today. Today is a very special day, as you would know, because we're honoring many of our employees who have been here for a very long time. And so we appreciate all of you. I am Keon Hardeman. I proudly serve as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner. Some of you may have been involved with my elections because I'm elected in District 3. That's in the city of Miami, so I've been around for a little bit of time. Not that long. Enough to still be able to grow hair, though, so I'm here. So at this time, what I'd like to do is I want to draw everyone's attention to our screen because we have a message from our mayor. Congratulations to all of our employees receiving service awards today. Whether you're marking five or 35 years with our county, this incredible career milestone is something to celebrate. Your years of service reflect dedication, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to our residents. Every day, you help make our community stronger, more connected, and future-ready. And for that, we are forever grateful. People will always be our greatest asset. You are our hands and our hearts delivering excellence every day. Because of your hard work, we're building a government that responds compassionately to our residents' needs and puts customer service first, building public trust in local government. You're part of a proud workforce shaping a future that's vibrant, affordable, and ready for the challenges ahead. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your service. Congratulations again on these special anniversaries. And here's to many more years of building a better Miami-Dade together. Now, what's very special about that is that if you know our mayor, she's everywhere. So it's rarely do I find that she's in the video not being present. She's one of those people that no matter where you are, you'll find her there. And so there's not many people like that. One person that I'd like to welcome to the microphone is our chief, Jim Morales. If you think I've been here for quite a long time, he's been here even longer. So he used to serve as the Miami-Dade County Commissioner, and then did some things in a few other cities, and he's done a lot more than that. But he is now our chief of operating officers. It's a mouthful. COO is what they call him. So he's responsible for all things. Not the commissioner. He is. I'm telling you, for a reason. What's your phone number again? So I'd like to let him have the microphone to say a few words. Thank you, Commissioner. I've been around a minute or two around County Hall. It's a pleasure. I know the mayor, Commissioner's correct. She's everywhere. So that's probably where she sees somewhere else right now, speaking to a group of individuals and whatnot and sharing her vision for the county. And I have the pleasure to represent the administration here today. Some of the departments that actually every department here at one point has reported to my portfolio. Some of them now, some in the past. And so I've had a chance to work with many of you. And these are special moments. I think, you know, I go back and tell my kids and my wife about seeing folks who've been here 30, 35, 40 years, and their colleagues who come up, and their families who come up, which is a testament to just how special you all are and how special this place is. And I think, you know, I often tell people who sometimes, for political reasons, try to disparage public employees. And I say, you know, the overwhelming percentage of the people I've ever encountered in my county government care. They're here because they care. They probably could be somewhere else, but they're here because they care and they want to make a difference in their community. So thank you for all those years of service. And I'm going to turn it back over to the Commissioner. We'll start this process. So at this time, I'd just like to first start by saying I want you all to give yourselves, each other, your friends and family, a round of applause for all the wonderful service. Like many of you, especially your friends and family, I was here with one of my aunts 20 years ago when she was celebrating 35 years in Parks and Recreation. So we really do appreciate your service. And we know that it is to be here for each other. So let's start first by welcoming our first department leader. I think we're with aviation first. Is that correct? We're already with aviation. So can we have, yeah, here we are. Good morning. My name is Basil Benz, Deputy Director for Miami-Dade Aviation Department. And we're happy to be celebrating 35 years for one of our superstar employees, Ms. Francis Pera. Come on, Francis. So on behalf of the director, you know, part of the mission at the Aviation Department is to promote safety and security. And Ms. Pera has been working in the safety and security division, actually before it was created, for 35 years. So she is taking this mission seriously and has been around for the evolution of safety and security pre-TSA to where we are now. I'm just going to give you a little bit of background about her resume. I won't do all of it because it's a very story. So she started her career with the Aviation Department on August 27, 1990. She advanced to Data Entry Supervisor in 1999. And by 2000, she was the Security and Safety Aviation Coordinator. At that point, she supervised the fingerprinting and operations and conducting training and played a critical role in post-2011 credentialing efforts, post-9-11 credentialing efforts. By 2003, she was an airport operations supervisor overseeing daily terminal and security gate operations. And