Gables renters are getting displaced. The ritzy city’s response? Oh, well . . . | Editorial

Miami-Dade’s real-estate market is blazing hot. Old buildings make room for newer, fancier ones. People get displaced. Our affordable housing crisis gets worse.

But c’est la vie is the attitude we see from some elected leaders, as displayed in an April 3 story by Herald writer Andres Viglucci about 13 apartment buildings in Coral Gables that soon will be razed for the construction of a luxury condo project. The older 52 apartment units, just west of downtown Gables, are considered affordable by local standards, running monthly from about $1,300 to $1,750. They will be replaced by condos running upwards of $1 million.

There’s nothing wrong with progress and allowing developers to earn a profit if they follow the rules, as proponents of the Gables Village project have said. It’s capitalism.

We’re not suggesting that Coral Gables officials lie in front of bulldozers in protest. Rather, it’s their irksome tone-deaf responses that indicate they haven’t stepped out of their ivory towers to understand the seriousness of an affordability crisis that affects constituents even in this city known as a wealthy enclave.

Commissioner Michael Mena told the Herald there are no guarantees when your lease runs out, and that, “Private property rights are fundamental to a free society.”

Commissioner Rhonda Anderson told the Herald she hasn’t heard complaints from affected tenants and that residents should “call your state legislators.” In fact, state lawmakers have tied the hands of local governments on things like rent control, but such dramatic measures aren’t the only tool to address the issue.

No one is arguing against a “free society” or property rights. The problem is the city’s shrug in the face of the dozens of working-class and middle-class renters who soon will be displaced — thrown into a housing market with few options for them.

Contrasts that with the city of Hialeah. Mayor Esteban Bovo Jr. announced in February a rental assistance program after residents of an apartment complex faced up to 65% rent increases when a real-estate investment firm bought their building. The program is slated to run through September.

“I understand the capitalist system, I support the capitalist system,” Bovo said at a press conference, WLRN reported. “But we have to be conscious that, over the last two years, it has been hard for all of us, and that it’s not the time to basically steamroll families.”

In the city of Miami, Mayor Francis Suarez announced in February a plan to use $5.25 million to offer rental assistance for up to six months to tenants of a certain income facing increases of 20% or more. The money will come from a city-branded cryptocurrency project. In March, the City Commission unanimously declared the lack of affordable housing a public emergency.

Neither Bovo, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, nor Suarez are your bleeding-heart types. But they were forced to act — even if just as a matter of optics — in the face of a crisis.

While gentrification is not unique to Coral Gables, the displacement of dozens of families should be treated as an emergency. We applaud the developers for pledging to work with a brokerage firm to help residents find new homes, but elected officials must also recognize that these people also are their constituents — as much as more-affluent homeowners are. Plus, renters vote, too.

The least city leaders could do is connect residents with services and organizations that can help them. Beyond that, local governments need to establish a vision to preserve and rehabilitate the existing affordable housing provided by older, smaller buildings before they disappear.

Gables spokeswoman Martha Pantin told the Herald Editorial Board that the city has taken steps to help its working-class residents. It offers free trolleys and a ride service called Freebee to move people around the central business district, and the trolleys continued to run during the pandemic to transport essential workers.

There are also new zoning rules in the North Ponce area to encourage the construction of more units at cheaper prices. One project has been submitted for a new nine-story building with 143 rentals, including 54 studio apartments and nine “live-work” units on the ground floor. The City Commission gave the project initial approval on March 29, but it’s unknown how much rents will cost.

“I think that everyone understands that property owners have a right to sell, an important principle of a free society, and the City of Coral Gables can’t interfere with that decision,” Pantin wrote in an email.

We don’t expect Coral Gables to magically solve gentrification and a nationwide housing crisis. But we elect people to represent all interests and come up with creative solutions. The “free society” excuse isn’t enough.

This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.