Latest news with #BikiniHostel
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
It's time for Miami Beach commission to shoulder its responsibilities on homeless
On Friday, the Miami Beach City Commission will hold a second vote on a development agreement for a proposed luxury condo complex in South Beach. If approved, the plan would result in the shuttering of Bikini Hostel, a hostel across the street that currently houses more than 100 homeless people, a possibility that has revived the debate about the city's questionable treatment of homeless people. This is the bill's second reading, and if the previous 6-1 vote is any indication, the approval is all but certain. But the vote is more than a development deal in the works; it's an indication of how much responsibility the city will — or won't — shoulder for homelessness issues that face all of Miami-Dade County. Last November, the commission voted to rescind a question on the ballot that would have imposed a 1% food and beverage tax to fund homeless and domestic violence services. More than 20,000 residents had already cast ballots during early voting when the tax question was removed. Had the measure passed, the tax would've applied to businesses that sold alcohol for consumption on-site and whose annual revenue exceeded $400,000, with the money going to the Homeless Trust, a county agency that provides homelessness and domestic violence services countywide. Miami Beach has contributed lump sums totaling $10 million over the past two fiscal years to the Homeless Trust and has agreed to pay up to $5 million annually beginning in year 2026 through 2039. But all of Miami-Dade's municipalities already levy the food and beverage tax, with the exception of Surfside and Miami Beach. It's only fair that Miami Beach do the same to address a problem that doesn't stop at the city's borders. The Homeless Trust relocated homeless individuals to Bikini Hostel shortly after the commission removed the tax measure from the ballot. Was it retaliation? Ron Book, chairman of the Homeless Trust, told the Miami Herald Editorial Board that negotiations with Bikini Hostel had begun '90 days prior to the referendum being taken off the ballot' and that the timing was nothing more than a coincidence. Now the commission, under the guise of the development deal, will be able to evict about 100 homeless people from Miami Beach by tearing down the hostel. The Miami Herald previously reported that the Trust will have a plan to resettle the hostel's homeless. 'No city can be exempt from the work of ending homelessness,' said Victoria Mallette, executive director of the Homeless Trust. 'Especially a city that shoulders so many unsheltered homeless.' Commissioner Alex Fernandez, who voted to approve the deal in the first vote, acknowledged the fundamental issue: 'We don't have facilities in Miami Beach to help the homeless.' The city does have a Homeless Outreach program, he noted, saying it's a 'model to address homelessness that others have traditionally looked to replicate nationally.' The hostel, he added, 'isn't an appropriate site' in part because homeless people need 'access to services that provide a continuum of care.' The Homeless Trust says the hostel's residents do have access to care — at the hostel. 'There is a full complement of support at the hostel. We have multiple entities there on a daily basis, helping move people through the continuum,' Mallette said. One commissioner, Laura Dominguez, has another idea for the Bikini Hostel: to designate it as affordable housing. On Wednesday, commissioners referred that proposal to the Public Safety Committee to be heard on September 10. If the city won't allow homeless residents at the hostel, at least Dominguez's idea would preserve the property for sorely needed affordable housing. Friday's vote, when it's likely the development will be approved, won't end homelessness on Miami Beach. It will merely displace it. And sadly, that's exactly what some commissioners seem to want. Click here to send the letter.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Miami Beach moves forward with plan to replace Bikini Hostel shelter with high-rise, park
A Miami Beach hostel currently serving as a shelter for more than 100 unhoused people could be demolished by the fall, after city commissioners advanced a development deal that would allow a high-rise and potential park to replace the site. City of Miami Beach leaders held a special meeting to discuss the future of the Bikini Hostel, located on West Avenue, which has housed homeless residents since last November. City officials told a developer during the meeting that if they purchased the hostel property across the street from their own project site at 1250 West Avenue, they could proceed with the planned high-rise. "We're making sure this is in the best interest of our residents on Miami Beach and that's the only consideration," said Mayor Steven Meiner. The developer would be required to clear the hostel of residents by September 15 and either convert the property into a $2 million park or hand it over to the city if the park is deemed unnecessary. Homeless Trust blasts move, warns of mass displacement The Miami-Dade Homeless Trust criticized the plan, warning it could displace more than 100 people currently residing at the hostel. "Once it became convenient to close the Bikini Hostel and move the homeless that are sheltered there off the beach, they jumped to sell zoning in exchange for that," said Homeless Trust Chairman Ron Book. Book also said Miami Beach is not doing enough to support regional homelessness solutions. "Miami Beach is taking the position that they don't have a homeless problem and unlike the 33 other cities in Miami-Dade County, that they should shoulder any responsibility for helping to end homelessness in our community," he said. City, hostel owners: Transition plan in place Meiner defended