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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Why are maternity wards across South Florida closing? There's more than one reason
Many South Floridians are feeling financially squeezed as costs continue to rise. Hospitals are searching for savings, too. And maternity wards, units that are costly to run and don't make as much money as cardiology and other specialties, are ending up on the chopping block. Over 500 hospitals in the U.S. have closed their labor and delivery units since 2010, including some in South Florida. Soon, Jackson South Medical Center, a public hospital that primarily provides care to an underserved population in southern Miami-Dade, will be added to the list. The hospital plans to shutter its labor and delivery unit in September. 'We're very concerned about this,' said Jamarah Amani, a licensed midwife and executive director of the Southern Birth Justice Network advocacy group based in North Miami Beach. ' … It should be a human right to have safe, respectful, accessible care within a reasonable distance of where you live.' Executives at Jackson Health System, the county's taxpayer-funded public hospital system, have described the impending closure of Jackson South's recently renovated labor and delivery unit as a 'data-driven' decision, fueled by declining birth trends and a push to expand care for cardiology, urology and other more in-demand services. 'We've reduced the service as much as it can be reduced to provide safe care,' Edward Borrego, the chief executive officer of Jackson South and Jackson West, told the Miami Herald last week. 'Any further reduction is not safe.' Recently, Miami-Dade County has recorded some of its lowest birth numbers in 20 years. And the decline is not unique to the Miami area — nationally, births hit a record low in 2024 as more women wait longer to have children or decide to not have any at all. When he spoke with the Herald last week, Borrego noted that Jackson South had only one delivery in the previous week. 'We want to make sure that our patients get the safest and best care, and in that same vein, we also want to provide the services that our market and community tells us they need,' Borrego said. 'The facts are that they're not having as many babies.' While births in Miami-Dade are on the decline, those who are giving birth are choosing to deliver elsewhere. Jackson South has delivered fewer babies in the past decade compared to other hospitals in Miami-Dade, state data shows. But doctors and maternal health advocates who spoke with the Herald are worried that the Jackson South labor ward closure could make it harder for patients to access obstetric care in South Florida and increase the risk for pregnancy-related complications and death, which are trending up. 'The more and more of these departments that close, the less and less access our families have to seek the services,' and the further away they need to travel to get care, said Tenesha Avent, the South Florida director of collective impact and maternal and child health for March of Dimes. The nonprofit focuses on the health of babies and mothers and monitors the ease of access to maternal care services. 'That puts them at risk of higher complications,' Avent said. While Jackson South will no longer do deliveries, patients will still be able to get prenatal and postnatal care at the hospital, a Jackson Health executive told the Herald on Thursday, noting that maternal care extends beyond delivery. 'We really need to be there throughout the entire journey with the mom, more than just the moment that she delivers, and that's what we have committed to,' said Joanne Ruggiero, CEO and senior vice president of Holtz Children's Hospital and the Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial. She reiterated that the hospital system as a whole is committed to improving maternal health in the region and said that Jackson is focusing on other efforts to that end, including solving transportation issues and improving health literacy in the community. Florida is one of the states that have seen the most obstetric unit closures in rural counties over the past decade, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs, a monthly peer-reviewed healthcare journal. And while much of rural America no longer has nearby access to maternity wards, Miami-Dade and other urban counties are feeling the squeeze, too. At least four South Florida hospitals have shuttered their labor and delivery units since COVID struck in 2020: North Shore Medical Center in North Miami-Dade; Jackson West in Doral; Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale; and North Shore's sister, Hialeah Hospital. 'Unless the financing of maternity care changes, I expect we will see continued closures,' said Katy Kozhimannil, the study's lead author and a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. More closures also mean that the remaining hospitals still operating maternity units will need to prepare for a possible influx of patients and more staffing, which could be a challenge as the country grapples with a shortage of OB-GYNs, nurses and other healthcare workers. Low reimbursement rates, high operation costs, staffing issues and low birth rates are reasons usually floated by hospital administrators when units close, according to Kozhimannil, who tracked the availability of obstetric units at hospitals across the country from 2010 to 2022. 