(Continued from previous page)
assistance, economic development (including micro-lending and business incubators), public facilities, capital improvements, rental housing rehabilitation.
And all that is very worthwhile. But Ladra hopes the commission has some sort of tracking system to ensure that the monies are used as intended. A better tracking system than an identification process, which is obviously flawed.
Read related story: Carlos Gimenez admits overtaxing special taxing districts: ‘So sorry’
Because guess who gets $342,589? The city of Sweetwater, where we have seen monies mismanaged before. Remember those funds that were supposed to go to elderly services but
instead went to pay for SUVs driven by the mayor’s wife and her friend? I wonder what $340,000 will get the mayor’s mama this year.
And the woefully outdated website (think 2007) says the non-profit St. John Community Development Corp uses state grant monies to provide local Overtown businesses managerial and technical assistance, loan packaging and access to capital and facade improvement. The group also built a 35-unit affordable rental housing complex — in 1992. What’s it going to do with $636,000?
And did commissioners know that $1.2 million was going to go to the same address on Northwest 62nd Avenue? Or that the $177,591 for ARCoponics is for a division of the Opa-Locka Community Development Corp that’s already getting $520,180 separately? That’s almost $800,000 for that one group.
And why does BeeFree get $175,000? This is a for-profit company that provides free transportation, mostly in Miami Beach, in electric cars that serve as rolling billboards, making money, supposedly, by selling the advertising. How does this help low-to-moderate-income or underserved community? Doesn’t this just help the owners of BeeFree stay afloat another year or two?
Here is a list, provided by the county, of all the agencies and the funds they are set to receive:
- 79th Street Corridor Neighborhood Initiative, Inc. $49,102
- ARCoponics, LLC $177,591
- Assistance to the Elderly, Inc. $150,000
- Association For Development Of The Exceptional Incorporated $342,589
- Barry University, Inc. $130,696
- BeeFree, LLC $175,000
- Black Economic Development Coalition, Inc. $612,773
- Branches, Inc. $80,000
- Camillus House, Inc. $576,597
- Carrfour Supportive Housing, Inc. $49,984
- Citrus Health Network, Inc. $200,000
- City of Opa-locka $221,917
- City of South Miami $336,000
- City of Sweetwater $342,589
- City of West Miami $125,000
- Dynamics Community Development Corporation $81,233
- EcoTech Visions Foundation Inc. $450,000
- Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida, Inc. $155,000
- Little Haiti Housing Association, Inc. $100,000
- Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, Inc. $360,000
- Neighbors and Neighbors Association, Inc. $612,773
- Opa-locka Community Development Corporation, Inc. $520,180
- OUR Microlending, LLC. $200,000
- Partners for Self-Employment, Inc. $430,000
- Pharma Topcare, Inc. $177,591
- South Florida Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, Inc. $109,974
- St. John Community Development Corporation, Inc. $636,364
- Sundari Foundation Inc. d/b/a/ Lotus House Women’s Shelter $458,839
- Sunrise Opportunities, Inc. $96,515
- TA Medical Group, Inc. $175,000
Ladra is certain that some of this is money is well-intentioned. But I am almost as certain that there are some turkeys tucked in. Help the commission identify them if you can, before HUD Director Julian Castro catches wind of it.
And let’s make certain that these are not additional funds the county will have to repay the federal government next year.