the city's record on homelessness, stating, "Miami Beach is the only city in Miami-Dade County that offers a full-service homeless outreach team. You could walk in and get a range of services." He added that the city wants assurance the Homeless Trust won't set up another shelter elsewhere in Miami Beach. "To make sure we have comfort level that we have that the Homeless Trust is not going to turn around and do this in another location," Meiner said. In a statement to CBS News Miami, the owners of the Bikini Hostel said they remain committed to avoiding forced displacement. "Our clients… have remained committed to ensuring that no one forcibly displace the 150 previously unhoused individuals who have been welcomed by and currently reside, at the Bikini Hostel," attorney Courtney Caprio of Caldera Law said. "The owners… hope to use part of the proceeds to purchase a new facility that will continue to provide housing for those individuals and others experiencing hardship." Next steps The agreement is set to go before the Miami Beach City Commission for a second reading on June 25.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Developers to replace Miami homeless shelter with luxury tower — but locals say they have nowhere else to go
A developer hoping to build a luxury high-rise in Miami Beach is offering city officials a controversial selling point: The closure of Bikini Hostel, a youth hostel that has recently become one of the only places on the island housing the homeless. As reported by WPLG Local 10 News, at a recent Miami Beach city commission meeting, attorney for the development Melissa Tapanes said the proposed development 'will result in the permanent elimination of the Bikini Hostel,' calling the site a 'plague on this community for a number of years.' Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) But advocates for the homeless say the hostel has filled a critical gap, especially after a drop in available beds at a nearby shelter. They argue that, rather than a nuisance, the hostel has become a source of stability and dignity for dozens of Miami-Dade County residents with nowhere else to go. The Bikini Hostel originally billed itself as a youth hostel with a colorful atmosphere, complimentary breakfast and 'a bed for every budget.' But since late October 2023, it has transformed into an emergency housing site for about 90 to 100 individuals experiencing homelessness. Most residents are referred by the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, the lead agency responsible for the operations and oversight of the county's Continuum of Care program. That shift happened, reports Local 10 News, as the Homeless Trust scrambled to find space after Camillus House in Miami reduced its bed capacity and the state's new law banning unauthorized camping and public sleeping took effect on October 1, 2024. Miami-Dade Homeless Trust Chairman Ron Book defended the arrangement and pushed back against criticism of the hostel. 'The city of Miami Beach doesn't think it has a homeless problem and doesn't have any responsibility to be part of the effort to house or shelter people on the island itself,' Book told Local 10 News. 'They think that burden falls on the other 34 municipalities in Miami-Dade County.' He added, 'Some people don't have a good image of unhoused individuals. I can't help that.' The hostel's owners initially resisted acquisition offers from the developer, reported Local 10 News. But with zoning changes allowing increased density, the developer can now afford to meet their price. A deal is now in the works, but the controversy is ongoing. Read more: You're probably already overpaying for this 1 'must-have' expense — and thanks to Trump's tariffs, your monthly bill could soar even higher. Here's how 2 minutes can protect your wallet right now The developer argues that replacing the hostel with a high-rise luxury building will improve quality of life and remove what some neighbors have long seen as a neighborhood blight. At the recent city commission meeting, Jessica Davis, vice-president of the Bay View Terrace Condominium Association, called the hostel 'a scourge and a blight on the neighborhood for 15 years now, long before its current iteration as a makeshift homeless shelter.' There are potential economic benefits. High-end housing typically boosts property values and tax revenue, and developers are often required to provide public benefits in exchange for zoning changes, such as park space, infrastructure improvements or relocation plans like the one proposed for Bikini Hostel residents. But, critics worry that closing the hostel without a viable replacement would displace already vulnerable residents and reduce emergency housing options at a time when few exist. 'This place has offered me something,' Bikini Hostel resident Angela Lovingood told the Miami Herald. After years of trying to find a shelter bed following the loss of her daughter in a fire, she finally found space at the hostel. 'Don't kick us while we're down,' she said. 'Help us get up, help us be a contribution to our society again.' Another resident, Michael Black, told the Herald that staying at the hostel 'makes you feel like a human being. You feel like you're a part of the community.' Courtney Caprio, an attorney for Bikini Hostel, said in a statement to Local 10 News that the owners are committed to ensuring no one is 'forcibly displaced.' They plan to use part of the proceeds from the sale to purchase a new facility that will continue to provide housing. Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in as the proposal returns to the Miami Beach city commission in late May. For those on either side of the issue, the debate raises larger questions: What role should the community play in addressing homelessness? And how do you balance economic development with social responsibility? Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
