MIAMI — Broward and Miami-Dade Counties recently invested millions of dollars in purchasing hybrid vehicles, which operate on a combination of gasoline and battery power. Each car cost about $19,000, according to the Miami Herald newspaper. Miami-Dade County acquired 206 hybrid vehicles, while Broward bought 14. Both counties are following commission mandates to reduce fuel costs. Miami-Dade spent $13 million to fuel 11,000 vehicles last year. Broward anticipates spending $1.6 million to fuel its 2,238 vehicles. Miami-Dade County spent nearly $4 million to lease 50 hybrid Chevrolet Silverados and to buy 156 Toyota Priuses, said Olga Diaz, the county's acting fleet management director. But other towns or cities have held off buying hybrids because they fear a lack of experienced mechanics to fix problems. In Broward's case, Toyota trained the county's mechanics as part of the purchase.