the spinal cord following spinal cord injury.Previous funding from U.S.Army Medical Research & Materiel Command has allowed St Thomas University to lay down the foundations of the consortium.FY2011 funding will allow us to continue the research and move towards translation of results in pre-clinical studies and ultimately into the clinical arena.

The need for scientists and science-knowledgeable citizens has been defined as both a critical economic and national security need of the United States.Science education in the United States must be improved in order to compete in the international economy, in scientific research and in medicine.Many millions of dollars are invested nationally in secondary school and higher education science education and in preparation of scientists.But science education in our local elementary schools has traditionally been deficient and is declining due to the lack of science knowledge and teaching of our teachers and the lack of a substantial, conceptually articulated science curriculum from 1st grade through 5th grade.As a result, the concepts, skills and interest in science that are taught in elementary grades in other competing nations, even developing nations, are taught at the secondary school level in the United States.This deficiency is starkly evident in schools with large populations of minority students with very limited income.

Florida produces one-third of the winter/spring potato crop in the United States and is ranked 7th nationally in the value of potatoes produced in the US (USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service).The potato in Florida is subject to various pests (Colorado Potato Beetle, wireworm, aphids, etc.) and diseases (Blight, Corky Ringspot Virus, etc.).The chemical controls to combat the pests and diseases are both costly and in most cases, detrimental to the public health and the environment.The basic genomic research at St.Thomas University will identify genes that confer tolerance to such pests and diseases.Environmental stresses, such as those caused by climate changes, activate mechanisms of stress tolerance in plants.Fundamental knowledge of cellular and molecular events underpinning these mechanisms provide the insight necessary to develop plants with increased tolerance for environmental stress, and eventually to develop plants that are resistant to disease, pests and climate changes.

Human trafficking ? this modern-day slavery, is present in each and every country of the world and it does not spare our own country and State.According to the 2009 TIP Report, the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are at least 12.3 million adults and children in forced labor, bonded labor, and commercial sexual servitude at any given time.It is estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 men, women, and children are trafficked into the U.S.every year: many believe that these numbers are even higher.Victims of human trafficking are children, youth, men and women.A recent university study showed that there is a growing perception amongst the law enforcement officials as well as service providers that ?despite increased efforts and resource allotment, trafficking may actually be on the increase in Florida.? Our State remains one of the top three U.S.states receiving the highest number of trafficked women, men and children for forced labor and sexual exploitation.The fact that Florida is one of the leading states to prosecute human trafficking also speaks for the magnitude of the problem in our state.The Federal Government continues to make every effort to combat this human scourge.Investigating and prosecuting human traffickers is a high priority of the U.S.Department of Justice.Such a priority is by default linked with victim identification, which the envisioned campaign will place as a concern of the highest order.

The USDA/ARS Canal Point Field Station is focused on research to sustain sugarcane production in the mainland United States by developing high yield sugarcane cultivars resistant to biotic stresses such as rust diseases and abiotic stresses such as flood and drought tolerance and nutrient stresses.The station also develops new breeding/genetic, pathology, soil, and agronomic technologies that improve production efficiency, soil conservation in the Station?s sugarcane breeding program.The Florida, Texas & Louisiana industries contribute 15% of the budget in direct and indirect support to operate the program.The entire US sugarcane industry supports an increase in funding for this laboratory to maintain the laboratory?s ongoing programs and to evaluate sugarcane germplasm under high-stress, low-input production systems for sugar and energy production.The present base budget is $2.853 million.This level was reached in FY06 and allowed ARS to reach the original staffing plan for the program for the first time in its history.This funding level provided $60,000 bench dollars per scientist.Bench dollars are projected at $14,000 per scientist in FY11 and $64/SY in FY12 because of the effect of mandatory salary increases, combined with no increases in appropriations for the lab.The present level of funding is insufficient to maintain the current program.The Canal Point ARS Laboratory is the principal hybridization station for the development of sugarcane in the United States.ARS has concluded that additional investment in this facility has been warranted to support ongoing research.New research needs to be conducted to develop sugarcane varieties best-suited for sugar and energy production under high stress environments.The development of high-stress tolerant sugarcane varieties that can be economically grown using low-input production methods will minimize the impact of sugarcane production on the surrounding ecosystem.

