City of Miami Beach Update on COVID-19, 9/22

 

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

We continue to provide our residents and businesses with the latest updates from the City of Miami Beach during this pandemic. We urge you to wear a mask in public, practice social distancing and wash your hands regularly. COVID-19 Updates

North Beach Drive-Thru Food Distribution South Florida Seniors in Action and Commissioner David Richardson will host a drive-thru food distribution on Wednesday, September 23. Wednesday, September 23 9 AM - 11 AM 8700 Collins Avenue Miami Beach, FL The food distribution is on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last. Please remain in your car and open the trunk when it's your turn in line. If you do not have a car and would like to qualify for food assistance, please call or register online. Phone: 305.604.CITY (2489) or www.miamibeachfl.gov/food

Mask Up Miami Beach We urge everyone to wear a mask, continue practicing social distancing and meticulously wash hands regularly. Reminder, Miami Beach Police and Code Compliance Officers are giving out $50 civil citations for anyone not wearing a facial covering while in a public place or space. Free masks are being provided at all Miami-Dade Public Libraries.

General City Updates

Neighborhood & Quality of Life Committee Meeting The Neighborhood and Quality of Life Committee will meet tomorrow, September 23 at 8:30 a.m. virtually via Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88274790016 The meeting will be streamed live on MBTV Channel 660 on Atlantic Broadband or 99 on AT&T U-Verse. How to provide spoken public comment during the meeting: The public may provide spoken comment by dialing telephone 312.626.6799 or 888.475.4499 (toll free). The Webinar ID is 882 7479 0016. Press *9 to raise a hand to be placed in queue to speak.

Finance & Economic Resiliency Committee Meeting The Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee will meet tomorrow, September 23 at 1 p.m. virtually via Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83975652352 The meeting will be streamed live on MBTV Channel 660 on Atlantic Broadband or 99 on AT&T U-Verse. How to provide spoken public comment during the meeting: The public may provide spoken comment by dialing telephone 301.715.8592 or 888.475.4499 (toll free). The Webinar ID is 839 7565 2352. Press *9 to raise a hand to be placed in queue to speak.

Countdown to Fill Out the Census - 8 Days Left! Census takers are still visiting households that have not responded to the census to collect responses in person. Census takers may also visit households that have already responded as part of 2020 Census quality checks. Now, more than ever, it's important to get counted! Are you a renter? View our 2020 Census Renters guide here. The Census Bureau will END all counting on September 30. Call up your friends and neighbors and ask them to visit my2020census.gov and make sure our community gets counted!

41 Street Corridor Revitalization Project Meeting You are invited to join AECOM and the City of Miami Beach for a virtual public presentation on the G.O. Bond #40 - 41 Street Corridor Revitalization Project. Attendees will be asked for their feedback on potential schematic design options. Thursday, October 1 5 PM Zoom webinar: https://miamibeachfl-gov.zoom.us/j/81283775765 Or by telephone: 877.853.5257 (toll free), Webinar ID: 812 8377 5765 For more information please visit, gombinfo.com or contact Vanessa Vazquez at 786.599.6543 or via email at vanessavazquez@miamibeachfl.gov

Back-to-School with Parks & Rec Virtual After School Program The Parks & Recreation Department is offering homework assistance for children in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade. Additional activities will include fitness classes, yoga, cooking, science and more. Monday through Friday (September 8 - October 2) 2:30 PM - 5 PM (K-1st Grade) 3:30 PM - 6 PM (2nd - 5th Grade) Weekly Fee: $75 Virtual Teen Club The virtual Teen Club program includes tutoring/homework assistance, STEM, dance, social emotional learning, entrepreneurship, sports fitness, hobby projects and more. Virtual tutoring occurs through the Zoom platform and space is limited. Monday through Friday (September 8 - October 2) 4 PM - 5:30 PM (6th - 12th Grade) FREE for all teens enrolled in a Miami Beach school Programs may be canceled due to low enrollment. Registration has begun, register today by visiting register.miamibeachparks.com

Miami Beach Hall of Fame - EXTENDED To recognize remarkable individuals that have made a lasting and significant impact on Miami Beach, the city is asking the public to nominate deserving individuals for the Miami Beach Hall of Fame. The nomination period has been extended and nominations will be accepted now through November 30, 2020. Selected Miami Beach Hall of Fame recipients are celebrated in the permanent honor hall, located on the south concourse wall of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Inductees will be honored with a plaque listing their accomplishments and a special ceremony to celebrate their achievements. Eligible individuals must have been either born in Miami Beach, made Miami Beach his/her place of residence or business and/or had a positive and lasting impact on the community. Please click here to access the online application system. Completed applications must be submitted in the online portal by November 30, 2020 at 11:59 PM.

