Miami, FL – After a two and a half year battle, Miami Dade County became the first in Florida to pass a local hiring ordinance, thanks to the work of PACT. The First Source Referral Hiring Ordinance requires and enforces that county contracts in Miami Dade must first seek out qualified job candidates from South Florida Workforce before hiring from outside of the county. PACT brought together the County Manager, Small Business Development, Procurement Management, and South Florida Workforce to draft the ordinance. Once the ordinance was drafted, PACT got four commissioners to sponsor it, with Commissioner Barbara Jordan serving as the primary sponsor. After initially failing on a 6-6 tied vote, PACT continued to push for its passage. On May 1, 2012, the ordinance passed on a 10-3 vote, and has already secured employement for more than 1,000 Miami Dade residents.