'Sometimes we think when there's a hospital in the community, it's a place where you can give birth, but that's increasingly not the case,' said Kozhimannil. Unlike other parts of the state, Miami-Dade and Broward are not considered 'maternal care deserts,' areas where women have to travel at least 30 minutes to get maternity care, according to the March of Dimes. Still, there are pockets in the community where accessing care is more challenging. Dr. Christ-Ann Magloire knows how difficult it is to care for patients in underserved parts of Miami-Dade. The Haitian American OB-GYN came to South Florida more than 20 years ago to help deliver babies in a part of the county that has a primary care provider shortage. The OB-GYN helped deliver hundreds of babies at North Shore Medical Center in North Miami-Dade, a hospital that accounted for nearly 8% of all county births in 2015, state data shows. But by 2023, deliveries there plummeted to only about 5% of births in the county. The hospital's CEO described the 2024 closure of the labor and delivery and neonatal unit as part of a plan to cut costs because the hospital wasn't making enough money from patients and insurers. 'It was devastating for [patients], devastating for us,' Magloire recalled, thinking back to how she had to quickly help her patients find a new hospital to deliver at. Magloire, who has a private practice in North Miami-Dade, is still providing prenatal care at her office. But she only had privileges to deliver babies at North Shore. Now, she sends her patients to Jackson North and Memorial West, one of the public hospitals in Broward County, when it's time for delivery. Magloire, like other doctors and midwives the Herald spoke with, has expressed concern over South Florida's recent obstetric unit closures, which, like in other parts of the U.S., are disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic communities, two groups usually at higher risk for pregnancy-related complications and death. 'I feel like we're moving in the wrong direction as more and more hospitals across the country are continuing to close down their labor delivery units,' said Dr. Dione Occenad-Nimmo, a board-certified OB-GYN practicing in West Palm Beach. March of Dimes ranks Miami-Dade and Broward counties as having a 'moderate' risk for poor outcomes in its maternal vulnerability index, which measures the risk of adverse health outcomes for pregnancies. Both counties also saw worsening rates for preterm birth in 2023 compared to the previous year, with the rate highest for Black infants, at nearly 15%, according to the nonprofit's latest report. While the infant mortality rate in Miami-Dade has decreased through the years, the risk for Black babies remains slightly higher than the rest of Florida, state data shows. The rates for C-sections, a procedure that can sometimes increase the risk for complications to mom and baby, is also higher in Miami-Dade and Broward compared to the national and state average, data shows. 'If somebody is not able to access care in a timely manner — that can mean the difference between a baby being alive or dead, a mom being alive or dead. It can mean the difference between having a preterm birth and not having a preterm birth,' said Occenad-Nimmo. Ruggiero said Jackson Health is working with other hospitals in the county to create a roadmap on what 'good maternal care' in Miami-Dade should look like, no matter where you go for care. The group, led by nonprofit The Women's Fund, is creating a 'collective voice' on what measures need to be tackled in the community to improve outcomes, she said. While the region has seen several hospitals close obstetrics units in recent years, South Florida organizations are trying to find ways to improve maternal and infant health. The nonprofit Green Cars for Kids, for example, has partnered with Jackson Health and Broward Health, two of the region's public hospital systems, and electric car service Freebee to provide free rides to non-emergency doctor appointments for high-risk pregnant patients. The goal is to make it easier for patients to attend appointments and reduce the risk of preventable pregnancy complications for moms and babies, according to Dr. Catherine Toms, the nonprofit's founder and director. So far, it has provided over 5,000 rides. About 54% of its clients are from Liberty City, Brownsville, Overtown, El Portal and North Miami, communities that have high rates of preterm birth and infant mortality, according to Toms. About 7% of the patients who have utilized the free rides for appointments at Jackson Memorial Hospital live in the Homestead area. Elsewhere in Miami-Dade, the Southern Birth Justice Network is running a mobile midwifery clinic that travels across historically Black neighborhoods to make prenatal and postpartum care more accessible. 