COVID-19 & Antibody Testing The Miami Beach Convention Center testing site offers drive-up and walk-up COVID-19 antigen tests (“rapid tests”). This test is a nasal swab test with results reported to the patient within 4 hours or less. It will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily or until the site reaches the maximum 350 daily allotted tests. More detailed information on the purpose and efficacy of the antigen test can be found on the CDC website. Both the COVID-19 active virus and antibody tests continue to be available at the Miami Beach Convention Center testing facility located on 17 Street and Convention Center Drive. The COVID-19 drive-thru and walk-up testing site is available daily, including weekends, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., except for Thursdays where the site closes at 3:30 p.m. Testing is available for ages 5 and up. Visit our 'Testing' tab to view detailed information on all testing locations, including testing at the Hard Rock Stadium and homebound testing and further details.

Plasma Donation As the number of COVID-19 infections rise in Florida, hospitals are facing critical shortages of convalescent plasma for treatment. The University of Miami Health System is working with OneBlood to collect convalescent plasma to use for a potential treatment option for patients with COVID-19. Who can participate in this study? A donor must be over 18 years old, have confirmed COVID-19 documents by a laboratory test, or history suggestive of resolved COVID-19 like illness. Participants must also have complete resolution of symptoms at least 28 days before donation and not participated in any COVID vaccine trials for at least the past 12 months. For more information on the donation process, contact Tom Tanner at 305.243.5621 or via email at ttanner@med.miami.edu Transfusing the plasma that contains the antibodies into a person still fighting the virus can provide a boost to the patient’s immune system and potentially help them recover. Click here to learn more on how you can donate today.

Stay Informed Visit our dedicated, city-related coronavirus webpage at www.miamibeachfl.gov/coronavirus for the most up-to-date information, including important resources, impacts to city services and more. Our city hotline at 305.604.CITY (2489) is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. You can also email your questions to MBCovid@miamibeachfl.gov. Or connect with us through social media via email, Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and via text message (text MBAlert to 888777).

¿Has escuchado hablar de la estafa de phishing “paquete en espera”?

 21 de septiembre de 2020

por 

Ari Lazarus

Especialista en Educación del Consumidor, FTC

Puede ser difícil detectar las estafas de phishing. Por ejemplo, hemos tenido noticias de una de estas estafas en la que la gente recibe un mensaje de texto que dice que tiene un paquete en espera y que tiene que hacer clic en un enlace para obtener más información. Parece algo bastante inocente, ¿cierto? Lamentablemente, no lo es.

Los mensajes son enviados por estafadores. En algunos casos, están dirigidos a estudiantes universitarios. En esa versión, los estafadores envían mensajes de texto a estudiantes que regresan a clase diciéndoles que hay un paquete esperándolos — a veces dicen que el paquete está en espera desde la última primavera, cuando muchos estudiantes debieron dejar la residencia universitaria y volver rápidamente a casa.

Cualquiera sea el texto del mensaje, la regla es siempre la misma: Si recibes un mensaje de texto inesperado sobre un paquete, no hagas clic en ningún enlace. Si piensas que el mensaje puede ser legítimo, comunícate con la compañía usando un sitio web o un número de teléfono que te conste que es real. Pero no uses la información del mensaje de texto.

¿Por qué te conviene evitar hacer clic en el enlace? Después de hacer clic, te pueden engañar para que des información personal — y con esos datos los estafadores te pueden robar contraseñas, números de cuenta o de Seguro Social. Al hacer clic en estos enlaces también podrías permitir que los estafadores te descarguen programas maliciosos en tu dispositivo.

Para aprender más sobre cómo funcionan estos esquemas, échale un vistazo a este artículo sobre estafas de tipo phishing.

Miami-Dade Public Library System

 

Our Highly Popular Author Series is Going Virtual! Join us as we kick-off our Virtual Author Series in celebration of Library Card Sign-up Month. Interact with your favorite authors, engage in Q&A sessions, and connect with like-minded readers and aspiring writers during two exciting upcoming events featuring two best-selling authors. And remember, anytime is a great time to sign up for a library card. Don’t have one? Apply for an eCard at ecard.mdpls.org and get immediate access to our online library.  Already have a library card?  Let your friends and family know so they don't miss out!

