Bluenest Development has become the leading donor to Miami-Dade county politicians so far this year, according to an April 14 report. The company, which is seeking county approvals for its workforce housing projects, contributed more than $190,000 to commissioners in the first quarter.
The importance of these donations lies in the influence developers can have on local government decisions regarding real estate development and affordable housing. Political contributions from companies that need project approvals are a longstanding tradition in South Florida.
Bluenest is led by brothers Salim and Kamil Chraibi and was founded in 2018. The firm has completed about 1,000 homes with at least 3,000 more planned. While it began by building individual homes across Miami-Dade County, Bluenest now focuses on developing residential complexes featuring workforce-priced townhomes and single-family homes in south Miami-Dade. This area offers a greater supply of affordable land and high demand for below-market for-sale homes.
Commissioner Kionne McGhee received $50,000 from Bluenest through his 1 South Dade committee—the largest amount given to any commissioner. Other recipients included commissioners Marleine Bastien, Danielle Cohen Higgins, Roberto Gonzalez, Vicki Lopez, Natalie Milian Orbis and Micky Steinberg. One recent proposal from Bluenest includes plans for two complexes totaling 163 townhomes in south Miami-Dade.
Other major donors include Related Group with $115,000 and Swerdlow Group with $105,000 in political contributions. Both companies have been active participants in redeveloping public housing through the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. Swerdlow secured approval for the largest planned RAD project—5,730 apartments combining public housing replacement units with affordable apartments—in Little River. Related is currently developing River Parc on the Miami River; this under-construction RAD project spans 22 acres and will transform an existing public housing complex into over 1,100 units.
The RAD program allows developers to lease county-owned public housing sites for redevelopment into mixed-income towers that replace existing units while adding new affordable options. Some aspects of these deals have drawn scrutiny due to negotiations occurring without appraisals; however supporters argue such partnerships are vital for addressing shortages of affordable apartments throughout Miami-Dade County.