'Midwives, we catch babies, but we also catch communities because we don't want them to fall through the cracks,' said Amani, the executive director. The nonprofit's initiative to help reduce C-sections, tackle racial health disparities, end medical racism, and expand access to midwives and doulas was sparked by early advocacy efforts in 2010, when Jackson first tried to close Jackson South's labor and delivery unit, according to Amani. Back then, its closure plans were stopped when county commissioners intervened. 'There was a real big community outcry and presence' in 2010, recalled Sheila Simms Watson, a licensed midwife and the director of Southern Birth Justice's midwifery services and care. She and Amani were part of a group of midwives, doctors and moms who had gathered inside the commission chambers, rallying to keep the ward open. No one knows if county commissioners will step in to halt the closure this time around. 'It doesn't make sense to me,' Amani said of the upcoming Jackson South ward closure. '... We know that families need more options for high-quality perinatal care and that closing hospitals and birth centers leaves more people at risk of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, which we know is rising in Florida and disproportionately impacting Black and Brown families.' Miami-Dade Commissioners Kionne McGhee and Danielle Cohen Higgins, who represent parts of southern Miami-Dade, did not respond to the Herald's requests for comment. Amadeo Lopez-Castro, III, chairman of the Public Health Trust, which governs the public hospital system, declined the Herald's request for an interview and redirected it to Jackson's media relations team. More than 1,800 people have signed an online petition asking the hospital to reconsider the closure plans. Many of those who signed live in southern Miami-Dade, according to data. Carlos Migoya, the longtime CEO that oversees all of Jackson Health System, has described the upcoming September closure as a difficult but necessary decision to ensure the health system uses its financial resources to meet community needs. He made similar remarks during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of Jackson South's new catheterization lab. While talking about Jackson South's growth in services over the years, Migoya noted that 'the market is not there for labor and delivery.' Borrego, Jackson South's CEO, said the hospital's OB-GYNs are still authorized to deliver at Jackson North in North Miami-Dade and at The Women's Hospital at Jackson's main Miami campus, which is better equipped to handle high-risk pregnancies. After a $6 million renovation, The Women's Hospital last year unveiled its new maternity unit with 20 private suites and other amenities. Jackson's main Miami campus also houses the largest Level 4 NICU in Miami-Dade, which provides the highest level of care for premature and critically ill newborns. 'Patients follow their physician when it comes to delivering a baby,' said Borrego, noting that many of Jackson South's high-risk maternity patients were already being referred to Jackson's main Miami hospital because of neonatal and other key services, including fetal surgery. Both Jackson North and The Women's Hospital are more than 20 miles away from Jackson South, which does not have a neonatal unit. Maternity patients experiencing emergencies can still go to Jackson South's ER, where OB-GYNs are on call. Jackson says patients will also be able to receive prenatal care through its partnership with Community Health of South Florida. The nonprofit, which serves South Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys, runs health centers that act as a one-stop shop of care for its patients and offer a variety of services. Spokesperson Tiffani Helberg, in a statement to the Herald earlier this month, said the nonprofit is 'committed to caring for everyone in the community regardless of insurance or economic status. But as the South Dade community continues with development, the demand for care down South continues to rise. Yet funding continues to be a challenge. We are committed to working together to reduce barriers to care.' It's also possible patients in the area may skip Jackson altogether and go to other relatively nearby hospitals for delivery, including Kendall's Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital, both run by Baptist Health South Florida, the region's largest not-for-profit healthcare system. Baptist, which will now run the most hospitals in Miami-Dade with maternity wards, in a statement to the Herald noted that it has 'consistently strong birth volumes' at its facilities and remains 'well-positioned to support the needs of growing families in our community.' While the maternity ward at Jackson South is closing, the hospital system has expanded maternal care services in other ways, according to Ruggiero, the CEO of The Women's Hospital and Holtz Children's. Jackson last year launched a new program to reduce hypertension in pregnant and postpartum women. The teaching hospital, in partnership with UHealth, also opened a fetal care center to provide complex care to babies before birth, including in-utero surgery to repair or treat rare birth defects. Ruggiero said the hospital also wants to expand its doula initiative, which began earlier this year and gives patients access to doulas for additional support. 'We're not trying to just change one episode of care,' said Ruggiero, noting that maternal care extends beyond delivery. 