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The Miami-Dade County Clerk is a duly elected constitutional officer as mandated by Article V, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Florida. The Clerk is elected to a four-year term by the electorate of Miami-Dade County. The Honorable Harvey Ruvin was elected to the Office of the Clerk in November, 1992 and was re-elected in 1996 and 2000 without opposition.

The responsibilities of the Clerk are established by the State Constitution, the Florida State Statutes, County Ordinances and Regulations and Judicial Orders. In this capacity he serves as:

• Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
• County Recorder
• County Auditor
• Custodian of all County Funds
• Custodian of all records filed with the Court

The Clerk is assisted in fulfilling his duties by his Senior Management Team (Three Senior Deputy Clerks); Division Chiefs; and a staff of more than thirteen hundred full and part-time employees. The Clerk's Office is dedicated to providing support to the court system and professional service to the public, the judiciary, the legal community and the County Commission.

The Clerk's Office is committed to enhancing the level of efficiency in its services and access to the public. In facing the confines of limited resources, and ever-increasing emphasis will be given to new innovative technologies which will enable staff to "work smarter, not harder" and perform in a more cost-effective manner.   See New Technologies.

Harvey Ruvin's LOCAL, REGIONAL and STATE service has included:

• Twice chairman of the South Florida Regional Planning Council (Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties).
  
  
• Chairman of the County Commission's Environment and Land Use Subcommittee. Current membership on Public Safety, Transportation, and Culture and Recreation Subcommittees.
  
  
• Over the years he has served on all Commission Subcommittees.Chairman of the Biscayne Bay Management Committee since its inception in 1981, to its sunset in 1992.
  
  
• Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors and Executive Committee.Member, Metro-Miami Action Plan Executive Board, a Board established in the early 1980's to deal comprehensively with the racial and economic disparities in Dade County.
  
  
• Member of Miami-Dade Criminal Justice Council, chairing its Juvenile Justice Subcommittee.
  
  
• Member, Board of Directors of the Florida Association of County Commissioners and its Environmental and Natural Resources Chairman.

Appendix

County Ordinances, Referenda, and Projects sponsored by  Harvey Ruvin, during his 20 years as a County Commissioner include the following:

• Miami-Dade County BEACH RENOURISHMENT PROJECT restoring a 200 foot-wide sandy beach from Haulover Park south to Government Cut (10 and 1/2 miles) and providing full public access (1975-1980).

• Sponsor of success Referendum approving a $90 million tax levy for the purchase and maintenance of ENDANGERED LANDS - also the nation's largest program of its kind in the nation (1990).  The program is now being enlarged to include multi-family residential and businesses.

• Spearheaded establishment of Countywide curbside collection of home-separated RECYCLABLES, the largest program of its kind in the nation (1990).  The program is now being enlarged to include multi-family residential businesses.

• Established a Commission on the Status of Self-Esteem, personal and social responsibility (1990).

• Sponsor of permanent water conservation regulations as well as requirements for ultra-low volume commodes, faucets and shower heads in all new construction, Countywide (1991).

• Sponsor of Ordinance regulating Ozone depleting chemicals and banning cans powered by CFC's (1991).

• Sponsor of Ordinance requiring Stage II nozzle heads at commercial gasoline stations to cut ozone and particulate emissions from pumps (1990).

• Developed and successfully proposed sweeping changes in Dade County's procurement policies, so as to promote markets for recycled goods of all types (1992).

• As sponsor and chairman of the BISCAYNE BAY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, he played an important role in the protection of South Bay, as well as the success model Restoration and Enhancement of North Bay (1981 to 1995).

• Established BAYNANZA,   an annual week-long event for the celebration of the environmental, esthetic, historical and economic values Biscayne Bay represents (1981 to present).

• The establishment of a COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLAN which is credited with cutting 20% from County electric bills, concluding a fuel plan which has cut the County's gas demand by 37% (1977).

• Sponsored the ENERGY CODE amendment to the South Florida Building code, which for the first time required specific energy standards (1977).

• Earliest advocate of the DADE COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN establishing an orderly pattern and a timely sequencing of the necessary services for healthy future growth - in harmony with both our natural and urban systems.  Goal to curtail urban sprawl (1976).

• Creation and maintenance of the Miami-Dade County CONSUMER ADVOCATE Office (1975).

• Changes to the Building Code, requiring SPRINKLER and SMOKE EXHAUST SYSTEMS in mid and high-rise buildings; and an Ordinance requiring FIRE-FLOW to fight fires (1973).

• TREE ORDINANCE creating incentives for tree preservation, regulating proper tree removals and establishing civil and criminal remedies to prevent or fine violators (1988).

• Sponsored a successful short-term building moratorium enabling an Ordinance to safeguard and further review land use plans (1974).

• HOUSING - CHAIRED A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMISSION which brought together builders, environmentalists, bankers, government agencies, etc. to forge innovative ; local loan guarantee and second mortgage home ownership programs that have supplied decent, safe housing for hundreds of elderly, low, and moderate-low income families (1975).

• Clean Air Ordinance - setting strict standards for SO2 emissions for both economic and environmental reasons (1981).

• Sponsored changes to the Building Code eliminating ARCHITECTURAL  BARRIERS for physically handicapped persons, as well as an Ordinance  OUTLAWING DISCRIMINATION in housing and employment for the "able-disabled" (1984).

• Fought to RETURN SECURITY DEPOSITS to water and sewer customers once good credit is established (1983).

• Sponsored a package of Ordinances dealing with the proper storage, transport and disposal of HAZARDOUS WASTES.  The proposal, now implemented, set up the first local 'mini' super-fund in the nation to deal with hazardous waste emergencies (1983).

• Other measures dealing with the protection of the  BISCAYNE AQUIFER that supplies Miami-Dade County with its sole source of fresh water (1970 through the 1980's).

• Sponsored a Beverage Container Deposit Law aiming to curb the flow of garbage that pollutes our landfills, which, although narrowly defeated by a strong industry media blitz, served as a consciousness-raising device (1976).

• Sponsored a successful NUCLEAR FREEZE REFERENDUM (1982).

Through over thirty years of community involvement,  Harvey Ruvin, has performed a leadership role within scores of civic, cultural, environmental and charitable organizations.  He has been the recipient of numerous awards ranging from the 1987  Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce "MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD" to the coveted Tropical Audubon Society Conservation Award in 1981 and in 1985 (the only person ever to have been named twice).  He has received environmental service awards from the Sierra Club as well as from the Environmental and Industry Association.

In 1981 he was singled out by the then President of the National Association of Counties as Outstanding County Official in the Nation.  In 1989, Harvey Ruvin was named "COUNTY LEADER OF THE YEAR" by AMERICAN CITY AND COUNTY MAGAZINE.

To Harvey, his greatest honor came when "Naples", a rescued West Indian manatee gave birth to a male calf and the Seaquarium named the newborn "Harvey" in recognition of the Commissioner's work on behalf of the endangered species (Sept. 1990).