Just over a year into her first term, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Lynda Bell’s office has saved millions of taxpayer dollars and helped hundreds of residents, the commissioner said Thursday in her first state of the district address.

The commissioner, who represents District 8 in South Dade, also presented new plans she hopes will make it easier for businesses to open in Miami-Dade, and bring more attention to local attractions.

A few hundred people munched on hors d’oeuvres and sipped sodas in the lobby of the new South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay before the speech, which started late. It wasn’t until Bell came into the lobby, after the 7:30 p.m. starting time, and asked why the doors weren’t open, that people were ushered into the theater.

Bell spoke easily, but quickly, for about 23 minutes, standing in front of a screen inscribed with her name and the county seal.

She highlighted legislation she helped author that requires county departments to “recommend better workforce strategies and identify unnecessary spending.”

“By adopting these new measures, the county saved $32 million this past year alone,” Bell said.

County Management and Budget Director Jennifer Moon calculated that the county actually saved more then $49 million through union concessions, according to a spreadsheet provided to the Miami Herald. Bell’s staff said the savings were identified as a result of the resolution Bell sponsored, which directed the mayor’s office to search for possible savings, and use those in union negotiations.

The commissioner also highlighted legislation she co-sponsored that provides relief to residents hit with mysteriously high bills after The Miami Herald wrote a story about Cynthia Potter, a South Dade resident who was hit with a $6,222 water bill. But the legislation is not effective retroactively, despite Bell’s efforts to make it so.

And Belllaid out her plans for the future. She said she has asked the mayor’s office to come up with ways to develop an information center to aid businesses looking to open shop in Miami-Dade. And she said she sponsored a resolution designating a Historical Redland Tropical Trail, which will point out local attractions such as Schnebly Winery with highway signs.

Bell was elected to the county commission in November 2010 after long-time commissioner Katy Sorenson stepped down. District 8 includes the municipalities of Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead, with portions of Kendall and Redland.

Bell had previously served on the Homestead City Council, with one term as mayor. She was the first and only woman in Homestead’s 98-year history to be elected to the council’s top-spot, but lost her re-reelection bid to current Mayor Steve Bateman.

Bell lives in Homestead with her husband, Mark. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren.

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