Miami-Dade mayor announces new relief program for residential landlords affected by pandemic

Commercial evictions to resume, mayor says

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava held a news conference Monday morning to discuss relief for landlords and tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the restart of commercial evictions.

“The federal eviction moratorium has saved lives and it has kept people safely in their homes, preventing the spread of this disease, and the local moratorium has helped ensure that Miami-Dade law enforcement is using its limited resources to focus on the things that are protecting our residents in the midst of this historic public health crisis,” the mayor said.

Still, Levine Cava recognized that the county needs to help protect the livelihood of its residents, including landlords, tenants and small business owners who have suffered financial hardship during the past year.

She said the county has received another $60 million in federal relief funds, which will help provide support to landlords who have been struggling to pay their mortgages.

The new relief program for residential landlords who have filed writs with the police department and whose tenants face eviction will pay back landlords up to $3,000 per month in back rent, dating back from March 2020.

“So this is a very substantial support for those landlords who have to pay their bills,” Levine Cava said.

The mayor also announced that beginning on March, 5, “the county will resume service of writs for commercial evictions only. The residential eviction moratorium that was mandated at the federal level is still in place in order to protect the most vulnerable.”

Other local leaders who were also be in attendance at Monday’s press conference included Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, Public Housing and Community Development Director Michael Liu, members of the Miami-Dade Police Department, tenants and landlords’ rights groups and members of the community impacted by the pandemic.

Click here for more information about housing and rental assistance in Miami-Dade County.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Jeff Weinsier joined Local 10 News in September 1994. He is currently an investigative reporter for Local 10. He is also responsible for the very popular Dirty Dining segments.