County commissioner wants to qualify by petition
For everyone still whispering that Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins might blink at giving up three safe years on the county dais for a risky run at Miami’s top job — stop. It’s done. There’s no room for doubts now.
Higgins submitted her resignation letter as a county elected, as required by law, effective Nov. 5. Which means she’s officially burned the lifeboats.
“I am deeply humbled and honored by the opportunity to run for Mayor of the City of Miami at a time when our community stands at a crossroads and residents are yearning for meaningful reform and real results,” Higgins wrote in the letter sent Monday to Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Juan Fernandez-Barquin and Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, knowing that it would be quoted in stories like this.
“For nearly eight years, it has been my privilege to serve the residents of Miami-Dade County’s District 5, representing the communities of Miami and Miami Beach,” Higgins wrote. “I am profoundly grateful for the trust and confidence that my constituents have placed in me throughout my service, and I will always treasure the opportunity to have served as their county commissioner.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
“While it is with mixed emotions that I resign my post, I do so with immense gratitude for the honor of serving the residents of D District 5,” Higgins added. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the residents of the City of Miami as their next Mayor. I bring with me a proven track record of accomplishments, a deep commitment to our community, and a readiness to deliver real results for all who call Miami home.”
Higgins, who Little Havana seniors lovingly call “La Gringa” since she first ran in 2018, also announced that she will qualify for the Miami mayoral ballot the hard way: by petition. Her campaign turned in more than 3,000 signed petitions, topping the 2,048 needed, and making a big show of “grassroots momentum” in the process.
“Qualifying by petition takes people — volunteers, neighbors, and supporters across Miami — who believe in our vision and are willing to act on it,” Higgins said. “That’s exactly what this campaign represents: a movement of residents determined to restore trust, deliver results, and make Miami work for all of us.”
Translation: She wants voters to see her as the anti-Carollo, the antidote to dysfunction at City Hall. The clean, ethical alternative who actually gets stuff done. Her press shop even mentioned her record on affordable housing, small businesses, transit and Biscayne Bay — all of which sound a lot better than what the circus clowns over on Flagler Street are doing right now.
Read related: Miami-Dade’s Eileen Higgins gets $250K for new Miami mayoral race PAC
But let’s be clear: She is abandoning her constituency three years before the end of her term and during a financial crisis with a looming budget shortfall and the consequences of that (fewer services, more fees), which she is going to vote on in the next couple of months — and then disappear. The county will likely have a special election to replace her — three years is too long for an appointee — which will cost the county more. Work that into your budget, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
Still, this is a gamble. Higgins had three more guaranteed years in office as the county commission’s senior member. Now she’s chasing history as Miami’s first woman mayor, with fewer than 75 days to make her case citywide.
The field is crowded. But she’s an immediate favorite. A recent poll indicated that the election, if held today, would end in a runoff between Higgins and former City Manager Emilio González, who has been hailed a hero for saving the election with his lawsuit. Gonzalez sued the city to stop the change, by ordinance, of election dates from odd-numbered to even-numbered years, which would have effectively cancelled this year’s mayoral race. He was the only one who took the challenge to court. But that hasn’t stopped Higgins from fundraising off the court’s decision to find the change unconstitutional because there wasn’t a public vote, as required by city and county charter.
There is a clusterbunch of other hopefuls gunning for the certain runoff that includes former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell and former Miami Commissioner and onetime Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez. Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who was suspended after his arrest on public corruption charges in 2023 (charges were dropped last year) — have threatened to run.
The others who have indicated they are running are Laura Anderson, Christian Cevallos, Alyssa Crocker, Ijamyn Gray, Michael Hepburn, Max Martinez and June Savage. But qualification doesn’t start until Sept. 5. It ends Sept. 20. And then we’ll really know how crowded this party is.
Higgins, 61, will need more than good government talking points to survive Miami’s trench warfare politics — where money, mailers and whisper campaigns can flip a race overnight.
