Apr 25, 2007 10:51 am US/Eastern
Feds Tell County: We'll Take The Housing Agency
County Says: We'll See You In Court
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MIAMI (CBS4) ―
The federal government made clear this week that one way or another, it plans to have control of the Miami-Dade Housing Agency within a few weeks.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gave county leaders 15 days to voluntarily accept a federal administrator, and perhaps negotiate a role for themselves, reports the Miami Herald.
If not, HUD plans to seize control.
In response, Miami-Dade county commissioners authorized their attorneys to fight in court. Mayor Carlos Alvarez and commissioners have argued that a takeover would disrupt their reform efforts, which have included the total replacement of the agency's management.
According to the newspaper, HUD declared the Miami-Dade housing agency in default of the two contracts that control public housing and rental assistance, which provide most of its $275 million in federal funding.
Under HUD, local leaders who have overseen the agency, including Alvarez, the commission and County Manager George Burgess, would be removed from the chain of command, replaced by a single administrator appointed by HUD.
HUD's move was hardly unexpected; the federal government has been moving toward a takeover since at least February and released a statement late Friday that Miami-Dade residents ''have waited long enough'' for relief.
Housing has been one of Miami-Dade's top issues since The Miami Herald published "House of Lies", its Pulitzer Prize-winning series exposing widespread mismanagement in the Housing Agency, last summer.
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CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this repo)
