jhvillacorta@miami.gov
James Villacorta
Executive Director
City of Miami SEOPW CRA, et al
45 NW 5th St
Miami, FL 33136
HAND DELIVERED
Re: Temporary Grant request to secure and clean up properties located at 1020 NW 2nd
Ave and 1024 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, Fl 33136 under CRA Jurisdiction
Dear Mr. Villacorta:
You continue to state publically the reasons for requesting the demolition of the two
separate properties noted above is because the "public safety requirements" and "liability"
to the City should they not be demolished. However, to date, you have refused to
allocate any CRA funds designated for the reduction of slum and blight to reduce the
blight currently on this and numerous other sites located in Historic Overtown. Your
CRA has also failed in its execution of the CRA Plan to include these properties.
Your own CRA Redevelopment Plan calls for "preserving and revitalizing historically
significant structures in the redevelopment area,” especially under the State approved
Main Street Initiatives. A local neighborhood group, the OMNI/PARK
WEST REDEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION, applied for a $4,000 grant to secure
and clean up the outside of the property on February 24, 2010. You have not responded
nor indicated a willingness to fund the cleanup.
Mr. Villacorta, if the urgency of the demolition requests stems from the public liability
from people entering the property and the trash strewn around the property, why would
you not allocate funds on an emergency basis, as you are allowed to fund up to $4,500
without Board approval. Would this not be considered negligence on your part, since
your CRA Trust fund is holding over $70 Million Dollars needing to be reinvested with
the taxpayers and residents in Overtown to create jobs and revitalization of these
properties? Would your CRA Plan be considered in default because of these issues?
We believe that this illustrates that the true intent of the CRA is to demolish and
acquire the properties through an eminent domain-like procedure in violation of Federal,
State and local laws, in order to assemble the remaining parcels for a large development
project with the Collins Center and St. John's CDC et al. Your refusal to fund any other
option to solve the stated issue of "liability" to the City but the demolition of the
properties clearly shows the true intent of the City of Miami CRA and all involved
entities who had access to US HUD Dollars, as well as CRA TIF Dollars to rehabilitate
and preserve Rev. Henry Nevin’s properties. Your CRA Plan is in default on this matter.
We are asking you respond by 5:00 PM tomorrow, March 4th, 2010 to the initial grant
request in order to permit an emergency clean up and securing the properties. Should
you not respond, we will consider all of our administrative remedies exhausted to solve
the root of your claims, which are the public safety and liability issues caused by
unauthorized access to the property and the trash and debris on the lot surrounding the
two properties. We submit for the record, that manufacturing slum and blight against
Rev. Henry Nevin’s properties and other Black owners in Overtown is a discriminatory
practice. We ask you further to cease and desist all racial profiling, blockbusting, racial
redlining of not only Rev. Nevin’s properties but all others that qualify for US HUD and
CRA entitlement programs to which Rev. Nevin and other taxpayers are eligible to
participate under the entitlement provisions to maintain and rehabilitate these affordable
housing and mixed-use properties.
Testimony was provided at the Historic Board meeting yesterday at the City of
Miami, that the City has been remise in its liability to locate and include the Black
property owners in Overtown who may have historically significant properties. We
are pleased to note that the Code Enforcement Director acknowledged this neglect
on the part of the City. We request that you take action to stop these discriminatory
practices of racially profiling Rev. Nevin’s properties and assist in a plan to bring
these properties back into community use.
You are further on notice that you should cease and desist all media interviews
wherein you continue to publically humiliate, demean and misrepresent material facts
relating to Rev. Nevin’s properties.
The City of Miami attorneys also misrepresented a material fact to the Honorable
Court in this matter and presented Judge Valorie R Manna-Schurr with copies of
photographs that did not depict the reality of the properties. Instead, the Judge was
lead to believe that this was only one property instead of two separate folios. Thus,
she gave an Order for all of the properties which has negatively impacted the Tenant’s
ability to hold services at his Church. He and his members have been locked out of
a separate building that does not relate to the first building requiring to be immediately
secured. Please contact the City Attorneys and remedy this matter, so the church is
able to hold its service on Sunday. You are asked to advise me by 5 PM tomorrow,
that you have corrected your representation with the Judge and request the Church
is able to hold its faith-based meetings and activities.
Please call the Unsafe Structures Board of Miami-Dade County and advise them
of these issues and an immediate need to investigate the history of this manufacturing
of slum and blight against Rev. Henry Nevins and his tenants. These requested funds
are only for an emergency use and do not waive Rev. Nevin’s rights under the law.
Lastly, we have just learned that you contributed $46,502 to the
City of Miami’s Unsafe Structure Fund to demolish these properties. We are requesting
This same $46,000 be contributed to Rev. Nevins to provide him some planning and
rehabilitation Dollars, that you dismiss the $250,000 in code violations you have
allowed to accrue against him and bring forth a settlement before the Honorable
Court through the appropriate administrative avenues. Otherwise, we will consider
all of our administrative remedies fully exhausted regarding jurisdictional issues
Should you not respond to these aforementioned issues, we will advise the
Honorable Court accordingly and follow all legal channels to protect Rev. Henry
Nevin, his tenants and all related parties involved in faith-based ministries in
Overtown.
Sincerely,
Doris Hall
(305) 303-5769