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The La Quinta Inn, located at 10821 Caribbean Blvd. in Cutler Bay, became a controversial topic when Miami-Dade County’s Homeless Trust announced that it intended to purchase the property and convert the rooms into small low-cost residences for homeless people.
Town officials protested that they were not consulted about it and that the project would conflict with town plans for development in the Caribbean Boulevard area.
Residents attending town hall meetings on the topic expressed their concerns and said they did not want a “homeless shelter” in their community.
Former lobbyist Ron Book, working for the Homeless Trust, testified at the meetings that it would be a residence, not a shelter, and that the people living there would pay what they could afford. District 8 Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins went to bat for the town in an effort to change the location.
The county however decided to proceed with the plan and allow the Homeless Trust to make the conversion. The town announced that, in response to the recent decision by the Miami-Dade County Commission to purchase the La Quinta Inn for conversion into supportive housing, Mayor Tim Meerbott has provided an important update to the community.
“I’d like to thank the activists in the community who really got the word out,” Mayor Meerbott said in a video statement. “I’d like to thank Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins for fighting for our residents, and the entire Board of County Commissioners for working wth us on this.”
Key protective measures, or restrictive covenants, were secured in the final resolution to safeguard the town.
• The property will serve exclusively as permanent supportive housing for senior citizens aged 55 and older.
• Tenants must sign leases and provide proof of their ability to pay rent.
• No needle exchange or similar programs will be permitted on the property.
• A 24/7 operational closed-circuit television system will be in place to maintain security.
• Background checks will be mandatory for all potential tenants, with exclusions for individuals identified as sexual predators, sexual offenders, or convicted of violent felonies.
A completion date for the conversion of the property was not known as of the time of this writing.
Southland Mall redevelopment is still moving forward.
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