Miami-Dade behavioral health advisory board adopts bylaws, forms four committees

The Miami-Dade County Behavioral Health Advisory Board on Sept. 22 adopted a set of bylaws derived from the ordinance that created the panel and voted to form four subcommittees to begin work on prevention, stigma, supportive housing and social-media outreach.

The bylaws, presented by county staffer Amanda (Staff member, Miami-Dade County), mirror Article 10 of the creating ordinance and enumerate duties including advising the Board of County Commissioners on behavioral-health issues, developing or helping to develop a county needs assessment, fostering cross‑sector collaboration and monitoring county-funded behavioral‑health programs. Amanda told the board the packet “was put together by our team. It is based on our ordinance for the creation of this board.”

The board amended one phrase in the membership language to replace the word “suffering” with “recovering,” a change members said better reflected recovery‑oriented language. The board also confirmed procedural points from the ordinance: members serve four‑year terms, the body is composed of 23 voting members, and board members are not compensated but may be reimbursed for parking.

Senator Renee Garcia, chair of the advisory board, urged the panel to be active after the bylaws vote. “I don't want us to be…what's the other boards? I want us to be a proactive board that we can move forward,” Garcia said, urging creation of focused working groups so the full board would not duplicate existing efforts.

The board established four subcommittees to begin work between meetings: 1) prevention, including first responders and veterans; 2) stigma reduction and outreach; 3) supportive housing and housing supports for people with behavioral‑health needs; and 4) a social‑media advisory group to shape public messaging and campaigns. Members said committees will be small (three to five people) and report back to the full board.

Why it matters: the bylaws and committees set the board’s initial priorities and give Miami‑Dade an organized structure to pursue early‑intervention, housing and outreach strategies that board members said are urgent locally.

Board members who raised concerns during the discussion pressed for clarity on the scope of the board’s duties, including whether the board itself must “develop” a needs assessment or instead commission or guide providers and research partners to do so. Amanda said the bylaws reflect the ordinance requirement but that the board can decide how to execute those duties.

The board also reviewed the ordinance’s membership composition during the meeting; the membership includes specified county department representatives and a mix of clinicians, people with lived experience and family members. The board asked staff to circulate the composition language and to solicit members for the new committees.

The board scheduled its next regular meeting for Dec. 1, 2025, at 10 a.m. in the Commission Chambers.