Read related: Eileen Higgins pressures Sierra Club and Ken Russell resigns as lobbyist
Still, qualifying by petition instead of checkbook is a smart optic. It gives Higgins her “people-powered” storyline and undercuts critics who call her the establishment choice.
“I am proud to say that the community is behind me and I am ready to get to work,” Higgins said in an Instagram post earlier this month.
Now the question becomes: Can she turn that petition energy into votes come November? Or will she be remembered as the commissioner who left a safe seat for a shot at City Hall glory — and came up short?
Stay tuned. Miami loves a political novela, and this one just turned the page.
The post Eileen Higgins officially resigns Miami-Dade seat to run for Miami mayor appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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A new political action committee for the Eileen Higgins campaign for Miami mayor raised $250,000 in its first quarter, showing heavy support from real estate developers, engineering firms, lobbyists — and a political committee that tried to elect James Reyes to Miami-Dade sheriff.
Ethical Leadership for Miami filed its first paperwork on March 24, a little more than a week before Higgins filed paperwork for the mayoral race in April. Its chairman is Christian Ulvert, Higgins’ campaign manager. The total contributions through the end of June was $250,700. Her mayoral campaign picked up another $88,325, for a total of just under $340K. The reports combined show that Higgins had also spent $132,000 as of June 30.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
The top donors to her PAC so far are:

$50,000 through four different entities that gave $12,500 each from the real estate developer Related Companies, will need the county’s green light for its plan to build two towers with affordable and workforce housing, a hotel and shops in front of Jackson Memorial Hospital in the city’s health district.
$40,000 (in three separate contributions) from Miami-Dade Safe & Secure PC, a PAC that Ulvert used last year for the James Reyes campaign for sheriff
$25,000 from pharmaceutical heiress, Coral Gables resident and super blue donor Barbara Stiefel
$15,000 from real estate development firm PWV Group 1 Holdings, LLC, which manages the Miami Worldcenter site
$10,000 from developer Morgan Sirlin, vice president at Adler Development
$10,000 from LSN partners, a heavy hitting lobbying firm headed by Alex Heckler and Michael Llorente
$8,000 from four firms with the same address tied to Terra Development CEO David Martin
$5,000 from Alex Heckler as an individual
$5,000 from lobbyist Manuel “Manny” Prieguez, a former state rep
$5,000 from Alfonso Costa, COO of Falcone Group, which develops and manages mixed use projects

The bulk of expenditures have been $51,000 for consulting, production of campaign materials, outreach and staffing through Ulvert’s firms, $31,980 for direct mail, campaign materials and a digital buy through MDW Communications, or Michael Worley — who also conducted a poll last month — and $17,112 for fundraising and events.
The report also shows a reimbursement of $2,568 to Higgins and Maggie Fernandez, her chief of staff at the county, for airfare and accommodations and transportation for the Democratic Party’s Blue Gala. But it was at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, so they could have driven.
There are ten other candidates who have filed paperwork to run for mayor Nov. 4 election, including, most notably, former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez. Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who was arrested in 2023 on public corruption charges that were dropped last year — are both threatening to run but haven’t filed anything And Congressman Carlos Gimenez and Miami-Dade Commission Raquel Regalado are rumored to be interested but playing possum.
Qualifying isn’t over until Sept. 20. But it’s enough a clown car already.

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Miami doesn’t have Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera anymore on weekday morning radio to let us know what’s really happening at the county, the different municipalities, the state and the country. But, hey, we have Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo every day at 10 a.m. on America Radio Miami 1260 AM to feed us lies.
As if he didn’t already drone on — on and on and on — during commission meetings.
Carollo, who is threatening to run for Miami mayor, gets an hour Monday through Friday to blast his enemies and support his friends — including recently elected Miami Commissioner Ralph “Rafael” Rosado, whose campaign Carollo coordinated — in a show he calls Miami Al Dia. The program sits in between the three-hour programs of Emmy Award winning journalists Sandra Peebles, before, and Carines Moncada, after.
