Telesis was selected by Dade County, Florida and the City of Miami to create a Strategic Plan for an Empowerment Zone for the City and County. Telesis organized a community-based planning process involving hundreds of participants to create a comprehensive plan within five months.  The process involved a county-wide series of over 100 community meetings and culminated in a Community Planning Workshop in which an elected board of community representatives was established. Telesis guided scores of officials and citizens from the County and City, each individual municipality and many neighborhoods through a process of defining the zone which would have the most impact on the social, economic, and cultural growth of the area. 

The selected Zone linked the poorest areas of the City of Miami with areas of high potential job and business growth. The Zone stretched from the Miami International Airport to the Port of Miami, and from a North Miami location in Model City/Liberty City to a South Dade location in Hurricane Andrew-torn Homestead/Florida City. Completion and adoption of the Strategic Plan included three separate drafts presented to the public and the County Commission. The Dade Board of County Commissioners voted to match $100 million in federal funding for the Empowerment Zone with $100 million of County funds. The City and County were awarded Empowerment Zone designation by the Federal Government.