NYT Best-selling Author Offers Tricks of the Writing Trade Join us for a lively Q&A session with New York Times best-selling author and Bram Stoker Award-nominated young adult author and and comic book writer Kami Garcia as she discusses her latest books Teen Titans: Raven and Teen Titans: Beast Boy, writing process and more. Ages 13 years and up. Thursday, September 24, 7 - 8 p.m. Register Online Online event will be presented on Zoom. Registration is required.

Max & Ruby Writer and Illustrator Presents Her Latest Children's Book Join us as renowned children's book author and illustrator Rosemary Wells reads her latest book, You Can Do It, Noisy Nora!, plus stay tuned for a special musical surprise following the reading. Ages 4 years and up. Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. - noon Register Online Online event will be presented on Zoom. Registration is required.

Que ofrecemos a nuestros clientes?: Las personas que no presentan declaraciones de imp...

Que ofrecemos a nuestros clientes?: Las personas que no presentan declaraciones de imp...:   23 de septiembre de 2020 por  Lisa Lake Especialista en Educación del Consumidor, FTC Si habitualmente no presentas una declaración de imp...

23 de septiembre de 2020

por

Lisa Lake

Especialista en Educación del Consumidor, FTC

Si habitualmente no presentas una declaración de impuestos (non-filer, en inglés), o si no presentaste una declaración en 2018 o 2019, quizás no sepas que podrías ser elegible para recibir un pago de impacto económico. Puede que seas una de las nueve millones de personas que están recibiendo una carta del IRS para informar cómo registrarse en su sitio web para reclamar el pago antes del 15 de octubre de 2020.

Si recibes esta carta de parte del IRS, es legítima. Para registrar tu reclamación de pago, visita únicamente el auténtico sitio web del IRS disponible en IRS.gov/EIP o llama directamente al 800-919-9835. Tienes tiempo sólo hasta 15 de octubre. Pero si recibes una llamada, email o mensaje de texto de parte de alguien que dice que te puede ayudar a conseguir tu pago de estímulo, esa persona está perpetrando una estafa de impostores del gobierno en tu contra. Cuelga el teléfono y no respondas los mensajes de texto o emails ni hagas clic en los enlaces.

¿Por qué? Porque el IRS no te enviará un mensaje de texto, un email ni tampoco te llamará acerca de tu pago de impacto económico. Y nunca te pedirá que pagues un cargo para obtener tu dinero.

Para consultar más información sobre los pagos de estímulo, visita el sitio web del IRS. Y si alguien que se hace pasar por el gobierno se comunica contigo, no dudes en contárselo a la FTC.

 

Estafas de cheques falsos y su pequeño negocio

18 de septiembre de 2020

por 

Traci Armani

Especialista en Educación del Consumidor, FTC

Si alguna persona que no conoces te envía un cheque y te pide que le devuelvas parte del dinero, es una estafa. ¿Pero qué sucede si eres dueño de un pequeño negocio y alguien te “paga de más” y te pide que le reembolses la diferencia? Eso sigue siendo una estafa — una estafa de cheque falso, para ser exactos.

¿Quieres saber más sobre cómo funciona esta estafa — especialmente antes de cobrar un cheque y devolverle dinero a alguien? Échale un vistazo a este video:

Para más información sobre cheques falsos, lee estas recomendaciones sobre cómo detectar, evitar y reportar las estafas de cheques falsos.

¿Sospechas una estafa de cheque falso? Repórtala a la FTC en ftc.gov/queja.

Painting a New Image: Domestic Abuse and the Pandemic

 

Domestic Violence during the Pandemic Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 2:00pm EST Zoom Webinar FREE | REGISTRATION REQUIRED Nearly half of all women and men in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Do not suffer in silence! There is help available even during a pandemic. Join us on September 26th for a free webinar to learn about what social services, financial, and legal assistance are available. We will also discuss the impact of mental health concerns and how to move forward after trauma and abuse. Knowledge is power and knowing what to do for you, a friend, or a relative going through domestic violence can save lives.  Panelists: Darrel Ambrosini, Chief of the Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit at the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office Sandra L. Brown, MA, CEO The Institute for Relational Harm Reduction and Public Pathology Education Malia Carson, Detective, Special Victims Bureau, Domestic Crimes Unit, Miami-Dade Police Department Ivon Mesa, Bureau Chief, Violence and Prevention Division Director, Coordinated Victims Assistance Center CVAC Miami-Dade County REGISTER