The City of Homestead is leading the way as the first municipality to join Workforce.Miami, a Miami-Dade County initiative designed to bridge the gap between job seekers and local employers, bringing a new level of connectivity to job creation promises.
The proposal, sponsored by Councilman Tom Davis and approved unanimously by the City Council, authorizes the City Manager to take all necessary steps to implement the partnership.
Employers doing business with the City of Homestead will now have a dedicated platform to post open positions, making it easier for residents to find local jobs in real time, at workforce.miami/cityofhomestead.
“The program will enhance job readiness, support local businesses, and stimulate economic growth within the City of Homestead,” says the text of the resolution.
During the presentation, William Porro, Assistant Director for the Office of Innovation & Economic Development for Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and creator of Workforce.Miami, emphasized the program's direct, government-driven impact: “We wanted to do something that is innovating, straight to the point, and driven by municipal government, that usually gets the call when someone is looking for a job. Homestead will have the ability to connect the employers directly to job seekers.”
Porro also explained that Workforce.Miami introduces accountability for employers who commit to creating jobs: “This is a tool to keep employers accountable, when they say they will produce a particular number of jobs.”
Through the partnership, the City of Homestead will have its own dashboard on Workforce.Miami, offering direct access to job listings and workforce data. The website also
includes a robust continuing education section: “We probably have the biggest compilation of continuous education programs, apprenticeships, internships, and certifications 12 months or less,” Porro added.
Councilman Tom Davis highlighted the critical need for such a resource in the Homestead community: “This is exactly what our community needs. So much of our community is one paycheck away from homelessness. You have a job, you get laid off, and you don’t have two or three months of pay in the back to keep the mortgage running or keep your apartment. This will help people keep working and keep jobs in our community.”
Davis also emphasized the benefit for local military families: “The City Manager and I have met with Special Operations Command South. They have many dependents—family members and military spouses—who are looking for positions. They need to find work, and this is a tangible and meaningful way we can take care of those military families. Now, they’ll know that if they are permanently stationed in Homestead, this is where they can go to get a job.”
City Manager Zerry Ihekwaba added, “The Workforce.Miami initiative is crafted to upscale similar opportunities for city residents, at no cost for the City of Homestead. This is one of several opportunities the administration is looking to implement for local economic development.”