Little Havana residents beg for a lifeline as development plans push them out

Little Havana - Flagami admin July 2, 2026 0 Comments

Little Havana residents beg for a lifeline as development plans push them out

A drummer beat an empty water jug, and the voices cried out: “Raquel, escucha,” for they were in “la lucha.”

So chanted nearly two dozen residents of Little Havana’s Silver Court trailer park and their supporters outside the office of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado on Wednesday afternoon as they called on their District 7 commissioner for help.

In March, the 200-plus families living in Silver Court learned the park would be closing and that they had six months to vacate. The park’s owner, 1989 Sunny Court LLC — which is owned by California-based real estate firm Marquis Property Company — has said it wants to develop the park into some unspecified venture that will “bring value” to South Florida.

Ownership offered $10,000 to anyone who left by May 31. Those who leave by July 15 will get $5,000, while anyone vacating by the end of August can expect $2,500, all on top of some compensation provided by the state — between $1,375 and $6,000, depending on the size of the trailer and whether its owner decides to relocate it.

Those offers didn’t cut it for the few dozen residents who’ve held out. Their trailers, which are in most cases cemented to the ground and movable only at a five-figure expense, are their primary assets. They say they expect more from the park’s owner — specifically, more time and more money.

“Three years and $60,000. Until we get it, we’re going nowhere,” Cristina Rodríguez, a 14-year resident of the park, chanted in Spanish. She pulled a hat down over her eyes. The midday sun was merciless, the 37th Avenue sidewalk shadeless, and by 1 p.m., the protest’s start time, the temperature in Coconut Grove crept toward 90 degrees. Rodríguez, 78, was nevertheless happy to be there.

“I’m confident, very confident,” she said of the residents’ movement.

It remains to be seen what the county could or would do to help the park’s remaining residents. Reached by phone Wednesday, Regalado told the Miami Herald that she’s worked to provide Silver Court residents with food and other assistance over the years.

But ultimately, she said, the current situation is a city of Miami issue — not a county one. Residents recently picketed outside the office of Miami City Commissioner Ralph Rosado, whose district also contains Silver Court.

Some residents are challenging the terms of their eviction in court. The Silver Court Homeowners Association last month asked for a pause on the orders to vacate, arguing the property’s owner didn’t follow Florida law when closing the park. “We believe the park is being shut down in a way that sidesteps the Florida Mobile Home Act’s protections for homeowners,” said Carrie Feit, a lawyer with the Community Justice Project who’s representing the homeowners association.

In a statement to the Herald, attorney Jorge Piedra, who represents the property owner, said the owner is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, which he said “lacks merit.”

The park’s closure and the residents’ relocation process “is being carried out with full regard to the law,” he said. Nearly 85% of tenants have moved out “voluntarily with the generous cash payments,” according to Piedra.

“The remaining tenants are delaying to their own detriment,” he added, saying “their financial compensation decreases the longer they wait.”

But while that issue winds its way through the courts, the park’s residents hope local government officials can give them a hand.

That could mean help identifying county land that could be used for housing, said Ahmed Mori, a volunteer organizer and mobile home park researcher who’s working with the Silver Court residents. It could also mean pushing the County Commission to discuss what it can do to help other Miami-Dade residents facing mobile home park closures, he added.

“We’re not asking for handouts,” said Rodríguez, “just that [Regalado] give us a little push, to help us find some help so we don’t wind up on the streets.”

This story was produced with financial support from supporters including The Green Family Foundation Trust and Ken O’Keefe, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.