The USDA/ARS Canal Point Field Station is focused on research to sustain sugarcane production in the mainland United States by developing high yield sugarcane cultivars resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses.The station also develops new breeding/genetic, pathology, soil, and agronomic technologies that improve production efficiency, soil conservation and enhance the Station?s sugarcane breeding program.However, the aging facility has a USDA demonstrated need for replacement and expansion.In 2004, the USDA performed a feasibility study on the expansion of this aging facility at Canal Point, Florida.This feasibility study concluded that ?the current available facilities are inadequate to meet ARS research needs.Additional laboratory, office, administrative, and support space along with new greenhouse/headhouses is required to conduct the valuable research already underway at the Canal Point facility.? In order to construct this facility, adjacent land needs to be purchased, as the construction of the new facilities will require a pile foundation system due to the poor soil conditions at the site.Currently ARS owns 12.3 acres of land where the existing buildings are located; however, it has been determined that the acquisition of an additional four acres of crop land and one acre of home site will be required.The new facilities design will be coordinated with the existing facilities to minimize impact on current operations and land use.Currently, ARS leases 127 acres of farm land adjacent to the facility for experimental research and demonstration plots.Congress has already provided a total of $5,039,325 in Fiscal Years 2008, 2009, and 2010 towards the cost of the project.

The STOP THE CYCLE program is a replication of a best practices model developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that utilizes evidence base practices to provide at-risk families with: 24 hour supervised transitional housing, case management, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling for the women and children, vocational and employment services, on-site childcare, transportation, on-site nursing and continuing care services for 20 families.Families may participate in the program for up to 18 months and transition into the continuing care after successfully completing the residential phase of the program.All services are provided on-site at our Family Campus that is located on a 5 acre parcel in a safe and secure location in Pembroke Pines, Florida.The target population is homeless families who are in need of supportive housing services to help them prepare for successful transition back into the community.Many of the homeless women present long histories of homelessness, substance abuse, were victims of sexual or physical abuse as children, have criminal justice involvement and have one or more mental health diagnosis.The children from these homeless families were often born with little or no prenatal care, thus have more physical ailments due to their mother?s substance use and/or homelessness during their pregnancy.This program has provided essential help to more than 722 mothers and over 1000 children since inception.

Take Stock in Children will enhance its mentoring, college access, and scholarship program, with innovative technology and rigorous case management to serve 15,000 low-income, at-risk children.Its public/private model has a proven 92% success rate in graduating students from high school and an 81% college enrollment rate.

ARISE serves facilities in all 25 Florida congressional districts, including Dade Marine Institute North in North Miami Beach, where over 28,260 hours of ARISE life skills lessons have been taught since April 2001.The ARISE Intervention-Re-entry program provides Florida Juvenile Justice Staff on a state wide basis with in depth training and specialized ARISE Life Management Skills lessons to conduct guided group discussions with incarcerated high-risk youth.Topics include anger and conflict management, how to get a job and keep it, why violence, substance abuse and gangs will wreck their lives and other vital subjects.The ARISE program has been developed so it is easily absorbed and understood by youth reading at very low levels often suffering from trauma and emotional problems.Mounting evidence suggests that sustained participation in structured, group activities is key to healthy development and positive outcomes for troubled youth.Additionally, due to the inherent problems juvenile justice staff have in dealing with often resentful and violent juvenile offenders held under lock and key, ARISE has designed five additional days of training focused on those who work in this crisis environment, managing difficult juvenile populations.The ARISE ?Drop it at the Door training reduces stress by providing tools needed to defuse violence, conflict and angry outbursts in a peaceful manner.Moreover, due to major cuts in Florida Department of Juvenile Justice budgets which has eliminated staff travel to trainings, ARISE is undertaking a major upgrade to their website to include eLearning and eBooks.This is a shift from all live training to a major presence online.Since 1986 ARISE has trained over 5, 800 certifies life skills instructors who have gone on to teach well over 4 million hours of evidenced-based life skills lessons

