The Demise Of Miami's Public Housing Czar

Rene Rodriguez, the once highly lauded director of the Miami-Dade Housing Agency, stands accused of taking from the poor to serve developer interests, as well as his own.

1 minute read

December 19, 2006, 5:00 AM PST

By Mike Lydon

"It was a triumphant night for Rene Rodriguez, nationally esteemed director of the Miami-Dade Housing Agency, who pumped hands and posed for pictures at a packed celebration marking the county's 20-year push to build homes for the poor.

Standing alongside builders and politicians at a hotel on Biscayne Bay two years ago, Rodriguez praised the unique county tax created in 1983 to pay for the 'dreams of homeownership' for thousands of families.

But while lauding the county's 'surtax' fund -- the first of its kind in Florida -- he was quietly steering millions of dollars from the coveted program to a small circle of developers who have yet to produce the projects they promised.

All the while, Rodriguez was paving the way for a lucrative future of his own.

FULL STORY: Housing chief built power, income

Sunday, December 17, 2006 in The Miami Herald

Community / Economic Development Government / Politics Housing Florida

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