They must be livid.
How is it okay for a politician to have an hourly morning radio show to use for electioneering and political retaliation? It’s basically an hour long ad and there’s no disclaimer. His communications director, Karen Caballero, who is paid $115,043 a year from city taxes, sits there in the radio studio with him, though it’s hard to figure out why, since this is not part of his city job or her city job. Caballero — the same staffer who tricked Ladra into coming to the district office to get served with a subpoena as a witness in a case brought by the mayor of a neighboring city — is the blonde on the bottom left corner in the photo below.
Neither of them responded to several calls and texts for comment.

Remember, this is the same guy who was found by a jury to have violated the First Amendment rights of two Little Havana businessmen by weaponizing the city’s code enforcement against them. He lost and was ordered to pay a $63.5 million. One could say he is now weaponizing the airwaves.
Carollo used the space and time to attack Jose Regalado — who ran against his puppet candidate, Rosado — and the whole Regalado family (including the candidate’s sister, Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, and their father, former Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, now the county property appraiser). He made scurrilous and baseless allegations about every single one of them, calling them communists and associates of drug traffickers.
The commissioner has also used the airtime to blast other candidates who are or are threatening to run for Miami mayor, including Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who has filed paperwork, and former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who is just bluffing. He called Portilla’s campaign stunt — handing out fruit to high priority elderly voters — Operation Mamey and called Higgins a Marxist Johnny Come Lately pandering to Hispanic voters (same ol’, same ol’).
Read related: Ralph Rosado and Joe Carollo beat Jose Regalado in Miami D4 special election
“They learned Spanish with JustiLanguage. And all of a sudden they want to be mayor,” he said, referring to what is actually an English instruction school in Westchester. He could have been including former City Commissioner Ken Russell, who has also filed paperwork and has shown pretty fluent and locally nuanced Español on recent interviews and social media posts.
Carollo also calls former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, who served in the U.S. Army for 26 years, including a stint as a military attache with the Defense Intelligence Agency and who has also filed paperwork, “Coronel Chiringa” (or Col. Smallshit in English), and former Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, who keeps getting mentioned in polls, a liar.
Gonzalez said it’s not the first time Carollo nicknames him and he doesn’t care. He doesn’t listen to the show. I don’t think anybody does,” Gonzalez told Political Cortadito.
The station’s program director told Ladra that they are between Nielsen contracts and are not currently measuring their ratings with listeners. How convenient. However, one of the recordings last week has 68 views on YouTube — and that’s over five days.
Colina lives in Miami Lakes and, as such, is not running for mayor, despite being named in some polls. He also doesn’t listen to Carollo’s propaganda and doesn’t care. “It would be concerning to me if it was a more respectable person,” Colina told Ladra. “A vast majority of the people know who Carollo is and know that the majority of the things that come out of his mouth are inaccurate or biased or just self-serving.”
Current colleagues also mentioned. Carollo is all aglow about Rosado, going on and on Wednesday about his “illustrious” swearing in on Tuesday. But two of them are regularly skewered: Commissioners Damian Pardo and Miguel Gabela. Carollo has gone so far as to call Gabela’s wife “La Llorona” — or the crybaby — after the woman showed up to a commission meeting and emotionally testified about being harassed and watched by Carollo and his goons. He also played a song by the same name.
It seems a bit childish at times. Like a high schooler podcasting in his garage.
Read related: Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo to lose appeal on $63.5 million judgement
The commissioner DJ also sometimes fills the space with this-day-in-history anecdotes. One recent Thursday, it was the anniversary of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run and also the release of both the movie Dancing with Wolves and the album The Joshua Tree. He played a little U2 that day, but he daily airs what must be theme songs of old western TV shows, like Bonanza.
