The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office is reviewing a 50-year-old co-op in Miami's Overtown neighborhood, following WLRN's reporting on a conflict between its residents and leadership board.
The SAO confirmed to WLRN that its Economic Crimes Division is looking into Town Park Village, a co-op populated by mostly Black and low-income residents.
Last month, WLRN reported that the co-op, which was built in the 1970s, is in a serious state of disrepair, and the residents feel at odds with the board that makes decisions for the complex.
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The board put the 147-unit complex up for sale last November without first notifying the residents, who own shares in the property. Town Park Village was up for sale for $38 million before the listing was taken down on May 2. The property also received an $18 million grant from the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency to renovate two thirds of the units, but almost all of that money has been spent on repairs for only a fraction of the projected units.
The co-op is located in Overtown, where gentrification and rising rents threaten to displace residents in what was once a thriving Black community that was torn apart by the construction of Interstate 95.
A spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office said their investigators are interviewing people about what’s happening at the co-op and reviewing documents to find out more, following WLRN’s initial reporting.
Bernice Slater, whose mother, Lillian, has been a longtime resident and leader at Town Park Village, said she’s grateful that authorities have started taking an interest in the co-op.
“Oh Jesus, thank you,” Slater told WLRN. “They haven’t called me yet but I’ve been waiting to hear from them.”
The Economic Crimes Division investigates public assistance fraud, elder abuse and a variety of crimes related to condominium management, according to the State Attorney's Office website.
An attorney for Town Park Village’s board did not respond to WLRN’s request for comment.