in 2007, she led the credentialing operations for over 40,000 active badge holders, ensuring TSA compliance, supervising, background vetting, and spearheading modernization efforts to improve security, streamlining processes, and enhancing customer services. With 35 years of dedicated service, Ms. Pera's leadership and commitment have been instrumental to strengthening airport security and operational excellence. We commend her for the reliability and dedication to Miami-Dade County for the continued delivery of service excellence. Thank you. So can we have the aviation team come up? Come on. Come on. You knew you were going to have to come down here. Serving dual roles today. Thank you. Okay. So I'd like to welcome Durham now to the front. And maybe, maybe, maybe Durham can explain to everyone who always wonders what Durham is. Thank you, Commissioner. Good morning, everyone. If you give us a second, just inviting all of our Durham colleagues to the front to celebrate our very special Molly Messer. As we assemble, I have the privilege of serving as the director of the new Department of Environmental Resources Management. Not only are we focused on protecting the environment, but we do so much actually to protect public health and human safety from all of the hazards that we know unintentionally come with a lot of the environmental crises that we change, that we face each and every day. I have not personally had the pleasure of working with Molly for too, too long, so I will allow her closest colleague, Janet, to share a little bit more about her. But I do just want to leave you all with this. It's very often that Durham has an employee highlighted during the service awards, which, of course, means that these employees have been at the county for either 30 or 35 years. And they lead with so much humility that we generally have to convince them, we have to beg them to participate and come and receive their flowers because nobody gets into public service for the glory or for the money. Really, they do it for the love. And that's certainly true when it comes to environmental protection. So thank you to Molly for 30 years of service here protecting the environment in Miami-Dade County. Hi, everyone. Good morning. We are here today to celebrate a true milestone. I'm sorry, I might get weepy. Some people stay at a job for a few years, some stay for a decade. But today, we are honoring someone who has spent 30 years dedicated to the environment of Miami-Dade County, Molly Messer. Molly, for three decades, you haven't been doing just a job. You have been living, you have been the living embodiment of the Durham mission. I'm sorry. Our code mandates the protection of public health, safety, and welfare through control of pollution and the preservation of our natural resources. Whether it's ensuring the purity of our waters, protecting the biological integrity of our wetlands, or preserving our tree canopy, Molly has never been on the has been on the front lines making sure that the comfortable enjoyment of life is a reality for every citizen and visitor in this county. In fact, when it comes to our trees, Molly didn't just stop at preserving the canopy. She's been on a mission to restore these precious forests. It's that kind of relentless passion that led us to truly bonding over the years. We've shared more than a few adventures, though some might call them survival tests, especially during our time at Holiday Hammock. I won't spill all the details here to protect the innocent and our professional reputations, but let's just say it involved an impressive amount of mud, a lot of sweat, and several moments when we were both questioned our life choices. If anyone is interested in the unfiltered version of what really happens deep in the hammock, come find us after the ceremony, but be prepared because once we start sharing those stories, we might be here for another 30 years. Molly started her journey with a BS in marine biology from UNC Wilmington, graduating cum laude with honors. She clearly came to us us with a brilliant mind and a passion for the water. She joined Durham in October 1994 as a biologist one in the coastal resources section. To put that into perspective for our younger staff, when Molly started, the Lion King had just come out in theaters, the Sony PlayStation hadn't been released yet, and we were all still using pagers and physical maps to find our way around the mangroves. While Molly is a scientist at heart, she also served as a steadfast guardian of our natural, I'm shaking guys, and I'm used to public speaking, natural resources. During her time in natural resources, she was on the front lines ensuring our environmental codes were respected to protect the air, water, and soil we all share. She spent years dedicated to the vital work of upholding the standards that keep our ecosystems healthy and, most importantly, ensure the public safety and welfare of our community. So if any of you have an unpermitted dock or some suspicious fill in your backyard, you might want to stop sweating. She's an eel now, and she can't ticket you, probably. For the last two decades, Molly has been an absolute pillar of the eel program. Now, as everyone here knows, Christine is my right hand, but Molly is the one I count on for pretty much everything else. She is the engine behind our most critical operations. The eel program is a massive undertaking, and Molly is at the heart of it. Whether she's managing multiple eel preserves, including the massive 28,000 acres South Dade wetlands, or tackling the latest high-priority initiative, I've thrown her way. Molly just