January 14, 2010, Homestead and Florida City, Florida – Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman, Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace, and numerous community leaders have formed the Homestead & Florida City Haitian Relief effort in response to the Haitian earthquake catastrophe. Both cities have large Haitian populations which have been impacted by the Haitian disaster. For now, the two-city Haitian Relief effort will focus on conducting fund raising, installing a phone center, and placing a container at City Hall for accepting food and clothing donations.
The City of Homestead has installed a volunteer and donation telephone number at (305) 224-4454. At this number, Haitian relief donations may be given to the Florida City Foundation, an IRS 501©(3) non-profit organization and volunteers may give their contact information. An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) number at (305) 242-2400 has also been established so that residents may call with their questions and concerns.
A call center will be set up shortly by AT&T at the Minor League Club House, 1601 SE 28th Avenue, Homestead, FL 33035, for residents of Homestead and Florida City to make calls to establish contact with Haiti.
• Haiti Disaster Relief
January 13TH, 2010, Homestead, FL – Mayor Steve Bateman from the City of Homestead and Mayor Otis Wallace from Florida City met with various local organizations from their respective cities on January 13th to organize relief efforts for the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. A phone bank has been set up in the Council Chambers at Homestead City Hall (305-242-2400) so that people are able to call in with their questions and concerns. Additionally, monetary donations can be made to the Florida City Foundation (a 501c3), 404 W. Palm Drive, Florida City, FL 33034.
A follow up meeting will take place at Homestead City Hall, located at 790 North Homestead Boulevard, Homestead, FL 33030 on Thursday, January 14 at 10 a.m. for all the organizations that are involved in this effort. Furthermore, Mayor Bateman has been working on setting up a container distribution point at Homestead’s City Hall for other donations that can be subsequently shipped to Haiti.
• New Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council Members are Sworn In
The City of Homestead’s new Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council members were sworn in on Wednesday, November 4 in a ceremony held at City Hall.
Over 200 residents, supporters and well-wishers looked on as Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace administered the oath of office to Mayor Steven C. Bateman, Vice Mayor Judy Waldman (reelected), Councilman Elvis R. Maldonado, Councilman Stephen R. Shelley and Councilman Jimmie L. Williams, III.
Councilman Jon Burgess and Councilwoman Wendy Lobos began the third year of their four-year terms.
Mayor Steven C. Bateman is sworn in by Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace
Being sworn in from left to right: Councilman Elvis R. Maldonado,
Councilman Jimmie L. Williams, III, Councilman Stephen R. Shelley, Vice Mayor Judy Waldman
Vice Mayor Judy Waldman is sworn in
From left to right: Mayor Otis Wallace, Councilman Stephen R. Shelley, Councilman Jimmie L. Williams, III, Mayor Steven C. Bateman, Vice Mayor Judy Waldman and Councilman Elvis R. Maldonado
• City Channel on Comcast is now 77
The City of Homestead's Government Access Channel on Comcast has moved from Channel 97 to 77.
• Neighborhood Stabilization Program to provide eligible City of Homestead residents with down payment assistance
DO YOU NEED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP PURCHASE A HOME?
THE CITY OF HOMESTEAD HAS FUNDS AVAILABLE THROUGH
THE NEIGHBORHOOD STABLIZATION PROGRAM TO PROVIDE
DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE TO ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.
If your Annual Income, based on the number of people in your household, is below the following amounts, you may qualify for these funds:
Income Limits
Family of 1: $56,600
Family of 2: $64,700
Family of 3: $72,800
Family of 4: $80,900
Family of 5: $87,350
Family of 6: $93,800
This home must be your PRIMARY RESIDENCE
For additional information, please contact Evelin Simpson, City of Homestead, 305-224-4547.
• Home Energy Saver
The Home Energy Saver is designed to help consumers identify the best ways to save energy in their homes, and find the resources to make the savings happen. The Home Energy Saver was the first Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the national ENERGY STAR Program for improving energy efficiency in homes, with previous support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's PATH projgram, and the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program.
http://hes.lbl.gov/
• Check and schedule inspections Online!
Contractors who do business with the City are able to schedule building inspections and check on the results online. To use this service, simply click on "Building Inspections Online " and follow the easy prompts. Contractors also have access to these services via the City's automated phone system. The system has increased efficiency and ease of use, as it is available 24 hours a day.