The ARISE program provides both staff training and educational materials for teaching life lessons to incarcerated and at-risk youth through interactive methods that help develop critical thinking skills needed to break the cycle of violence and crime that would otherwise doom many juvenile offenders and at-risk youth to tragic lives of gang involvement, crime, drugs, prison, disease and poverty.In addition to coordinating and conducting training sessions and providing materials, ARISE regularly and systematically evaluates and supports programs in several ways, including: weekly contact reports to evaluate program goals and progress; bi-weekly telephone contact with participating facilities; instructor surveys to ensure quality control and provide extra staff support; exit surveys completed by participants; chapter quizzes and assessments to test participating juveniles on materials covered; and, through data analysis and focus groups to monitor program success in each facility.This program is administered in over 130 facilities in Washington, D.C.A recent study by Professor Mark A.Cohen, Vanderbilt University, December 2007, demonstrates why it is so important to target high-risk youth.?Year by Year Costs Imposed by High Risk Offenders? Cohen shows that the cost of one offender with at least six police contacts from childhood to age 32 totals $3,172,998 in 2007 dollars, In other words, saving one child saves taxpayers more than 3 million.By comparison, the ARISE program costs $1.70 per hour per youth.Stopping the cycle of crime and gang violence by helping this population learn the skills necessary to succeed in life is an investment in our children and in our communities, with the potential to save millions of dollars tomorrow.Since 1986, ARISE has trained over 5, 800 certified Life Skills instructors who have gone on to teach over 4 million documented hours of evidenced ?based life skills lessons.

The National Trails System Act charges the USDA Forest Service with the responsibility to manage the FNST in cooperation with the dozens of land managers along its route.The FNST extends 1,323 miles the length of Florida passing through 38 counties from Big Cypress National Preserve in southern Florida to Gulf Islands National Seashore in the western Florida panhandle.The Florida Trail Association requests in FY 2011 that $2,500,000 be allocated by the USDA Forest Service to manage and construct the FNST on USFS-acquired trail lands and on existing publicly-owned lands.?Shovel-ready? projects in FY 2011 include managing exotic species on 41 FNST tracts, surveying and posting FNST property boundaries on newly acquired tracts, training 100 volunteers in First Aid and CPR, installing FNST signage along the trail, and constructing seven short-span bridges, ten miles of new trail and one boardwalk.Trailheads, kiosks and registration boxes will be installed the length of the trail to enhance emergency response and public visibility of the trail, and to educate hikers about the trail, Leave no Trace outdoor ethics and trail regulations.Funding will also enhance the safety of hikers by providing county emergency staff and local law enforcement up-to-date information about the trail in their jurisdictions.A comprehensive training program will be initiated to help a new generation of volunteer trail leaders develop the skills to ensure that the trail is maintained and expanded in the future.Funding is also needed in FY 2011 to equip volunteers with tools, materials, and equipment, including personal safety equipment and training necessary to maintain 1,323 miles of hiking trails.In addition to Forest Service lands, the FNST passes through land managed by four other federal agencies, twelve state agencies, seven local agencies, and six private/corporate owners.These partners sometimes provide materials to repair boardwalks and bridges, but frequently do not have the resources to build new trail and trailheads, or provide trail maintenance tools, equipment or signs.FNST funding complements these partners? contributions of land for the trail, staff and program support and funding for projects.While the work on the trail is performed by volunteers, FNST funding supports and creates jobs for surveyors, appraisers, manufacturers and suppliers of tools and equipment, and raw materials such as timber, steel, aluminum and fiberglass, and the FNST program employs staff who manage land, organize and coordinate dozens of trail projects with hundreds of volunteers, and provide information about the FNST to the public.