'I want us to be committed to making generational changes for these women and their families, and we're not going to do that if we continue to think in a silo. ... The totality of what we're doing is massive, and the impact that we're making, I really think is going to be a generational change for this community.' Other hospitals have also recently made efforts to revamp their maternity service offerings. HCA Florida Mercy Hospital earlier this year completed a $42 million expansion project that included an 'upgraded, dedicated OB emergency department for specialized care' and a new 25-bed neonatal intensive care unit, with dedicated rooms to let parents stay with their babies for 24 hours before going home. Allyssa Tobitt, the hospital's CEO, in a March news release described the expansion as part of efforts to 'ensure that future generations receive the highest level of care in a modern, family-centered environment.' In Miami Beach, Mount Sinai Medical Center is incorporating AI and other tech to improve patient care and is planning to begin construction on its new labor and delivery unit later this year. 'This is really kind of the next step and really going to take us to the next level to really support our families, our mothers, our babies, in terms of optimizing their experience,' said Dr. Alon Weizer, chief medical officer and senior vice president of Mount Sinai Medical Center. Weizer said many of Mount Sinai's maternity patients come from outside of Miami Beach, and that many of them are older. Still, like other Miami-area hospitals, the teaching hospital has seen a decline in deliveries. Even so, Mount Sinai is trying to find ways to expand and improve its prenatal, delivery and postpartum services, he said. 'We're doubling down on that, not because it may or may not make financial sense, but because it's the right thing to do for our community and for our patients,' said Weizer, noting that many health systems are facing 'tough decisions' as they try to provide community care. Occenad-Nimmo, the West Palm OB-GYN, said she would urge hospital administrators to think about the importance of labor wards to local communities and the implications that closing them can have on families. 'We would not go around closing fire departments,' which are also costly to operate, because the units are only extinguishing a certain amount of fires per year, she said. 'It's the same thing for labor and delivery. Despite the cost of it, you want them around to be there for these emergencies.'
Miami Herald
24-07-2025
- Miami Herald
When will the Venetian Pool reopen? Take a look at the ongoing renovations
You'll have to wait a little longer to swim in Coral Gables' historic Venetian Pool. The pool's extensive yearlong renovation and restoration project is taking longer than expected as crews redo the pool floor, ensure the facility is structurally safe and add a water recirculation pump system — a first for the Venetian — to the 101-year-old pool. 'Even though it's a renovation, it's a restoration in a lot of areas,' said Fred Couceyro, the city's community recreation director, noting that crews need to follow strict guidelines to ensure the pool retains its charm and historical accuracy. 'We want this pool to be functional and to be enjoyed by the community for the next 100 years,' he added. When will you be able to take a dip in the Venetian? And what type of renovations and repairs are underway? Here's what to know. Venetian Pool's reopening date The Venetian Pool closed in October for the extensive $6 million renovation, which was initially projected to be completed by late June. Now, it's expected to reopen sometime in the fall, according to Couceyro. City officials usually close the Venetian Pool in December and January for annual maintenance and renovations. This time around, because of its lengthy closure, once the pool reopens it will remain open until winter 2026, Couceyro confirmed to the Miami Herald. Will the Venetian Pool still use spring water? The Venetian Pool first opened in 1924 as the Venetian Casino and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. It's one of the few swimming pools in the country to have that designation and is one of the city's most popular attractions, drawing nearly 65,000 visitors in the year before it closed for renovations. It's also not your typical pool. The Venetian Pool, built from coral rock with waterfalls and cave-like grottos, is filled daily with 820,000 gallons of spring water from the underground Biscayne Aquifer. The water is usually a cool 76 degrees, which may be chilly for some South Floridians, although it's slightly warmer than the spring water mermaids swim and perform in at Florida's Weeki Wachee Springs. Once the Venetian Pool closes for the day, the water is drained and sent back to the aquifer. The pool is cleaned and then refilled overnight. As part of the renovation, the city is adding a new water recirculation pump system, according to Couceyro. That type of system is commonly used in regular swimming pools to clean the water without needing to drain and refill the pool. Couceyro said the city doesn't plan to stop using spring water from the aquifer but describes the new recirculation pump system as a precautionary measure for possible future problems, including saltwater intrusion, new regulations or water shortages. What type of renovation and restoration work is being done? The renovation project includes removing outdated pump equipment, renovating the concession stand area, installing new piping, restoring the 'Venetian Poles' that stick out of the pool and sealing the pool floor with a special coating to make it easier to clean, according to Couceyro and city documents. Videos posted on the city's Community Recreation Department's social media pages have been giving people an inside look into the restoration process. The Miami Herald was recently given a tour of the pool as it undergoes renovations and repairs. Take a look:
Miami Herald
23-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Barahona competent to stand trial for murder of daughter, torture of twin brother
Jorge Barahona, a Westchester electrician charged with unspeakable acts that resulted in the death of one adopted child and badly injured another, is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday. The gruesome discoveries of the 10-year-old twins also roused state legislators and put the state's leading child welfare agency under withering criticism for improper oversight that led to a multimillion dollar settlement. Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson's decision came at the end of a two-day hearing in which forensic psychologists dueled over Barahona's competency and opined on his ability to help his defense team at trial. In the end, the judge determined Barahona, 58, met the criteria necessary to sit at a defense table across from jurors and fight for his life. Though the judge didn't set a trial date, she said she believes Barahona is capable of aiding his defense attorneys, and that he understands the charges and the severity of the penalties should he be found guilty. Then she told the defendant he's surrounded by one of the finest defense teams in the state. 'I truly encourage you to work with them,' Wolfson said. Wolfson found Barahona incompetent to stand trial in March 2024 and ordered him released from Miami-Dade jail and sent to the Treasure Coast Forensic Treatment Center to recover. Twice in the past six months evaluations there determined he was well enough to be competent at trial. Most experts who testified this week attributed that to a series of factors that included more constructive surroundings than jail. State prosecutors and defense attorneys will return to court for a status update on Sept. 19. A young girl burned to death with chemicals The shocking 2011 death of 10-year-old Nubia Barahona and the near death of her twin brother Victor shocked South Floridians, remained in the headlines for weeks and rocked the state's Department of Children & Families like few cases before it. Nubia's badly decomposed body was found by police wrapped in plastic and covered with chemicals in the back of Barahona's pick-up truck on the side of I-95 in West Palm Beach. Victor, who somehow survived, was in the truck's cab suffering seizures from chemical burns. Next to Victor in the driver's seat: Barahona, who also managed to burn himself with chemicals, police said. It wasn't long before an investigation of the family's Westchester home uncovered the numerous gruesome acts the Barahonas did to their adopted children, police said. They said Barahona and his wife Carmen Barahona, 74, beat and tortured the twins, tying them with electrical cord and shocking them in a bathtub with the door locked. A state legislator said the couple smeared feces into the twins' faces when they were upset with them. Both Barahonas were charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder and several counts of aggravated child neglect. Carmen flipped in 2020, agreeing to a life sentence in exchange for her testimony. Jorge, who will now stand trial, is facing the death penalty. The trial was delayed for more than a decade as hundreds of depositions were taken and as the state's child welfare agency dealt with the fallout. Victor, who was last known to be living with relatives in Texas, was awarded $3.75 million by Florida state legislators in 2017. Experts: Barahona understands ramifications The hearing concluded Wednesday with two final expert witnesses offering contrasting opinions on Jorge Barahona's ability to stand trial. 'If he's calm, he can help and understands,' forensic psychologist Dyra Bodan said before leaving the stand. Psychologist Sandra Klein, though, said Barahona seemed unable to move past delusions that included missing evidence and pictures that just don't exist. 'I've never found that Mr. Barahona did not have a level of difficulties,' she said. Finally, the attorneys closed, with lead defense attorney Khurrum Wahid telling Wolfson she needed to signal that Barahona be surrounded by an environment of mental health experts who could give him cognitive behavioral therapy and put him on specific medications to be functional— something that wouldn't happen in jail. 'We do it in probation orders. I'm not sure it would be completely outside the realm of the court's power,' said Wahid. Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Laura Adams had a different perspective. 'At the end of the day,' she said, 'this defendant's stubbornness does not render him incompetent.'