He once played the theme to The Godfather on the day Marlon Brando was born. But he just had to mention how former Police Chief Art Acevedo — another regular target of Carollo’s — called the commission a mafia. He marked the birthdays of actor Doris Day, and singer Miguel Bose (he played “Amante Bandido”) and wishes people a Happy Feast Day on occasion.
On the day that Richard Nixon died, Carollo talked about meeting him and getting a campaign check for one of his campaigns. “It’s part of the memory I lived that nobody can take away from me.”
But he always has time for the rants. And when there’s not an election that he’s trying to influence, Carollo is always “reporting” on the undercover activity of the hidden Sandinistas and Chavistas in our midst, alleging that anyone who crosses him is laundering money for the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela. He also constantly rages against the leftist Democrats trying to gain control of the city and hails President Donald Trump, trying to position himself as the Trump candidate in the mayoral election (But so is Diaz de la Portilla, who can’t stop campaigning on the “injustice” of the public corruption charges against him in 2023).
Carollo says on his show that the attempt to move the elections to November of next year is a scheme by “extreme leftist Democrats who want to get control of the city of Miami… by creating Biden districts.” He says any proposal to increase the number of districts is also a Democrat plot. And the lifetime term limits are an attempt to stop him from exposing the real corruption in the city.
In other words, Miami Al Dia is a lot like Carollo himself: There’s a conspiracy everywhere.
Ladra hates to admit this, but it makes for good radio. It’s very entertaining when Carollo gets all hot and bothered and starts to raise his voice in what definitely sounds like practiced outrage. His prolonged silences are just as dramatic. It’s radio theater from the golden age of radio. But it’s bad for you. Like drugs. Ladra might need an intervention.
It’s not the most responsible broadcast.
Luis Gutierrez, the program director for America Noticias Radio Miami, said that Carollo is not paid for his time nor does he pay for the hour himself. Gutierrez says that the commercials he brings pay for the hour and that if Ladra can secure $1,400 per show, or $20K a month, she could have one, too (which is a great idea Mr. Mike Fernandez! Let’s dare them to do it!)
Other sources, and just plain common sense, indicate that this is a quid pro quo for the $150,000 that Carollo had the city paid America TeVe, which was affiliated with America Radio Miami, to cover the New Year’s Eve bash at Bayfront Park. The money came out of the Bayfront Park Management Trust, where there is already an investigation into the commissioner’s alleged misspending of public funds for his private or political gain (same thing).
Read related: Miami paid $150K for one long Joe Carollo commercial on New Year’s Eve
In addition, the commissioner’s wife, Marjorie Carollo, is reportedly the “agent” who buys the air time, meaning she gets a commission, which is usually 15%. That means that if Carollo’s political action committee spent $500,000 on radio ads on the show, which could be a conservative guess, the couple got $75,000 in commission 0ver the 43-day election cycle for the special election that ended June 3. Nice little gig, right?
Gutierrez said he did run it through legal and Carollo’s airtime doesn’t violate any federal rules, “as long as he’s off he air by September,” which is when and if Carollo qualifies for the mayor’s race. If the commission doesn’t move it to 2026 (more on that later).
In the meantime, “If an opposing candidate wants equal time, we’ll take the money. I don’t have a problem with that,” Gutierrez told Political Cortadito. “This is straight business for me. I’m not on the right. I’m not on the left. I’m bipartisan — as long as the money keeps coming in.”
Ladra asked him if she could have an hour of time some mornings if Political Cortadito got enough commercial sponsors to pay $20,000 a month. That’s apparently the value of the “freebie” time Carollo is getting on the air. Could it be considered an “in-kind” donation to his campaign?
Gutierrez said he would have to ask Carlos Vasallo, the owner of the station, who is really good pals with Carollo, if they would put me on the air.
“I run the station but I don’t set the rules. And I would have to filter that through him,” Gutierrez said.
There will be an update when he gets back to me. But Ladra is not holding her breath.
