District 08

About the Commissioner

Lynda G. Bell was elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission representing District 8 on November 2, 2010.  Her Commission district encompasses a significant portion of southeastern Miami-Dade County, including the municipalities of Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead, with portions of Kendall and the Redlands.

In January of 2011, Board of County Commissioners Chairman Joe A. Martinez, appointed Commissioner Bell to Chair the Internal Management and Fiscal Responsibility Committee (Budget) responsible for the adequate oversight of county departments.  Additionally, Commissioner Bell was also named to the prestigious Public Safety and Healthcare Administration and Economic Development and Social Services Committee.  Commissioner Bell is also serves as a member of the Florida Association of Counties, the Miami-Dade County League of Cities, and the Public Health Trust's Compensation and Evaluation Committee (PHT).

Commissioner Bell has the distinction of being the first and only woman Mayor in the City of Homestead's 97-year history. She was elected to this important post in November 2007 for a two-year term. She previously won a four-year term and served as Vice-Mayor from November 2003 to November 2005 and Councilwoman from November 2005 to November 2007.

As Mayor, Commissioner Bell, served as Chair of the City's Management Review Committee and Chair of the Charter Review Committee. She was also the first member from the City of Homestead to sit in the Governing Board of the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization. In 2008, then-Mayor Bell was one of five finalists in the entire state of Florida for the prestigious Councilmember of the year award, as well as being the recipient of the renowned Athena Award from the Chamber of Commerce.

Under her leadership as Mayor, Commissioner Bell plunged head-on to address the many challenges that only a City brings.  She reduced property taxes, reduced spending and the overall size and scope of government by 14%.  She negotiated Union contracts and she ended the practice of change orders and cost overruns to City projects - saving the taxpayers literally millions of dollars. Commissioner Bell brought single stream recycling to the City. She personally fought for and brought the first public school in over 30 years to Homestead and was honored for her efforts by naming the new facility herself - The Gateway Environmental Learning Center.  As a member of the City Council, Commissioner Bell worked with City administrators to establish a new senior community center for the City's elderly and as Mayor, oversaw the project's successful completion in 2009.  Then-Mayor Bell fought to beautify the downtown Krome Avenue corridor, bringing quaint and charming benches, trash cans and lined the streets with oak trees, creating a linear park for residents and visitors alike to enjoy - again, without new taxes or cost overruns.

During her years at City Hall, Commissioner Bell's ability to forge close personal relationships with local, state and federal officials, including members of our military, proved most beneficial.  She secured millions of dollars for South Miami-Dade County, allowing for the completion of 2 new firehouses within City limits.  She traveled regularly to Washington, D.C. to lobby for the City and the Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB).

Commissioner Bell was born in Hollywood, Florida and has resided in Homestead since 1979. She graduated in 1975 from Nova High School in Ft. Lauderdale and graduated with honors from Miami Dade College in 1997 with an Associate in Arts Degree in Communications. She is currently working on a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.  She is a member of New Beginnings Christian Fellowship where she leads Adult Bible study and is the mentor for the Mothers of Preschoolers group. She is the delegate from the State of Florida to the National Right to Life Board of Directors.

Commissioner Bell has been married to Mark Bell for 26 years.  They have 3 adult children: Stacy, Jenna and Kristi, as well as eight grandchildren: Tyler, Camden, Carissa, Emma, Audrey, Chelsey, Lindsey and baby Cora.