The Florida Trail Association requests that in FY11, the USDA Forest Service be appropriated $5,427,000 to protect 15 critical segments (3 miles on 347.7 acres) of Florida National Scenic Trail.The acquisition of these strategically located tracts will close gaps in the trail along the Yellow, Choctawhatchee and Suwannee rivers, and along Blackwater Creek in Lake County.There are multiple existing opportunities for obtaining properties that are strategically located, to close gaps in the trail while providing for the greatest recreational opportunity.Some of these properties are facing immediate threat from rural residential and industrial development.The route of the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST) extends from Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola to Big Cypress National Preserve west of Miami.The National Trails System Act directs the USDA Forest Service to complete the Florida National Scenic Trail.Since 2002, the USDA Forest Service has protected by 28.1 miles of FNST (4,625.4 acres in 41 tracts.Previously appropriations have been exhausted leaving significant gaps in the Trail.There are approximately 267 miles of gaps in the trail requiring acquisition to secure a route for public use.Approximately 956 miles (67 percent) of the planned 1,424-mile long trail have been certified and opened for public use as FNST.An additional 62 miles of the existing footpath are planned for official certification as FNST, and 76 miles of trail are proposed for construction on existing public land.Federal funding is necessary to acquire critical and strategic holdings in or adjacent to U.S.military sites, National Forests and other Federal and State Lands.The Trail acquisition program is supporting national defense and preparedness in the Panhandle by protecting part of the Northwest Florida Greenway through a partnership with the State of Florida, the Department of Defense, The Nature Conservancy and many others.This Greenway will protect the flight path between Eglin and Tyndall Air Force bases that is essential to their training and testing missions.

Federal funding will enable the HSC Foundation to construct a National Youth Transitions Center that will provide a wide range of direct service programs for young people with disabilities.The National Youth Transitions Center, to be housed in a new seven-story building located in NW Washington, DC, will provide a wide range of direct service programs for young people with disabilities and their families.Once completed, It will serve: Young people, ages 14 through 26, with a variety of physical, sensory, intellectual, and emotional disabilities; Young veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who have acquired a life-long disability; Civilian and military families who have a young person with a disability; and Organizations that serve youth with disabilities.The HSC Foundation will provide the space and equipment at no cost to those using the center (workshop, training, and conferencing space; wireless network, computers, printers, AV equipment, etc.).The Foundation will also support the programs of collaborative members through its grant program, aimed at increasing to $2M annually for transitions programming.Ultimately, the goal of the transitions center is to assist young people with disabilities in achieving their highest level of independence and a self-directed, productive life that enables them to participate in and contribute to their communities.Since the mid-1980s, studies have indicated that youth with disabilities and their families face critical challenges as the young people transition from the health, educational, and other systems serving children and youth to adult settings and services.

The basis of this funding request is to complete Phases III, IV and V of The Pride Center @Equality Park, a 5+ acre river-front property that contains five existing buildings, which are being developed in 5 phases.The project will convert an existing 3,500 square foot structure into a youth drop-in center, develop a 4,500 square foot warehouse into a meeting/conference and cultural center, and develop the grounds to include a an outside exercise/wellness course.Phase I was completed in Spring 2009 with the renovation and leasing of 14,000 square feet of space (building #1) to three other 501c-3 organizations?creating an on-site continuum of services to include: substance abuse research and treatment, complementary/alternative therapies, and spirituality Phase II was completed in December 2009 with the occupation of the newly renovated 16,000 square foot center.Formerly the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida, since 1993 the organization has provided and expanded services, which now include: meeting space for 50+ groups; HIV and health prevention; domestic violence information and referral; crime prevention and civic empowerment; programs for women, youth and seniors; switchboard hotline; adult education; teen suicide prevention; tobacco control and capacity building to name a few.This project brings many benefits to the community: The Youth Drop-In Center will provide a safe place for GLBT youth to receive help with homework, counseling and a variety of services.The meeting/conference and cultural center creates a space, accessible to grassroots nonprofit agencies to serve their clients for very little cost, while they grow their capacity to deliver services.The Cultural Center will highlight and display the works of various GLBT and minority artists and the exercise/wellness course will assist the community in fighting obesity.All taxpayer dollars for the project will go exclusively to local small businesses, and vendors, thus stimulating the local economy.Economists project that dollars spent with local businesses roll over in the community 7 times, while dollars spent with large national corporations and/or huge government or regional contractors, roll over only once.This project will help small business, create local jobs, and offer help and hope to the community at large.