Would you like to hear Ladra on the air? Give equal time to the truth and help unmask these liars on the air and in elected office? Help with a contribution to Political Cortadito. All funds will go to amplify the content here in every way possible. Thank you for your support!
The post Commissioner Joe Carollo freelances as ‘Miami Al Dia’ morning AM radio host appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who lost a tough Republican primary for Miami-Dade Sheriff last August, is “seriously considering” the commission race in District 5, now that Commissioner Eileen Higgins has announced her Miami mayoral run. It would pit him against former State Rep. and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson.
He is absolutely not running for Miami mayor, as was rumored during the campaign for sheriff. “I was never interested in the Miami mayor position. I always said that,” Sanchez told Political Cortadito Tuesday.
Sanchez has been strongly encouraged, practically pressured, to run by several friends and supporters, several homeowner associations, and his American Legion buddies who want to see a veteran on the commission dais.
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
“None of our commissioners are veterans,” said Hector Schwerert, a vet who is 70% disabled and having a harder time every day surviving on his social security and retirement benefits.
“We want someone who really knows us and feels our pain. We need someone who understands our issues and knows our problems,” Schwerert said, citing the rising number of veterans who are finding themselves homeless.
A number of other sources told Ladra that Sanchez has been seeking financial support commitments before he announces. He could also be hesitant after the bruising he took last year in the Republican primary for the first elected Miami-Dade sheriff in six decades. It was a bitterly fought campaign and Sanchez took a lot of hits before eventually losing to Rosie Cordero-Stutz, in a crowded field of 11 candidates with 22% of the vote. Cordero-Stutz, who ended up winning the general and is now our sheriff, got 24%.
Is Sanchez — who took a leave of absence from his job at the Florida Highway Patrol to campaign but is now nearing retirement — ready to put himself out there again?
“That’s something me and my wife will decide when the time comes,” he said. But he is not jumping the gun. He said he wants to see what Higgins will do first.
Higgins filed her candidate’s oath and campaign account information on April 2 with the intent to run for Miami mayor, but not everyone believes it. La Gringa would have to resign to run and give up two more years of county government, where she is the senior lawmaker, for a very risky race against, we think, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who Higgins already beat once, but not citywide — and former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, as well as a few other candidates. She has until September to qualify.
Read related: David Richardson seeks to replace Eileen Higgins on county commission
“If it does open up, I would be interested in running,” Sanchez said. “If that were to happen, yes, I’d probably run in District 5, a district I’ve lived in my whole life, a district I represented as a city commissioner.”
Joe Sanchez posted on social media last year that he was happy to be back at work after the sheriff’s campaign.
But would September be too late?
Richardson, who lost a constitutional race of his own in November — for tax collector to Dariel Fernandez — has already filed paperwork intending to run for the commission seat should Higgins bail. There’s no special election set yet — and there will have to be one if it’s not in November because there are three years left in Higgins’ term. So he’s filed for the 2028 race, but that can easily be changed if Higgins jumps.
That means Richardson could have a significant advantage in fundraising and connecting with voters if Sanchez waits until September.
There may also be other candidates that decide to jump in, say, another Hispanic candidate to force a runoff. Knowing Miami and its penchant for politicos reciclados, we may still get a Renier Diaz de la Portilla, who lost a the 2020 race against Higgins but came too close for comfort with 48% of the vote. Or, say, former county commissioner Bruno Barreiro — who used to sit in that seat but resigned to run for Congress (he lost) — or his wife, Zoraida, who ran against Higgins in the 2018 special election to replace Mr. Barreiro and lost with 47% of the vote.
We still have 144 days til the qualifying deadline at 6 p.m. on Sept. 20.
The post Joe Sanchez ‘seriously considering’ run for Miami-Dade Commission in D5 appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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Magnum Brickell, Quail Roost Station add 600+ units
As the White House considers major cuts to federal housing programs, like Section 8, for next year’s budget, according to the New York Times, Miami-Dade is making strides in providing more affordable units through transit-oriented developments.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Kionne McGhee will celebrate the grand opening Thursday of the first phase of Quail Roost Station, a 200-unit development that brings affordable housing for seniors to Cutler Bay (in the featured photo above).
