Miami-Dade set to sell $3.5 million in county land for $30 for housing deals

While fixing a hasty giveaway of county land from two weeks ago, Miami-Dade commissioners are set to vote on two new transfers of county property worth more than $3 million.

Habitat for Humanity, a leading developer of affordable housing in Miami-Dade and a charity, is recommended to obtain a 9-acre lot in Southwest Miami-Dade that’s valued at $2 million in county tax rolls.

The agreement requires the land be used to build affordable housing or the county takes back the property. As is standard in affordable housing agreements with Miami-Dade, Habitat would pay $10 for the land in a no-bid deal.

Nearby, another sizable county lot worth $1.3 million would go to a company owned by a longtime lobbyist who is a partner with Palmetto Homes, the developer that secured a $10 deal on Oct. 6 for nearly $10 million worth of county land.

The 5-acre lot off Southwest 280th Street would go to Elite Equity, a company owned by Roosevelt Bradley.

He’s a former Miami-Dade transit director and a registered lobbyist for a string of county vendors, including smart-light installer Horsepower Electric and affordable-housing provider Landmark Development. He was a consultant for one supplier on a contentious natural-gas bus contract that employed much of Miami-Dade’s influence industry in 2019.

Bradley also has represented and been a project partner in Miami-Dade deals with Atlantic Pacific, a regional affordable housing developer.

Bradley did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did District 9 commissioner Dennis Moss, who is sponsoring both items for developing county land in his South Miami-Dade district weeks before he leaves office due to term limits.

The items passed unanimously before the Miami-Dade commission on Tuesday afternoon.

The string of quick turnarounds in disposing of county land has brought extra attention to the non-competitive way Miami-Dade closes many affordable-housing deals.

Rather than let developers bid on vacant lots the county considers surplus, companies like Roosevelt’s can make their pitch directly to commissioners for properties inside their districts.

Then it’s up to the commissioner to sponsor legislation with the $10 deals, which include reverter clauses that let Miami-Dade take back the property if it doesn’t get used for affordable housing.

Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, a candidate for Miami-Dade mayor who represents District 8 in South Miami-Dade, is the only board member to set up a competitive process for developers seeking surplus land. Her opponent, District 13 Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo Jr., doesn’t have parcels of surplus land that would qualify for the county’s development program.

Housing advocates have been pushing Miami-Dade to create a comprehensive strategy for surplus county land as a way to construct a substantial amount of affordable homes.

‘It needs to be transparent’

“It needs to be transparent. And it needs to be de-politicized,” said Mileyka Burgos-Flores, executive director of the Allapattah Collaborative Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit advocating for economic development in Miami. “Let’s do a strategy, rather than just do it piecemeal.”

While the county’s no-bid $10 deals often involve small lots of modest value, a recent transfer of large parcels sparked controversy and confusion. On Oct. 6, commissioners unanimously approved a $10 transfer of 32 lots valued at $9.8 million to a nonprofit affiliate of developer Palmetto Homes.

Outgoing commission Chairwoman Audrey Edmonson sponsored the transfer to Palmetto Homes Urban Development Group. After the $10 deal received media attention, Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz said he regretted voting for the package.

The county’s Housing Department said three of the parcels shouldn’t have been included because they’re former public housing sites that require federal clearance for a sale. Tuesday’s agenda includes legislation to remove the three lots worth $2.7 million from the deal with Palmetto Homes Urban, a nonprofit partner of Palmetto Homes.

Bradley, who ran for mayor in 2011, did not respond to requests for comment made last week and Monday. Moss and Tashala Knowles, the Palmetto executive listed in county papers as requesting the land, also could not be reached Monday.

There are two deals for Bradley’s Elite Equity. One involves five lots worth $179,000 that Roosevelt said would be developed with Palmetto Homes as a partner. He said the partnership planned to develop a mix of single-family houses and multi-family complexes on the parcels to “create desperately needed housing and homeownership in the County.”

Elite Equity seeking two batches of Miami-Dade land

The other Elite Equity $10 transaction involves a 5-acre lot outside Homestead valued at $1.3 million on county tax rolls. Roosevelt said his company planned to partner with Miami developer Housing Trust Group to build an apartment complex with 200 units charging affordable and workforce rates.

The Elite deals are in a batch of nine proposed $10 sales in what’s scheduled to be the last regular meeting of the commission before Moss, Edmonson and at least four other members of the 13-seat board leave in November. Land sales on the agenda cover about 30 lots, worth roughly $4.7 million.

Miami-Dade’s development program for surplus lots allows developers to sell the county land they purchase, but must keep home prices at $205,000 or below and only consider buyers who meet income criteria set by the county.

If they build rental units, developers retain the revenue but must comply with county rules requiring rent caps and income criteria for tenants.

Habitat plans 70 affordable units near Homestead

For Habitat, the plan is to create about 70 townhomes and duplexes on the 10-acre lot that sits on the other side of county park land from the 5-acre lot sought by Elite Equity. Habitat plans to sell them all under the $205,000 county cap, which is about 45% below the $375,000 median price for Miami-Dade real estate before the COVID crisis skewed monthly sales statistics.

“Our bread and butter has always been single-family homes. but the zoning on that property requires higher density,” said Mario Artecona, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami. “We look forward to creating a combination of multi-family and single-family homes, as we have throughout Miami-Dade County.”