For its FY2011 Specific Appropriation request, the Broward County Public Schools propose to involve one (1) to three (3) high schools (depending on the amount of funding) in a collaborative effort between high school departments of math and science and within and between schools.The proposed project will integrate two current best practices (required by both Florida?s DA Plan and Florida?s RTTT application): Lesson Study Models and Response to Interventions (RTI).Collaboration is a key component of implementation and will be enhanced through the use of interactive technologies including virtual learning/online instruction, blog/Wiki discussions, Google docs, video conferencing, and podcasts of best instructional examples to ensure fidelity of implementation at the school sites.Collaboration between high schools will work to enhance student performance through the Lesson Study Model.In the Lesson Study Model of ongoing professional learning, teachers learn together, with administrators and specialists and even with other schools.Participants plan, observe and refine ?research lessons? designed to make real their long-term goals for student learning and development.A key, concrete component of Lesson Study is the observing and teaching of lessons, which then are improved collaboratively.It compels teachers to examine their own practice in depth and in context to student learning, connects them with their students and their professional community, and inspires them to improve continually (www.rbs.org/lesson_study/).The use of student tracking systems to monitor student success and lesson implementation and effectiveness will be utilized to improve the quality of teacher instruction, and improve student success.Differentiated Instruction (DI) is a key component of the Lesson Study model, and will include theory-based strategies including: project-based learning, inquiry, learning cycles, and critical thinking.School-based coaches as trainers and facilitators will be utilized to ensure fidelity of lesson study model.The Lesson Study Model is mandated by Florida?s Differentiated Accountability Plan for low-achieving schools.The implementation of an effective Lesson Study Model, carefully planned, implemented and evaluated, in three urban high schools will result in improved instructional practice by high school teachers and enhance the academic achievement of high school students

The purchase of the digital radios will expedite access to critical information for emergency situations and prevent human and property losses.

The Town of Southwest Ranches is building a Public Safety Facility to house both the Town?s contracted police and fire services and to operate as an EOC.The project?s cost is estimated to be $5,460,000 for construction hard costs, site work, engineering, design and equipment.The construction of an EOC within the planned Public Safety Facility will provide additional response to more than 175,000 residents and regional disasters.In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma caused significant damage to our area.The nearest EOC is several miles away, not within the Town?s boundaries.The EOC will be capable of surviving damage from hurricane, tornado, and flooding; capable of protecting against chemical and biological agents; capable of being secured for the duration of a crisis, limiting access by unauthorized personnel.The current system of providing these emergency services from modular trailers that serve police and fire in addition to Town administration services is not sufficient to meet the needs of the Town?s residents.The Town has no hardened facilities to provide emergency police, fire and EMS services that are rated to withstand the impact and effects of a major hurricane or rising water.Our goal is to save lives and reduce property damage in ways that are cost-effective and environmentally sound.The Town realizes that com¬munities that cannot rely on their own critical infrastructure are extremely vulnerable to disasters.Incorporating mitigation measures in the design of our Public Safety Facility / EOC is crucial for minimizing the disruption of our critical operations, enhancing our resistance to damage and our ability to function without interruption during and in the aftermath of hazard events.

Current public policies for child care, Head Start, and state pre-kindergarten do not guarantee that most American children will attend high quality early care and education programs.In Miami-Dade County, only 27% of all childcare programs are accredited according to the highest federal standards.Due to the lack of high-quality programs, over 30% of children in Miami-Dade County begin school significantly behind their peers.By addressing the need for high-quality early care and education programs, we can: ensure that children are ready to enter kindergarten; increase high school graduation rates and college attendance; reduce special education costs; encourage family stability; and stimulate and sustain economic development through a qualified and educated workforce.The Center improves the quality of early care and education by modeling and providing best practices in early care and education and collaborates with local, state and federal agencies to ensure sustainability of its work.Through its unique composition, the Center offers informative, applicable training on early education and pilots effective programs that help teachers educate, parents understand and providers/owners care for our youngest citizens, locally, regionally and nationwide.With the funds from this appropriations request, the Center will continue its efforts to: 1) Fund multi-cultural children from low-income families and provide them with high-quality early care and education in a model Educare branded environment; 2) Provide continuous training for parents designed to enhance their parenting and teaching skills, and increase their understanding of the nutritional needs and exercise for infants, toddlers and pre-school age children; 3) Provide trainings for students and professionals, consisting of predominantly minority women, so that they can attain degrees in the field, utilize this knowledge to serve and mentor other centers, and improve their earning capacity; and 4) Provide basic level instruction on business management, fiscal and operational practices for early care and education administrators and business owners.