Miami Herald
18-07-2025
- Miami Herald
‘Don't Lie for the Other Guy.' ATF targets straw purchases of guns
In the year Ashley Perez has worked as a cashier for an indoor gun range, she has witnessed a grim trend that firearm retailers have seen in recent years. 'I had a homeless lady come in. ... She was trying to purchase a gun, but just with dollar bills. ... [Another time] a mother came in to buy her younger son a gun, saying, 'It's for me,' while the son was saying it's for him,' the 24-year-old described seeing last summer. Perez and her team at Top Gun Indoor Range Florida in Kendall identified the pattern in both cases almost instantly. They were tell-tale attempts at straw purchases — buying firearms for people legally prohibited from owning them. It's a federal crime that could land an a offender a $250,000 fine and a 15-year prison sentence. A 2022 act signed by then-President Joe Biden tacks on 10 more years behind bars if the gun is used to commit a felony, an act of terrorism or a drug-trafficking crime. In a public campaign, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is warning potential straw purchasers about those steep penalties. . 'The message behind the campaign is simple: If you're buying a gun for someone who can't legally own one, you are committing a crime,' said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent John Vecchio during a Friday press conference at the gun range. 'You're helping potentially arm someone with dangerous intentions.' Vecchio joined the ATF, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and National Shooting Sports Foundation at Top Gun to announce the newest iteration of the 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy' campaign, which aims to curb the crime. Next month, South Floridians can expect to see billboards and posters with messaging that includes 'Buy a gun for someone who can't and buy yourself 15 years in jail.' Listeners of top radio stations and podcasts will hear the same. The 25-year-old, nationwide campaign isn't changing its strategies, but instead focusing on South Florida, which is a magnet for domestic and international gun trafficking. 'The availability of firearms is higher here and the restrictions on sales are a little bit less than they are in some states,' explained Rob Cekada, the ATF's deputy director, on why the crime is prevalent in the area. 'One of the reasons we picked Miami ... there's a lot of firearms trafficking that begins here and ends up in the Caribbean and also ends up in Mexico as well.' But the real danger behind straw-purchasing, Cekada says, is how it arms South Florida felons and encourages violent crimes. The deputy director's latest investigation, he shared, is still turning up illegally traded guns at crime scenes that happened in Miami and Margate and are linked to two Florida straw purchasers who bought more than 48 firearms. A 2024 ATF report confirms the pipeline nationwide, revealing that of the 7,000+ cases between 2017 and 2021 in which firearms were peddled, 60% of the 'end users' had at least one prior felony conviction. 'Rarely do we recover a firearm at a crime scene that was purchased by the perpetrator,' said Hayden O'Byrne, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, at the briefing. He added that retailers such as Top Gun and other federal firearm licensees play a large role in preventing straw purchases, calling them 'the first line of defense.' FFLs are individuals or businesses allowed to manufacture, import and deal firearms and are required to renew the permit with ATF every three years. Because Florida gun laws require only federal firearm licensees — not private sellers — to conduct background checks when transferring firearms, employees such as Perez are crucial to preventing the crime. 'We look out for signs, that's the first thing we do. The second we see a person walk through the door, we see the way they stand, the way they're speaking, if they're grabbing their phone too much,' she said. 