FYI Miami: May 8, 2025

Below are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

INTERIM HOUSING CHIEF: Nathan Kogon, who had been assistant director of Miami-Dade County’s Housing and Community Development Department, has been named by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to be interim department director as the county searches for a permanent director. The appointment will last a maximum of six months, the mayor told commissioners in a memo. Mr. Kogon is replacing Alex Ballina, who had been director for two years and left to start Florida Development Building Group, a company geared to affordable and workforce housing. Mr. Kogon had been assistant director since October 2023, and prior to that had been zoning director starting in 2014. Previously, he was Doral’s zoning director from 2005 to 2014. He holds a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Toronto Metropolitan University.

BLENDED HOUSING FUNDING: A 215-unit affordable housing community in Princeton in South Miami-Dade that opened last week created six garden-style buildings designed for residents earning up to 60% of the area’s immediate income funded by a blend of public and private sources. Pinnacle at Tropical Pointe was supported by housing tax credits from the Florida Housing Finance Corp., plus Miami-Dade County funds including surtax and HOME, and tax-exempt bonds issued by the county’s Housing Finance Authority. Included in the package was a $37 million construction loan from Bank of America and $30.6 million in tax credit equity, coupled with a $20 million Citibank permanent loan. “This development would not have been possible without the support of our partners,” said David O. Deutch, Pinnacle’s president.

CANOE LAUNCH SITES: The county would build canoe and kayak launch sites at Matheson Hammock Marina, Pelican Harbor Marina, Black Point Marina and Herbert Hoover Marina at Homestead Bayfront Park with the aid of a grant under legislation going before Miami-Dade commissioners this week. Each of the four locations would have at the launch sites 20-foot by 20-foot floating docks, a gangway connecting launch platforms to the shore along with conventional piers, and separation from boat traffic. The grant application has already gone to the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) 2025 Waterways Assistance Program. The total project cost is estimated at $3.64 million, with FIND providing $1.55 million and the rest of the funding coming from the county’s Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department.