Next week, the same duo will preside over the groundbreaking of the new and improved Homestead Gardens Phase I, the first part of a new affordable housing community being developed through the conversion of an existing aging affordable complex that was built in Homestead in 1977.
This comes on the heels last week of the opening of Magnus Brickell, touted as the largest single-phase mixed-income venture in the county — at least so far. The 465-residences are available for rent at blended affordable housing, workforce housing and market-rate housing rates, and is a public-private partnership between Related Urban, the county’s housing and community development department and Miami-Dade Public Schools.
And last month, developers broke ground on the 47-acre Upland Park, a transit-oriented, mixed use project that is expected to transform the Dolphin Park-and-Ride terminal into a major multimodal transit hub. It will have more than 2,000 mid-rise and garden-style apartments, 282,000 square feet of retail and 414,000 square feet of commercial space near Doral.
“Upland Park is a prime example of how we are continuing to build a better community for all and a future-ready Miami-Dade County,” Levine Cava said last month. “Located alongside the 836 Expressway, which features a dedicated bus lane, this development will provide residents with seamless and efficient transit options, further integrating smart mobility solutions into our growing region.”
Read related: Doral seeks input on update to city transit plan, expanded trolley service
There are at least three more transit-oriented projects in the pipeline including Meridian Point at Goulds Station, which broke ground in January and will be funded with $2.6 million in surtax funds. The development offers 113 apartments in two, buildings — a seven-story, 80-unit building and a three-story 33-unit “garden building” — for families with incomes ranging from 30% to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Sixty-eight units are reserved for families currently residing at the nearby Cutler Manor Apartments, which is slated for redevelopment into a mixed-income affordable community.
“These developments provide public transportation connections to employment centers, schools, arts and culture, and healthcare, making it easier for residents to access essential services and opportunities,” Levine Cava has said.
In Downtown Miami
Located in the heart of Brickell, the Magnus project, at 201 SW 10th St., is unique for workforce housing in that it features top-tier amenities such as an expansive sun deck, resort-style swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, pet-friendly spaces, a podcast studio, Wi-Fi-enabled co-working spaces, and panoramic views of the iconic Brickell skyline.
All for rents starting at under $300 a month!
That’s the starting rate for some, depending on resident income, of the 93 affordable or low-income housing units that were built under the Rental Assistance Demonstration program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Claudia Gonzalez, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who attended the opening. “In RAD, units move to a Section 8 platform with a long-term contract that, by law, must be renewed in perpetuity,” the HUD website says. “A Use Agreement is also recorded under RAD further enforcing HUD’s long-term interest. This ensures that the units remain permanently affordable to low-income households.”
The building also has 70 workforce housing units for folks making 120% Area Medium Income (AMI) and below — so maximum salary for residents is $95,400 for one person — which seems like a lot — and $108,960 combined for two people, which sounds much more “workforce” to Ladra than $95K for one. The AMI is set yearly by US HUD and is currently at $79,400 in Miami-Dade.
Rents are listed between $2,783 and $4,720 on the realtor.com website. The marketplace rates are what allows such quality affordable housing, officials say.
“This project is about creating homes for families who need them the most,” Commissioner Higgins said in a statement. “With 93 units for very low-income residents and 70 for workforce families, we are taking a big step toward ensuring that everyone in our community, regardless of income, has access to a place they can truly call home.
“Located just steps away from transit options, Magnus Brickell connects residents to better job opportunities, healthcare, and schools. And with a new K-8 school right next door, it’s the perfect place for children and families to thrive,” said Higgins, who is running (maybe) for Miami mayor. “This is what progress looks like, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
She was a little too effusive of the developers: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to Related Group for being exceptional partners in this endeavor,” Higgins said in her statement. “Their dedication to getting things done is inspiring, and we look forward to continuing our work together on future projects that will further address our County’s housing needs.”