gets it done. She isn't just managing these lands. She is coordinating the inspections, documenting security issues, battling invasive species, and overseeing the restoration projects that keep our 30-year promise to the voters. Whenever a complex special project lands on my desk, the kind that requires deep research, interagency coordination for Everglades restoration cert, or a master level undertaking of mitigation bank compliance, I know exactly who to turn to. Molly is the person who can step into any scenario, from a boardward meeting to a muddy swamp and bring back results every single time. On a serious note, Molly's impact is written into the very landscape of this county. Her work is a testament to why the eel program exists to protect and restore the most vital ecosystems that remain in Miami-Dade County. From rewriting the manatee protection plan to researching the population trends of the American crocodile at Turkey Point, her work ensures that our local species have a future. Within the eel program, she has been a force of nature, projects that bring our native habitats back to life, and expertly navigating the technical world of endangered species protection, county rules, and environmental policy. Molly, you don't just manage land, you safeguard the biological heritage of our community. You're a mentor to so many of us, and your legacy is rooted in the fact that you make it possible for me to do my job as director. Whether it's fulfilling our voter mandate to restore these wetlands and ensuring we stay in alignment with strict county codes, I can't lead with confidence because I know you are there to step up to help me with anything I ask you to assist me with. I'm trying really hard not to cry. Molly, your career objective on your resume states that you want to serve the public using the skills and knowledge you've gained. After 30 years, I think it's safe to say mission accomplished. Thank you for your dedication, your humor, and for not using that code enforcement badge on any of us lately. Congratulations. Thank you, everyone. I'm going to take a picture. Picture now. Yes. Do you want to say a few words? Yeah. I didn't prepare anything, but she prepared enough, I think. I, when I came to the county in 1994, I thought I wouldn't say any more than five years because that was a really long time, but obviously time passed more quickly than I expected. I'm just so thankful for the opportunity to work with the county that was given to me back then by Craig Grossenbacher. I'm thankful to God for helping me through the difficult times and thankful to my county family, everyone here. Thank you for coming. I think that was Durham's only presentation. It was a lot lower than we thought, but you know, we couldn't stop them, right? Because they approve all things that come through Miami-Dade County. So I know not to, you know, stop Durham. Now we have Parks and Recreation. I mean, the parks are empty today. Sorry, we need a minute. All right. Well, I guess we're all here. Good morning, everybody. I'm Christina White. I'm the director of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department. And, excuse me, we are here to celebrate Alessandra Williams, or as we know her, Sandy, for 30 years of service. That is no small feat. Congratulations. And especially for all 30 years being spent in the Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department, that's so special. And, you know, it shows your commitment to not just public service, but also to the mission of our department. And your story is one of my favorite types, because it's not just 30 years in one place, but nine different positions over the years of all progressive responsibility. And that really shows that people saw something special in you, and they were right. Look at you now. Look at the number of people who are here to support you. It's such a special thing. So I've been with the department for six, sorry, about eight months now. And even I know that your reputation is for your work ethic, your professionalism. You're a go-to person for many. And it's not just because of that, but also because of your positive attitude, your spirit, you're always laughing. Every time I see you, you're happy. So I want to thank you for that. We are very, very lucky to have you. We are very fortunate. So on behalf of myself, your leadership team, the department, and all of the many people that you serve every day, congratulations, but more so a thank you. Thank you for what you do every day. You are leaving a lasting impact. And this is proof. Look at how many people are here to support you. Congrats. Good morning. My name is Brian Eichler. I'm the assistant director of operations, and Sandy and I work very closely together. Sandy is our heart. She's the heart of our division and operations. Like Christina said, she's worked in so many different areas. She knows how every operation works. She knows where everything is, how it should be. She's our heart. But more importantly, she oversees our wallet. And that's why I think all these people are really here because Sandy's the one that makes sure that all of our money goes to the right places, that we stay on budget, that we're committed to doing what we say we're going to do. And that's no easy task with the department our size and the amount of people that we touch in the community. And so Sandy, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything you do to keep us in line. Thank you for being with us for 30 years. We hope for 30 more. Thank you. You're so special. We appreciate you so much. I've had the privilege of hiring Sandy. She