Miami-Dade housing committee urges mayoral waivers and faster contract work to speed affordable projects

The Miami-Dade County Housing Committee on Jan. 14 urged county staff and the mayor's office to waive a two-appraisal requirement and to speed contract negotiations for affordable housing projects, saying the current process is delaying construction of units already selected through competitive procurement.

"This is the first time we have ever built housing using our land on our health facility," Commissioner Arlene Higgins said, praising the Jackson project team while pressing staff to remove procedural barriers. "We have a huge project. It's been awarded. We need to build a parking garage on an empty parking lot. And I have to get an appraisal ... We're not gonna change our decision. We're still gonna build the parking structure for the affordable housing next to it."

Higgins named two projects affected by appraisal or negotiation delays: a parking garage tied to an awarded housing project and Gibson Plaza in District 7. She also said the selection committee had chosen an awardee in November for a project at 1175 Northwest South River Drive but that negotiations had not started; she asked that a fully negotiated contract appear on the March committee agenda.

County attorney Tierney explained the legal basis for the appraisal requirement, stating the county code (2-10.4.2) "requires that when properties are being leased, that are valued over $5,000,000 it requires 2 appraisals unless the mayor provides a written recommendation to the board that the appraisals should be waived," and that the board must find the waiver is in the county's best interest.

Commissioners asked staff to prepare a mayoral memo to waive the appraisals for the two identified items. A staff member said they had just been made aware of the problem and would expedite work with the mayor's office so the memo could be signed; Higgins requested the mayor's memo be executed by Friday and said she expected the items on the February committee agenda. "Please, by Friday, I would like to see the mayor's memo executed," Higgins said.

Several commissioners, including Raquel Regalado, urged a broader review of administrative hurdles ' including appraisals, Information Services & Administration (ISD) reviews, permitting and protracted negotiations ' and suggested the committee examine which requirements can be shortened or removed to speed production of affordable units. Regalado noted a recent board-rule change she authored allowing items that have been publicly heard in committee to proceed to the next board meeting without a separate four-day waiver.

The committee took routine procedural actions at the start of the meeting: a scrivener's error in item 2A was corrected on the record and the agenda was set by voice vote. Administration requested item 3A be waived to the Jan. 22 Board of County Commissioners meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to set the agenda: approved by voice vote (ayes). (Transcript evidence: motion and aye responses.) - Motion to advance non-bifurcated items: approved by voice vote (ayes). - Motion to adjourn: moved and carried.

Why it matters

Commissioners said weeks or months lost in appraisal requirements and protracted contract negotiations reduce the affordability of units by exposing projects to cost escalation. They framed the requested waivers and an administrative review as steps intended to prevent additional delays once projects clear procurement.

What comes next

Staff committed to working with the mayor's office to produce the waiver memo and to expedite the items so they can be scheduled for committee and the board. Commissioner Higgins requested the fully negotiated contract for 1175 Northwest South River Drive be returned to the committee in March.

Sources: meeting transcript of the Miami-Dade County Housing Committee, Jan. 14, 2025.