In South Miami-Dade
Quail Roost Station is a six-phase redevelopment plan alongside the Bus Rapid Transit busway parallel to U.S. 1. Approved by the county commission WHEN, it is supposed to be an example transit oriented development for seniors. It is connected via a covered walkway to the brand-new BRT station on Southwest 184th Street, one of the new 14 BRT stations along the South Dade TransitWay, where service is scheduled to start this summer. Phase one is done and phase two broke ground in August 2024 with expected completion by end of this year.
Located on approximately 2.3 or 8.5 acres on SW 184th Street, just west of U.S. 1, Quail Roost Station, at 18505 Homestead Ave., will eventually provide 200 units for seniors and their families. According to a Miami-Dade County press release, there will be 33 studios, 132 one-bedrooms, 23 two-bedrooms, 8 three-bedrooms, 3 four-bedrooms, and 1 five-bedroom apartments. The property features a community room, business center, fitness center, and on-site laundry facilities.
There may also be adult literacy classes, employment assistance, and financial management program classes will also be offered to residents on site.
All affordable housing units are set at 22% to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). That means that rental prices, today, would range from $737 – $2,065.
Studies have consistently shown that residents of affordable and workforce housing use public transit at a higher rate than the general population.
“With this transit-oriented community, we are not just building a structure, we’re building a future that honors our older adults,” Levine Cava said in a statement when the county broke ground last August. “Quail Roost Station will stand as a testament to our commitment to creating spaces where older adults can thrive, and where accessibility, connection, and care come together.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Kionne McGhee at last year’s groundbreaking for Quail Roost Station.
“This is more than just a development. It’s a promise to support and enrich the lives of those who have laid the foundation for our community,” Levine Cava said.
McGhee, who was not an early fan of BRT, could not be reached for comment.
Read related: Kionne McGhee pulls the brakes on Miami-Dade BRT for South corridor
Miami-based Atlantic Pacific Communities has a deal to lease the site from, the county, which in 2020 approved $5 million in monies from the Documentary Stamp Surtax Program, named for the stamp of approval applied to local property transfers.
“Quail Roost Station is another signal that transit-oriented communities, which are also affordable communities, are on the rise and very much needed,” said Kenneth Naylor, president of development for Atlantic Pacific Communities, in a statement.
In the city of Homestead
Homestead Gardens Phase I apartments will consist of 162 residences at 1542 SW 4th Street, where the old Homestead Gardens (or Gardens of Homestead)  is now. Half the units are under the RAD program, which replaces existing public housing units one-for-one with Section 8 “project-based voucher units meant for returning public housing residents and qualifying residents with incomes of 30% and 50% of the AMI in Miami-Dade County. The other half will be affordable and mixed-income housing units.
This residential community, expected to open by the end of 2026, will be built with sustainable materials and systems and will be green certified. Amenities will include a community room for residents — which will have a heating kitchen — a gym, bicycle storage room, outdoor playground and community gardens. All apartments will include central air conditioning systems and washer and dryers.
What? No podcast studio?
This project is the first of three phases that Miami-Dade County and DBC Procida are working on to redevelop the 150 units of Miami-Dade County managed affordable public housing located at the existing Homestead Gardens campus. These photos show the old, outdated complex and the new, modern one.

Homestead Gardens got $2 million from county surtax funding and $2 million from the county HOME program funds. The project also includes Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity sourced through National Equity Fund, a construction loan from Bank of America, and Freddie Mac permanent financing through Greystone.
Elsewhere in Miami-Dade
Platform 3750 is at 3750 South Dixie Highway, on 2.1 acres leased from the county near the Douglas Road Metrorail Station. Developed by Hollywood-based Cornerstone Group and its partners, it has 113 market rate and 78 affordable apartments, 222,950 square feet of retail space, and 27,500 square feet of office space. It is eight stories tall and includes a pedestrian bridge to the Metrorail station. Amenities also include a rooftop pool and an interior drop off area, an on-site Aldi and an on-site Starbuck’s. Commissioners approved giving that project $6.5 million from the county’s surtax dollars.
