*Note: Catalyst Miami is a proud member of the Build a Better Miami coalition.*

By Sommer Brugal

This article originally appeared on Axios.com.

Workers' rights groups called on the Swerdlow Group to ensure worker protections.
Photo: Sommer Brugal/Axios

Pastor Jacques St. Louis estimates his church has seen more than two dozen parishioners leave the state since 2020, which he attributes to rising housing costs and the effects of gentrification.

• "This has to stop. We have people here and they want to stay," St. Louis said during a Wednesday evening press conference at his church, Grace Evangelical Baptist in Little River. "And we're asking commissioners to pay attention."

Why it matters: Commissioners are expected to vote Tuesday on Miami-Dade's largest redevelopment project in the county's history: A nearly $3 billion development that would drastically change the Little Haiti and Little River areas.

• The Build A Better Miami Coalition is leading an effort urging local officials to not only acknowledge community members who are struggling to stay as costs rise but protect those who are building the city's future.

The latest: Ahead of the vote, advocates are calling on commissioners to include a community benefits agreement as part of the deal to ensure fair wages, worker protections, affordable housing and community investments.

• "With a megadevelopment of this size, we have a responsibility to do things differently," said Esteban Wood, policy director of Miami worker advocacy group WeCount! "We need development that protects workers, strengthens communities and ensures prosperity is shared."

Catch up quick: In 2023, Swerdlow Real Estate Group, a prominent Miami developer, submitted the plan in response to a request for proposals from the county to redevelop four of its public housing projects in the Little River area.

• The county's request was part of a federal program that encourages redoing outdated and deteriorating public housing projects for low-income and middle-class households, the Miami Herald reported.

The project, expected to take about eight years, spans 65 acres of public-private land, includes a new Tri-Rail Station, retail and 5,730 apartment units, the majority of which would be considered affordable or workforce housing.

• Under the proposal, about 1,400 units would be workforce housing for residents making no more than $90,000 a year, or no more than 120% of the county's median household income.
• About 2,300 units would be considered "affordable units" for renters who earn an average of 60% of the area's median income, though some would be reserved for earners as low as 30% and others up to 80%, according to the Swerdlow Group.

The fine print: The group told Axios a benefits agreement has been negotiated with the county and would be part of its 99-year lease.

• The group also told Axios its proposal includes local hiring preferences for low-income workers and residents of public housing, and local prevailing wages for construction workers.

Friction point: The coalition's members are pushing for more affordable units for those making less than $90,000 annually, arguing what's proposed is still too costly. (In 2023, Miami's median household income was about $68,700, per the latest Census data.)

• "We don't want to see the word workforce anywhere," said Ashley Toussaint of Black Men Build Miami. Workforce housing "is not accessible to people in this room, let alone people in this community."
• The coalition's demands include responsible contracting provisions, heat illness protections, OSHA training, compliance with local wage and hour laws and living wages and benefits for local workers who'll build the project.
• Members acknowledged they've met a handful of times with the developers, who were open to meeting demands such as creating heat protections for construction crews.

Between the lines: The median hourly wage of the commercial construction workers surveyed is $19, a 2024 WeCount! survey found.

• More than 80% of construction workers can't pay rent or their mortgage, 57% lack money to cover medical expenses and 55% can't afford groceries or utility bills.

The bottom line: Speakers at last week's press conference argued construction workers are essential in a city like Miami and ensuring they're protected is beneficial for everyone in the community.

• "Nothing gets built without these hands," the group said in Spanish.