was my AO, my right hand for 15 years before everybody else realized her talent and kept trying to steal her from me. But finally, I had to let her go downtown after threatening her. But this young lady is so talented. And like everyone said, she knows every angle of this department. I learned a lot from her, even though I was her boss. She wouldn't let me do a lot of things. She said, no, you got other important things to do. But Sandy, I'm so proud of you, along with a lot of my other former staff for being up here to support her. We all love you. So I am very sensitive. So for those who are watching or those behind me, I really am. You know, most of the time they're, you're scared of me. I don't know why, but I'm very sensitive. So I'm going to even go back. In high school, I remember being interviewed for our high school newspaper for, as a graduating senior, and they asked me what I want to do. So I was like, I want to go get my degree and then work for a conglomerate and, you know, just make an impact. So I went to Florida in 1991. And then my plans changed. And I came home to FIU. And I needed a part-time job. My uncle was working at Hallover. He mentioned me to the management team there. And I got hired as a Park Service aide, too, which is back then we had levels. So that's the entry-level position in our department. So through the years, you know, I didn't think I was going to stay. But the impact that we make in the lives of everyone in this community, whether it's visitors or residents, young, old, this is why I stay. This is why I do what I do. This is why I love what I do because of the impact that we make. So whether it's my personal life or my professional life, this is my passion and my desire to continue to do such things. So this started as a stepping stone, but it became my destiny. So I just want to thank, one, the county, because, again, I didn't think I was going to be here this long. But I know I look 25, but I've really been here for 32 years in full. Last week was my 32-year anniversary. Obviously, my co-workers, I love them. They're not only my co-workers, my family, some of my travel partners. Obviously, Renee, like, again, 15 years. She is amazing. She's like the best boss. But then I had Brian, who's running a really tight race with her because she is very good. I also want to thank my niece, who also works for the county, who is the absolute love of my life, Charnay. This is my niece. I love her. And then my mom, who, through circumstances, ended up being here because she's really from South Carolina right now. So what a blessing to have my mom here, who is, like, my biggest cheerleader. And I love you. And that's it. So maybe, you know, I might do 25 more. But yeah, thank you. Good morning. Good morning. all right well good morning everyone we are here to recognize and uh just give honor to our next person and it is none other than miss ruling garrett so i'm gonna read some of this and then i'm gonna speak from the heart so i gotta just i want to make sure we all know all the amazing things that she's done so for 30 years she started as a part-time clerk one so that's a long time ago and she started from the bottom now she here and she started with corrections so she started with the corrections department built an exceptional career by moving through the ranks and all these different hr fields working in building code and compliance she actually worked also in the building department she worked in internal services department and then she came to one of the best departments solid ways so thank you all of those great departments for helping to build her up to the woman that she is today because she is amazing she leads our hr department with compassion with all the integrity and we love and adore her for all that she does she became the division director in solid waste in 2023 and she's been a force since she's been there in that role our union our union partners love to work with her and we don't always hear that right when we talk about our union partners but she can work with our union partners she works with all of our individuals and she gives them nothing but grace when she's working with them our employees they love her and even when it's sometimes bad news she deliver it with excellence and so i just love her for all that she does we have a lot of work that we've been doing in the in solid waste since i got there as our department director and she is one of my biggest champions and so you see these cheerleader um be pom-poms because she is a cheerleader for solid waste we did actually we did a uh hr bash just this week and she was there at 6 30 a.m she had a uh truck out there for the credit union she had adna out there with um massage boots she had them doing biometrics she was doing everything and always trying to be ahead to do all of the different things that we can do to make sure for wellness for our staff we had a little room actually helping for interview prepping and resume prepping all of those things because she's being a visionary thinking about how do we do all of the things to help push and propel our staff and so thank you thank you thank you for all that you do you lead for service services should be relend service garrett um so thank you for everything that you do i love you i appreciate you and i know this is a testament for all that you do for us so thank you well ruru how i affectionately call her um you are just excellent fat well i'm going to use my favorite word fabulous and not only fabulous in the work that you do but you have a fabulous personality and she always looks fabulous i remember um