District 7 has added 850 affordable housing units to the inventory in the last four years, said Commissioner Raquel Regalado. Another 800 or so have been or are being rehabilitated. “We all know that it’s getting more difficult of rising land costs, rising labor costs and construction materials,” Regalado said. “But ensuring families have access to safe, stable, and affordable homes is key to strengthening our community.”

Metro Grande III Apartments, located at 2005 West Okeechobee Road, near the Okeechobee Metrorail Station in Hialeah, has 202 senior housing units, 84 workforce housing units and 3,189 square feet of retail. Cornerstone Group also leased this property from the county, which committed $2 million from the surtax monies to fund it. Miami-Dade has wanted to turn this 1.5 acres into housing for more than two decades.
These projects not only address the housing crisis in Miami-Dade, officials say, they are also offering commercial and community space that address the needs of the area’s residents.

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Former State House Rep. and Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson, a Democrat who lost last year’s tax collector race, filed paperwork on Wednesday to run for Miami-Dade Commission in District 5, where Eileen Higgins sits now. Higgins announced earlier this month that she was going to run for Miami mayor.
Richardson, who did not make any public announcement or issue any press release on his candidacy, told Political Cortadito in a text message late Thursday that he would talk about it on Friday.
Higgins announced her candidacy on April 2, about an hour or so after it was posted on Political Cortadito that she intended to do so. She has joined a crowded field of declared candidates that include former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell, former City Manager Emilio Gonzalez, perennial candidates Max Martinez, Michael Hepburn and June Savage, and someone named Ijamyn Joseph Gray. Not declared but campaigning anyway are Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo and former Miami Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla. Who knows? There may be a surprise.
“I love this city, and I’m running for Mayor to get things done — because I believe in the power of public service to improve people’s lives,” Higgins said in a statement. “From affordable housing to transit to thriving small businesses, I’ve delivered results that matter. As Mayor, I’ll continue doing what I’ve always done: listening to our community, solving problems, and making sure Miami works for everyone who calls our city home.
“Our residents want a city where they can build a future, raise a family, and count on local government to get the job done – that’s the leadership I bring,” she continued. “As your County Commissioner, I’ve been proud to fight for our community and deliver real results. Now, I’m ready to bring that momentum to City Hall – clearing obstacles for residents and small businesses, and creating a city that’s affordable, connected, and full of opportunity.”
Read related: Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins could join Miami Mayor’s race
Lots of names have been kicked around as potential replacements for Higgins on the county dais. In addition to Richardson, las malas lenguas say there could be interest from former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who lost the Republican primary for Miami-Dade Sheriff last year, and former Pinecrest Councilwoman Anna Hochkammer, executive director of Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition — a political committee focused on reproductive rights — who recently moved into the district with her boyfriend, former Congressman Joe Garcia.
Richardson was first elected to the Florida House in 2012, one of the first two openly gay members of the legislature (the other was Joe Saunders of Orlando). In 2014, Richardson was re-elected to his second term in the legislature without opposition. In 2016, he got 64% of the vote in a district that was 60% Hispanic. In 2019, he was elected city commissioner in Miami Beach.
In between he bounced around with attempts to run for state senate and for state House again in a redrawn district.
Last Nov. 5, Richardson, a forensic accountant by profession, lost the tax collector’s race to Dariel Fernandez, who won with 56%, in what was really a Trump Train for the Republican candidates in all the constitutional offices. His consultant is Christian Ulvert, who is also the campaign and political consultant for Eileen Higgins, keeping it all in the family.
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The post David Richardson seeks to replace Eileen Higgins on county commission appeared first on Political Cortadito.

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