Miami-Dade flubs millions in HUD funds, then spends more

Miami-Dade flubs millions in HUD funds, then spends more
  • Sumo

Miami-Dade County, accused of  wrongly allocating $13 million in federal grants that must be repaid to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, is about to dole out another $12.5 millionmoney falling of the very same Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) and State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) monies.

How do we know we won’t have to pay those back next year?

Mayor Carlos “Mr. Giveaway” Gimenez recommended the grants to the commissioners last month, and they gave it preliminary approval. But maybe they should take another look at the process before rubber stamping his list.

It’s not like the county hasn’t thrown money away before.

HUD has decreed  that the county must repay $13 million in the exact same CDBG and HOME funds because these were “used on activities that U.S. HUD has deemed ineligible,” according to a memo from Gimenez to the commission.

True to his form, Gimenez — the same mayor who traded a $32 million debt to Miami Beach for an $800 million extension of their CRA so he could defer payments for two years — has suggested that the county pay back the monies through decreased grant allocations for the next three years. Instead of taking it out of the general fund all at once, he wants to pay with installments of basically future HUD monies.

That might be smart, actually, if we don’t need those funds in the next three years and if he can pull it off. Because in his memo, Gimenez admits there is no guarantee that HUD is going to accept the payment plan and the mayor may have to come back to the commission with his tail between his legs and say, “Ooops, I need to pay the $13 million now.”

Read related story: Miami-Dade: Carlos Gimenez saves us — from himself

But this seems to be a broken record with Miami-Dade and HUD: In 2011, the county had to pay back HUD back $3.6 million back because of shoddy accounting practices.

That’s why maybe we should think twice before doling out this new batch of grants for $12.5 million. Have we changed the process of verifying eligibility? Have we made sure we comply with the U.S. HUD criteria? Especially since HUD recently announced new rules that will make sure that cities and county governments adhere to the requirements.

These funds “are designed to support projects that generate economic development opportunities within underserved communities,” a statement from the county says. “The projects are integrated in long range community strategies and leverage public-private partnerships to revitalize areas of Miami-Dade County. The approved funding can be used to build community facilities, roads, and parks, to repair or rehabilitate housing, to provide new or increased public services to local residents or to fund initiatives that generate or retain jobs.”

Gimenez said, in the statement that he was glad the commissioners Carlos Gimenezapproved funding that “will result in redevelopment in low-to moderate-income communities.”

Didn’t he say the same thing, though, about the $13 million that previously went to two organizations that did not meet the criteria?

Of this year’s $12.5 million, the largest check is going to the St. John Community Development Corporation, which gets $636,364. But the two next biggest checks, for the largest total amount, are going to one address: Neighbors and Neighbors Association and the Black Economic Development Coalition, both of which share an address and two principals, get $612,773 a piece. That’s $1.2 million to basically one office.

Camillus House is next with $576,597, followed by the Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation, with $520,180, the Sundari Foundation Inc. d/b/a/ Lotus House Women’s Shelter, which gets $458,839, the Ecotech Visions Foundation, with $450,000 and Partners for Self-Employment, which gets $430,000.

Funds are provided for categories including, but not limited to, technical

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5 Responses to "Miami-Dade flubs millions in HUD funds, then spends more"

  1. NANA is the biggest fraud along with Tools for Change D/B/A BLACK ECONOMIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. THEY CREATE FAKE JOBS, GIVE LOANS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, LOSE TRACK OF FUNDS GIVE OUT, FUND BUSINESS OWNERS WHO DON’T FIT THE CRITERIA, SEVERAL OF THE BUSINESSES THEY FUND ARE SHUT DOWN, SHORTLY AFTER START UP. THEY ALSO RE-FUND THE SAME BUSINESSES UNDER DIFFERENT NAMES. EVIDENCE SHREDDED.

  2. I remember voting for Gimenez in 2011 when he ran against Robaina. That vote was intended to keep a crook from office as witnessed by Robaina’s subsequent arrest and trial for loan sharking and Lord knows what else.
    As soon as he took office, Gimenez began his “department shrinkage” project. Instead of ridding the county of unnecessary departments, he commingled departments that had no business being merged. For example, merging the Public Works and Waste Department. Two departments with very different purposes and little in common. Soon it became evident that the purpose of merging departments was more in line with shaking the tree and replacing department heads with political puppets to serve at Gimenez’s pleasure. The new department directors have little care for preserving our budget or ensuring that the theft and graft of county funds and county contracts is kept to a minimum.Today we see the results of those mergers, as witnessed by the Special Taxing District scandal.
    The horrendous mergers were followed up by the arrival of every lobbyist, consultant and contractor who had contributed to Gimenez’s campaign and just like the carpetbaggers who raped the South after the civil war, arrived with hat in hand waiting to rip off every possible county tax dollar. From there it was downhill, pushing monies for the Dolphins, not charging the Heat, trying to give away public spaces to the MLS and having the audacity of carrying on secret deals with Trump to give away the Key Biscayne Golf Course; with a “board” of political lackeys to give away Viscaya and with Al lorenzo at FIU to kick out the Youth Fair out of its current location.
    The scandals in Gimenez’s administration have been non-ending. The worse absentee ballot fraud in the history of the state; trying to take jobs away from cops; cutting library hours; cutting back functions of rescue boats, etc., etc., etc.
    I remember holding a Martinez sign at a precinct in 2012 and watching the cattle train of voters who don’t read or don’t care come in and out of the precinct bragging about voting for Gimenez. To those who voted for the most corrupt mayor ever elected in Miami Dade County, please know that unless we get organized, contribute to the campaigns of Gimenez’s opponents, volunteer to assist in those campaigns and most important go out and vote against Gimenez, we will see the worst of Gimenez after 2016 if he gets reelected. Common sense dictates we vote this blue blooded mayor out of office. Do your part and pray for the best.

  3. Two recipients with different names but same address and principals??

    Got to check that out.

    Thanks for helping us do our work.

    xavier

    • Thank YOU, Commissioner Mayor Sir. Can’t wait to hear the spirited debate on this at your committee.

      Love, Ladra

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