during covid when we were doing some hybrid work and you know even i gave up my pumps you know for some sneakers when i came into the office but every time i saw ruru she was dressed professionally in her heels and she said i don't wear sneakers to work i was like you go girl so thank you so much for all your years of hard work and dedication and yes we do love you not only what you do but you as a person congrats girl good morning everyone i get the honor and privilege of being ruling's immediate supervisor my name is danny diaz i'm the assistant director of administration um again the family and the teams behind you uh she is our division director for human resources our unsung heroes is what i call them you know overseeing two major components of our for our staff payroll and recruitment hiring those positions and filling those vacancies so i just want to say thank you it's a pleasure to be around you to be your supervisor you're the consummate professional i love this group i can tell you know we can see the pom-poms um how much they support you you've taken on the role of being division director seamlessly you had big shoes to fill but i i'll tell you you filled those and are exceeding that so congratulations on 30 and i don't know how many more you have left but please don't leave anytime soon because i got quite a few to go so thank you again and congratulations good morning everyone i'm going to keep it really short i just want to say that i'm very grateful and thankful and also humbled i love my solowase family and i'm just so grateful to god that he's allowed me to excel in my career thank you for your support and thank you for four more years i'm going to move things a bit out of order i'd like to have the uh the water and sewer department to come next good morning good morning good morning good morning so we are here today to celebrate not one but two water and sewer professionals that have been with us for 30 years both are electricians and in our um utility engineering plants division and so um they both started off in operation so i think that's pretty awesome because it brings hands-on experience to our team and engineering um jaime actually someone talked about being an unsung hero and jaime is a spec writer and so talk about being an unsung hero but we need spec writers because they are our fine print you ensure that our department provides infrastructure that maintains our standards that are um you know economical and continue to bring the service that we need so we really appreciate um what you do each and every day so thank you and louise so we met i think about 10 years ago when we were doing um the damage assessment with irma and so that just shows what kind of employee that louise is is when a lot of us may have been at home you know tending to our yards and all the fallen trees and irma louise was out and about going to pump station and assessing the electric damage that happened so that we could continue to provide for our community so again thank you both to what you do for everything that you do each and every day and i think there he is victor their supervisor has a couple more words to say thank you good morning victor delgado i'm the division head of the treatment plant engineering division at the water and sewer department so i have the privilege of working with louise since i first joined a county in 2006 and began my career in engineering in fact he was my supervisor for several of those years many of the drawings i relied on early early on to learn how to design how to understand the kind of praise that we did and understand our standards were developed by him uh so he played a major role in in my professional growth and for that i am very very thankful and jaime as amanda mentioned he's been a senior construction specifications writer for uh for the water and sewer department and he's been instrumental in developing the contract documents um for countless projects designed by the by the water and sewer department and also doing quality reviews to ensure that the work done by others meets our our standards for quality his attention to detail uh deep knowledge of standards uh specs and commitment to quality have helped ensure that our projects are clear complete and ready for successful construction so on behalf of of the leadership and of your colleagues thank you for 30 years of service 60 combined given to the water and sewer department and for your loyalty and professionalism and your contributions has made a lasting impact on the on the engineering team thank you i'm a writer thank you for uh this uh recognition and my 30 years and dedication to the county thank you good morning i'm melissa rose scott assistant director for administration for the department of transportation and public works on behalf of our director stacy l miller as well as our deputies our leadership team is kind of split amongst several uh uh requirements this morning and so we're here to represent i have with me assistant director of rail services scott nichols and assistant director joel perez bus services and they'll join in the presentations that's all right so first we have mario barrios engineer two 30 year service award i want to talk to you and just give you a little bit about mario and his 30 years he is a dedicated professional whose 30 year career reflects a steadfast commitment to engineering and public service beginning his journey in 1994 as an engineer one within the department of housing and community development formerly the office of community and economic development mario quickly showcased his skills and determination leading to