National and international experts agree that much of the affliction and economic load from breast cancer could be resolved through the implementation of safe and effective cancer nanotechnologies.Housed at the University of Florida, the mission of the Center for Breast Cancer Nanotechnology Education and Service (CBCNES) is to provide the infrastructure, equipment, resources, and expertise required to support this statewide initiative aimed at eradicating suffering related to breast cancer through nanotechnology and educational outreach.Continued support is requested to facilitate infrastructure and team building to jettison CBCNES to the critical mass level that will enable national impact and broad service to women of all ethnic and socioeconomic classes.The Center will function to facilitate and promote essential interdisciplinary, inter-institutional interactions that will enable transformative nanotechnology mediated solutions to the breast cancer problem.Synergistic, culturally competent state-of-the-art breast cancer educational tools and services will be utilized to globally improve awareness, prevention, screening, detection, access, and treatment for breast cancer and breast cancer nanotechnology to the most vulnerable populations, health care providers, public health officials, and technical workers as well as the public at large.The Center will facilitate knowledge and information dissemination as well as steward the development of nanotechnology based tools and educational materials.The CBCNES facilities will include state-of-the-art equipment for safe and rapid deployment of promising nanotechnology-based solutions for breast cancer detection, treatment and education.The Center will be equipped with cutting-edge, non-invasive imaging equipment that will be specifically applied for the diagnosis and staging of breast malignancies using safe nanomaterials, and for evaluating treatment outcomes from nanotherapies.This instrumentation will include next-generation clinical diagnostic equipment for positron emission mammography, opticoacoustic mammography, magnetic resonance imaging, diffuse optical tomography, and near infrared lasers for breast cancer therapy.It will also house advanced and centralized resources for enabling the early detection of breast cancer, personalized breast cancer healthcare, and advanced histology.

A new disease in the southeastern US, laurel wilt, kills avocado and other plants in the avocado family.Laurel wilt has spread rapidly along the eastern seaboard and is now less than 100 miles to the north of the main avocado production area of Florida.UF-IFAS research has established that a new fungus, Raffaelea lauricola, causes the disease and that the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, is attracted to and vectors the pathogen to avocado.Potentially some variation in resistance to the disease exists in extant avocado germplasm.However, very significant gaps exist in what is known about this pathosystem, the beetle's reproductive biology on avocado and how the disease and insect might be managed once it arrives in commercial avocado production areas.There is an urgent need for additional research funds to develop mid and long-term solutions to this problem.Current and proposed research involves research partners with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includeds the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Departments of Biology and Botany, other Land Grant Institutions, FDACS, and the USDA's-ARS and Forest Service.We propose an aggressive research and education plan to fill major gaps: For the disease?s vector, Xyleborus glabratus, studies will be conducted on its biology (host selection, reproductive suitability and identification) and management (parasitoids, predators and entomopathogens; identification of semiochemicals for trapping and monitoring; repellents and insecticides for long-term pest population management).For the disease, quantitative and qualitative host responses will be assessed macro- and microscopically; avocado (Persea americana) germplasm will be screened for resistance, and to understand the host:pathogen (Raffaelea lauricola) interaction; different fungicides and application techniques will be examined and finetuned for use on avocado, as will endophytic and other microbes for biological control and; c) utilize existent avocado biotechnology and cell cultured cultivars transformed with defensin genes and quickly screened for resistance to the laurel wilt pathogen.Transformed resistant cultivars will then be tested under field conditions.Ultimately, holistic strategies to manage this serious problem will be developed for Florida and other avocado growing regions that are threatened by the disease.As information and control strategies are developed educational outreach to the avocado industry and interested scientists will be made via seminars, demonstrations, workshops, and electronic media.

