Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is aiming to expand her real estate initiatives amid flak from the opposing political party.
Levine Cava highlighted her administration’s efforts to make permitting more accessible, spur more construction of affordable and workforce housing and provide financial assistance to condo owners facing steep special assessments during her state-of-the-county address this week.
She is facing a recall petition led by one of her political opponents, Cuban American social media influencer Alex Otaola. Otaola lost to Levine Cava, placing third in an August 2024 election that the incumbent won by a landslide.
The county’s Republican Party is supporting the recall effort against Levine Cava, a Democrat, through social media, paid ads and a website to promote the petition, which needs to be signed by at least 4 percent of Miami-Dade’s 1.6 million registered voters to trigger an election.
However, Levine Cava will surely count on South Florida’s real estate industry to financially back efforts to tamp down the recall.
During her 2024 campaign, roughly a quarter of the $4.6 million her political action committee raised prior to the August election came from 17 real estate developers and commercial property investors, finance reports analyzed by The Real Deal show.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin gave the largest contribution, with a $500,000 donation. Recently, the county approved plans for his firm Citadel’s planned high-rise headquarters in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood.
Levine Cava’s PAC collected $110,000 between October and December with half of the funds donated by real estate developers, a campaign finance report shows.
Since she was first elected in 2020, the county has added 9,000 affordable and workforce housing units, and it will aim to add 12,000 more by the time she leaves office in 2028, Levine Cava said during her speech.
Her administration has negotiated deals with developers to build mixed-income projects on county-owned land, including agreements to redevelop dilapidated public housing sites. The mayor identified two projects, Gallery at River Parc and Brisas del Rio, by Coconut Grove-based Related Group as examples of her efforts.
“What was once outdated, public housing is now a walkable, mixed income community with more homes, shops, green spaces and support services,” Levine Cava said. “But there’s still more work to do. I directed our housing team to identify vacant county land that can be transformed into housing.”
Levine Cava highlighted permitting kiosks placed around the county to help small businesses cut through bureaucratic hurdles, and a program that provides financing to condo owners who don’t have funds to pay for special assessments. During the speech, she pointed to Harrison Bloom, a constituent in the audience who opened a frozen yogurt store in Miami Beach.
“Harrison ran into familiar problems,” Levine Cava said. “His plans were stalled by red tape, and city and county permitting. Through our new Strive 305 permitting kiosks, Harrison was able to complete all his permits in just 16 days.”
The special assessment assistance program has provided a combined $53 million in interest-free loans to nearly 2,000 households in Miami-Dade, Levine Cava said.