his promotion to engineer two in 2012 he transitioned to the internal services department where he further honed his expertise and contributed to various projects mario's passion for environmental stewardship led him to the environmental resources management department in 2013 where he played a crucial role in advancing sustainable practices and resource management initiatives as of 2025 mario continues his impactful work in the environmental resources management management water management section now integrated into the department of transportation and public works his three decades of service highlight not only his technical capabilities but also his unwavering dedication to enhancing community welfare through effective engineering solutions mario barrios exemplifies the essence of commitment innovation and excellence in public services congratulations mario thank you for this award uh thank you for all the years i've had and the opportunity to work with my county um 30 years is a lifetime um i've had uh yeah come over please um i'm the the second generation my father is still working my county uh very proud of the example that he's given me to continue also working as an engineer and um i'm well in these years of service i used to have a lot of hair on my head and as you can see there's only a few parts of very little hair left um in those years i've been supported uh by my family i have um in those 30 years two lovely daughters young ladies and i've always been supported by my wife who's always been by my side and um i'm just basically very happy that i'm i have a great family and then i also have a family with the can the county that many people over the 30 years and have come and gone but they'll always be in my mind and my heart and um i'm just very proud to be working with the county thank you congratulations again mario that's wonderful family means everything if there are any other members of the dtpw family or past members that may be here you're certainly welcome to join us we have four more that we want to go through so please come up and join now i have the honor and i think scott's going to join me on this one for claudel jean salvador rail vehicle electronic tech we're celebrating 30 years with uh claudel yes come on up dtpw mr salvador joined the miami-dade transit family december 1995 where he began his journey as a paratransit driver mr salvador serviced the community as a paratransit driver for a total of seven years after his tenure as a paratransit driver he joined the ranks as a rail vehicle cleaner in 2002 at the willman william layman center vehicle maintenance department mr salvador worked as a rail vehicle cleaner for several years and in 2006 he became a rail vehicle technician awesome where he worked for the past 24 years we call that rvet very very important job and we thank you so much for that mr salvador has been a dedicated employee with high respect for the department his peers and management mr salvador has earned the respect of all his co-workers and everyone that has worked with him throughout his career he has been humble and very diligent in all his endeavors he has been a true example of what it means to deliver excellence every day this award that is is well deserved of him he's his outstanding performance evaluations as well as his accomplishments have been recognized by the department and truly truly display a true work ethic of excellence thank you mr salvador good morning if there's one word that i can think of to describe claudel is consistency consistency i see him almost every day for the last eight years or so i don't know if he ever takes off because every time i walk through the shop he's there underneath one of our trains and if you ride our trains he's one of our technicians that does the preventive maintenance on the trains and make sure that those trains are safe and operational to get you to work or wherever you're going every day he's consistent he does his job thoroughly we have a supervisor who comes behind him and qas his trains and we never have any issues with the trains we know that he's going to do his job he's going to do it well he's also from my understanding been a pillar in his community especially with working with young people in the field of soccer and developing young men into becoming men of integrity and and and and guiding them in their life so he's not only a blessing and a contributor to DTPW but also in his community and so we appreciate everything that he brings to the table i would like to say thank you for the opportunity and i'm very grateful and also i've been a soccer player and the captain for almost 25 years so i know how to work with other people that's why i always always i don't wait until they ask me for help i always get to help other people thank you very much our next celebrity and outstanding employee is kim r morris she's a bridge operator 30 year career kim morris began her journey with miami dade county in 1991 as a part-time currency processor with miami dade county transit in 1993 she transitioned into her role as a bridge operator with miami dade county public works where she has proudly served ever since through departmental growth and change with more than 30 years of dedicated public service kim remains deeply grateful for the opportunity to support our community and contribute to the daily operations that keep miami moving she gives all thanks to god for his guidance and grace throughout her career she is also thankful for her family whose unwavering support has been her foundation every step of the way in addition kim extends heartfelt appreciation to