Invasive species in Florida often become invasive in the southernmost parts of the continental U.S., Hawaii and U.S.territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.Invasive species are found throughout southern Florida, be they plants (melaleuca, Old World climbing fern), insects (ficus whitefly, Africanized honey bees, termites), or animals (Burmese pythons, Nile monitor lizards).Invasive species impact urban areas as pests by affecting the integrity of our homes and backyards, or by ravaging natural areas by displacing native species and damaging the ecological balance.Invasive species numbers are expanding at a rapid rate due to Florida's subtropical climate, major ports of entry for humans, animals and plants, and our large globally mobile population base that is unaware of the harm caused by invasive species or the populace's role in the introduction of invasive species.Education of the general populace and students contributes to an educated citizenry that can then help to limit spread of currently established invasive species and prevent the introduction and establishment of destructive new species into the rest of the United States.This project would establish the South Florida Outreach Center for Invasive Species at the University of Florida/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.The first phase would be the development of a web site and needed educational materials.Achieving the goals of managing currently established invasive species and preventing the introduction and establishment of destructive species requires education of the populace at both the K-12 and adult levels.Thus, the target audience would be the general population with minimal, if any, scientific background rather than scientists, decision makers and resource managers.The web site would be an umbrella site for web sites already developed but that may be focused on one topic or for materials that are only one part of a larger web site (and thus not easy to find).There is no intention to duplicate what is already available.However, many topics have no well-developed web site or the materials available on a web site are not written for K-12 students or the general populace.

The mission of the Victor Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is to educate the Jewish community about the need to be screened for Jewish Genetic diseases. The Victor Center provides educational presentations, materials and comprehensive genetic counseling to young adults mostly of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. One out of five Ashkenazi Jews is a healthy carrier of at least one of eleven devastating diseases that occur more frequently in this population. With increased community awareness and education,  the Victor Center will be able to spread their reach to other groups where education about these genetic diseases is equally important.

The treatment of severe burns, ulcers, skin and subcutaneous tissue injuries/defects and post-traumatic scars presents a major medical challenge which would be significantly decreased by the availability of autologous (same person) skin and subcutaneous tissue cells, and would benefit soldiers injured in Iraq, Afghanistan in the Global War on Terror in general.More broadly these cellular techniques will provide new tools for the treatment of multiple diseases.The University of Miami is uniquely equipped to implement such studies.The Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) houses the Cell Transplant Center and within it the cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) human cell processing facility one of the most advanced and sophisticated facilities nationally fully accredited by FDA for human cell processing and banking of selected cells as well as cell products in a contamination free environment.The DRI has pioneered successful work in cell transplantation focused primarily on pancreatic cells for treatment of Type 1 Diabetes, hematopoietic and bone marrow derived cells for transplant and Type 2 Diabetes applications, but expanding in other areas.The DRI has a long record of developing new techniques in cell preparation and transplantation programs and participating in worldwide collaboration to develop the most advanced techniques and share information with other institutions.To develop appropriate protocols that use cellular therapies that will benefit injured soldiers we propose to actively collaborate with the Ryder Trauma Center at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, which has a long record of training army medical teams.The Ryder Trauma Center houses the Army Trauma Training Center and has trained all Forward Surgical Teams that have been deployed on the Global War on Terror, including Iraq and Afghanistan, to make these techniques as widely accessible as possible starting with treatment of severe burns, ulcers, skin and subcutaneous tissue injuries and scar tissue.This program will include the telemedicine links that the Ryder Trauma center has developed with the armed service facilities in other countries.

The Village of Miami Shores has been an incorporated municipality since 1932.Known as ?the Village Beautiful,? Miami Shores had its 75th Anniversary in 2007, and still remains one of Miami-Dade, Florida?s most attractive places to live.The 3.75 square mile area in North Miami-Dade County is home to approximately 11,000 residents (10,040 recorded in the 2005 US Census Bureau).It is strategically located near the north edge of downtown Miami and the Miami International Airport.Yet despite being in the middle of a bustling urban hub, the neighborhoods of Miami Shores reflect a quieter suburban feel.Mainly composed of single-family homes that exhibit the distinctive Mediterranean Revival style, the area adheres to strict zoning and building codes designed to preserve this historical oasis of calm while still encouraging innovative technologies to improve the quality of life.

