A group of 50 doctors, carpenters, pastors and construction workers crammed into the reception hall of a Baptist church in Little River Wednesday night to demand one thing: development that works for everyone.
They represent a swath of nonprofits and labor advocates that have joined forces to form a coalition they call: "Build a Better Miami."
Their target is one of the largest redevelopment projects in Miami's history.
The Coconut Grove-based developer Swerdlow Group is spearheading a proposed 64-acre redevelopment of county-owned public housing in Miami's Little River and Little Haiti neighborhoods.
The project — which includes affordable housing, new green space, big box stores like Home Depot and a new Tri-Rail station — is projected to cost about $2.6 billion and at least 10 years to complete. Miami-Dade County expects to receive close to $9.5 billion in revenue from it over a 99-year lease term.
The Miami-Dade County Commission's Housing Committee is expected to vote on an agreement with Swerdlow Group on Tuesday, March 11 at 2 p.m.
In the face of such a gargantuan deal that looks to change the face of Miami, the labor groups hope that the area's residents and the workers involved aren't left behind.
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"I've seen homes go from $150,000 to $600,000. How do you expect us to survive in this city nowadays? Let us reach a term of agreement and say, 'are we not human?'" said Alexander Jiron, council organizer for the Florida Carpenters Regional Council.
The coalition aims to expand protections for workers and local businesses in the proposed redevelopment. Ahead of next Tuesday's vote, they're asking commissioners to include the following priorities in a "Community Benefits Agreement" with the developers:
- Responsible subcontractors who protect construction workers on the project.
- Heat protections for workers during construction.
- More affordable housing for people who make less than $90,000 a year.
- Living wages for the jobs created by the new development.
- A grant fund for local businesses to keep them from being displaced.
Michael Swerdlow told the Miami Herald last month that he believes the project meets all of the county's bid requirements.
The developers propose to create up to 5,730 housing units, which will include a mix of affordable housing and workforce housing. Workforce housing is defined as anything that's affordable for households that make less than 140% of the Area Median Income, or about $110,000 for a single person.
"Workforce is just out of reach for so many members of our community. Construction workers that are part of our organization are typically making less than $40,000 a year," said Zaina Alsous, the Miami director of WeCount!, a labor advocacy nonprofit. "The same workers who are building our housing won't be able to afford these apartments."
Build a Better Miami wants the developers to create more units that are affordable for people at low incomes who make 80% or less of the Area Median Income.
They also want Swerdlow Group to commit to requiring their subcontractors to protect construction workers on the project.
A survey by WeCount! found that hundreds of construction workers in Miami couldn't afford rent, groceries or basic necessities. A number of workers also experienced wage theft, and said they were not afforded employer-sponsored health insurance.
"I've seen many abuses, including wage theft, mistreatment of workers and workplace accidents," said Ariel Solano in Spanish.
Solano worked as a carpenter on another of Swerdlow Group's affordable housing projects in Miami: Block 55. He said the subcontractor he worked for rushed workers to finish ahead of schedule, which led to accidents and exhaustion. He also said he did not receive a paycheck for two weeks worth of work.
Solano said he spoke with Swerdlow Group about these abuses and they were unaware. He and other members of Build a Better Miami hope that the county commission will build safeguards into the development agreement so subcontractors won't be allowed to mistreat workers.
The developer's existing proposal already includes a Community Benefits Agreement. They propose giving job and rental preferences to Miami-Dade residents, scholarships to Miami Dade College for public housing residents and swimming pools in buildings with public housing units. County Commissioners can amend the agreement to include more community benefits before they approve it.
If approved by the Housing Committee at its public meeting next Tuesday, the final vote on the development agreement will still need to be approved by the full county commission.