'We want our hands [clean], and we want to do it the right way and the legal way.' That's why the 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy' campaign is teaching retailers how to identify straw-purchasers. 'This is a two-prong approach,' said Joseph Bartozzi, president of the NSSF, which launched the campaign with the ATF in 2000. 'Part of it is we help to work with the retailers like this to teach them about how to identify the red flags.' The other half? To warn everyday people unaware of the crime's severity before they make the mistake. Bartozzi cleared up that though money is a key motivator for those initiating straw purchases, it's not the only one. Peer pressure and 'a sense of loyalty' to family or friends explain why some participate in the crime. Others are emotionally manipulated or threatened with physical harm by those barred from owning guns themselves. Some just don't know it's illegal. 'It's not just criminal, but even unwitting, law-abiding people that might be caught up with a boyfriend or girlfriend,' he said. 'We want to make sure everyone understands that it is a crime, even if it's unintentionally related to a crime that's going to be committed later on.'
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
What makes it so hard to live in South Florida? See some of the housing issues
Real Estate News What makes it so hard to live in South Florida? See some of the housing issues The following articles explore the challenges of living in South Florida. They highlight the region's unaffordable housing market, rising costs and gentrification pressures. In Miami, residents face rising rents and financial strain. Many spend over half their income on housing. Condo buyouts become more common in South Florida. Structural issues and rising costs push some condo owners to sell. Developers target these properties, viewing them as prime redevelopment opportunities. Black South Floridians struggle with homeownership in gentrifying Miami communities. They face barriers like predatory lending and low credit scores. Read the stories below. North Bay Village, junto a la bahía y muy cerca de la playa de Miami Beach, recibe proyectos residenciales de lujo, que aumentan precios inmobilarios. Un programa de vivienda de la ciudad ayuda a los residentes y trabajadores esenciales a comprar condos, alquilar o pagar servicios públicos atrasados. By MATIAS J. OCNER NO. 1: IS YOUR CONDO RIPE FOR A BUYOUT? SEVEN SIGNS THAT DEVELOPERS MIGHT TARGET YOUR BUILDING The Miami Herald spoke with three real estate experts who weighed in on the telltale signs a condominium is ripe for redevelopment. | Published October 4, 2024 | Read Full Story by rsanjuan@ San Juan Stephania Germain, 24, who is on a Section 8 housing voucher, poses inside her apartment that she lives in with her daughter on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Miami. Germain was raised in foster care and is doing the best she can for herself and her baby. She says that even with the voucher, with recent increases it makes paying rent tough. 'It just keeps going up and I don't get a break to save, and I need new baby clothes, ya know they grow out of them so fast,' said Germain. By Alie Skowronski NO. 2: MIAMIANS ARE THE MOST RENT-BURDENED PEOPLE IN AMERICA — AND THEY'RE STRESSED ABOUT IT New Census Bureau data shows that Miamians spend a larger chunk of their incomes on housing than residents in all other major American cities. | Published October 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Max Klaver Sabrina Guillaume stands outside the duplex she owns in Liberty City. Guillaume spent several years trying to buy a property in the neighborhood where her parents live and she grew up. By Carl Juste NO. 3: BLACK SOUTH FLORIDIANS STRUGGLE TO BUY AND KEEP HOMES IN MIAMI'S GENTRIFYING COMMUNITIES 'We're losing ground every day.' | Published April 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Raisa Habersham Michael Butler The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