Web Wise Kids (WWK) is partnering with Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) to implement Internet safety education and digital media literacy programs for all 5th-9th students throughout Broward County to prevent online child victimization.Teachers or library media specialists from 269 Broward County schools will be trained to implement four WWK Internet and technology safety programs: 1) Its Your Call, 2) Mirror Image, 3) Airdogs, and 4) the Wired With Wisdom parent program in English and Spanish.WWK nationally-recognized programs are innovative and interactive and have reached over seven million American children and thousands of parents nationwide.Using a Training of Trainers (TOT) model, the project will enable congressional funding to have a substantial multiplier effect for BCPS, with its impact felt for years to come.Once teachers and media specialists have been trained on how to implement WWK programs, they will be able to continue the program each year for incoming classes of students, as well as other adults at each school.Educators and parents must be prepared to help children learn how to navigate the digital media world, find and use age-appropriate and educational materials and best avoid dangers while online.Federal law requires the overwhelming majority of schools receiving E-Rate funding to provide Internet safety education to students.However, E-Rate funding is prohibited from being used to provide that education.State and local agencies place the majority of responsibility of teaching Internet safety on educators who are simply unprepared to provide this education.As a result, students receive little to no education on safe and ethical Internet use despite data showing American youth are at risk online.More hands-on training opportunities for educators and increased and on-going education and awareness opportunities for youth throughout the K-12 experience would provide needed investment to help close the gap between danger and knowledge.Interactive teacher training provided by WWK will serve as an effective tool for BCPS to educate children to safely, securely, and ethically use the Internet and a variety of other technologies.

As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike and a primary provider of HIV medical services to residents of the District of Columbia, WWC serves a uniquely important role as a safety-net provider in the District.Renovations to the physical plant will enable clinic employees to provide the most comprehensive care to the increasing numbers of patients who pass through our doors in the most confidential manner possible.In addition, these renovations will help us to compete with other providers in the District for the patient pool.With the increase in direct client care, these renovations become increasingly relevant and necessary.

Children are part of a diverse world and we as educators must help them discover the commonalities among the world's cultures.to foster this cultural understanding, Young At Art is developing The Global Village, one of the core components of our groundbreaking new art museum for children, the first of its kind in the nation.through this learning initiative, children and families will become agents for cross-cultural appreciation and respect and engage in social acts that will build a more understanding and equitable society.

The Program: When asked why they take part in crime, drugs, or violence, adolescents answer that they do it because their peers, siblings, or parents do it.For example, youth aged 12 to 17 were 16 times more likely to have used marijuana if they thought their friends would not be upset if they used it.These influences can be combated with positive peer influence and by engaging youth in positively changing their world.Youth Crime Watch (?YCW?) is based on authentic youth ownership of the program.By inviting youth to become directly involved in the their own safety, the YCW program simultaneously gives youth alternatives to crime, violence and drugs and elicits their creativity and energy in designing solutions.Current program components include ?Watch Out? activities, such as Crime Reporting, Youth Patrols, Bus Safety, Drug, Violence, Graffiti/Vandalism Prevention, Mediation and Crime Prevention Education, Bullying, Internet Safety and Gang Prevention as well as ?Help Out? activities, such as Mentoring, Peer and Cross-Age Teaching, Conflict Resolution, and Action Projects.The YCW program measures its success in six areas: Enhanced levels of youth self confidence, increased ability of the youth to detect potential problems, knowledge of how to report a crime, students avoiding personal use of alcohol and drugs, students demonstrating enhanced leadership skills, and making the school is a safer place.If fully funded, an approved request will allow YCWF to hire four full time coordinators to work in 160 schools with approximately 4000 youth.The request will also allow for full program, data collection, reporting, communications and financial support to be given by YCWF headquarters in Miami.Additionally, the request will allow us to roll out our new peer mentoring curriculum throughout all participating regions and please note that mentoring programs are a top priority of the U.S.Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.