her supervisors and co-workers for their leadership teamwork and encouragement she is truly honored and grateful for the continued support throughout her journey congratulations kim kim is my eldest daughter and she started working for the county in 1994 you know she um she um isn't she's an honorable kid she's obedient and she loves god she loves her family and i'm just you know i'm a big water bag myself so i didn't want to really get her upset this morning but i want to know that you know that i'm proud that she worked for the county all these years that she is a hard worker a dedicated worker and i pray to god that she can continue the you know the leadership and the guidance that she's had over the years she's had some good employee i mean the co-workers that she's dealt with in you on a daily basis working on the bridge and trying to get people through to their destinations is not an easy task and sometimes you deal with people who have bad attitudes but i say to her keep it in check that's what you're supposed to do because that's what they look for and i really appreciate the time that she's had here thank you thank you thank you family for your support throughout the years and encouraging her to be all that she is next we have francisco pina operation supervisor 30 years supervisor pina he began his career with the department in september 1994 as a bus operator trainee and started operating buses the following month for nine years he served as a dedicated bus operator before being promoted to transit operation supervisor in november 2003 in this role francisco has contributed in various capacities including video supervisor lot manager dispatcher street supervisor and terminal supervisor throughout his tenure he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to serving the the citizens of miami-dade county supporting his colleagues and upholding the department's mission with professionalism and integrity we are so pleased to honor supervisor pina we know that the job that he does on a daily basis is not an easy job congratulations supervisor pina well we're we're very happy to be here and to be able to share this moment with mr pina he is one of our great supervisors like they said he's been doing this for 23 years as a supervisor so whenever he's out there we're extremely confident that the job is being done well we're also extremely confident that he's not only taking care of our passengers but as well as our operators to provide them guidance and to ensure that they have a safe day that day and it can provide excellent service to all of our customers so for that we thank you thank you i'd like to thank everybody um from transit and uh i'd like to uh thank the county for allowing me to serve thank you one more last but not least this gentleman i was on his interview panel on his last position and so we're so grateful to have him here wilfredo m fernandez senior professional engineer 35 years yay wilfredo wilfredo arrived in miami with his parents when he was only five years old on a flight from cuba fleeing communism started school in dade county back then it was known as dade county not miami dade county in the first grade and he had to learn english language in a hurry there were a few spanish-speaking persons in miami when he arrived as a child he attended the public schools in miami county throughout elementary school junior high school graduated from hialeah senior high attended and graduated miami community college north campus in pre-engineering attended and graduated from the university of miami with a bachelor of science in civil engineering work as a various government and private sector engineering positions until 1991 when he started with miami dade county february 19 1991 he was employed by the metro dade county department of solid waste management and in 1991 the county was known as the metropolitan dade county and not miami dade county working on a superfund construction project after stops at the miami dade aviation department and miami dade water and sewer department uh he started on december 3rd 2007 with miami dade transit now known as the department of transportation and public works he's been working with us and subsequently at miami dade uh uh department in the design and engineering division since december 3 2007. this is a period of over 18 years that he has served as design engineer wilfredo you've made a magnificent difference in our department and we're so pleased to have you for 35 years county service i often say miami dade county is the best employer in the whole wide world thank you thank you thank you very much um i arrived excuse me i arrived in miami was five years old i've seen miami change miami's gone through some challenging times but it's bounced back it's changed for the better it's a cosmopolitan city and and i'm very grateful to have worked for miami county for for almost you know 35 years on the 19th of this month uh thank you very much i'm afraid uh congratulations i'm very happy to be here with you to share this moment it's a major milestone uh you know we've worked together for 18 years in the design and engineering division and it has been a pleasure i recently retired but it was certainly a pleasure to work with you your integrity dedication you're very proud of being a county employee and we're very grateful for your service and for all these years that you worked with me and supported me and we got a lot of things done together so thank you and congratulations from me and from the whole design and engineering group okay everyone thank you for coming this concludes our award ceremony for the day