A year after filing a lawsuit against Miami-Dade County and Commissioner Keon Hardemon, the Neighbors and Neighbors Association (NANA) held a second press conference this month to address the alleged legislative interference with affordable housing projects in Liberty City. The projects are a part of the county’s Housing and Community Development Infill Housing Program, which allotted 35 plots of land to NANA to be developed into affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families.
The first press conference was held in March 2025, just a few months before the initial filing of the case, as a response to a letter from the county that placed the undeveloped housing properties on a 30-day notice of default. Since then, the properties have been in development limbo, according to NANA founder and Executive Director Leroy Jones.
“We didn’t expect to be here in this position,” said Jones. “We always had a good working relationship with Miami-Dade County, a good partnership with them.”
NANA and COB are sister nonprofits.
(Courtesy of Anthony Durden)
NANA was originally awarded the 35 properties under former Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, and four of the 35 were fully developed into livable homes. But with the arrival of COVID-19, development was placed on hold.
“It stopped everything for three months,” said Jones. “We were doing well. We were well on our way. We had secured funding. We had completed four properties. Then when COVID came, even the big developers couldn’t develop. There was a freeze on everything.”
According to Jones, once the freeze lifted, the cost of materials had doubled.
“Now, we [had] to go back to the county,” said Jones.
During that time, leadership for District 3 had undergone a transition. Due to term limits, Edmonson was forced to vacate her seat. Commissioner Hardemon took office in 2020.
Jones said that NANA had families confirmed for each of the 35 lots, many of whom cancelled their contracts due to extensive delays. Although the organization requested an extension for the development of the properties, the extension was never approved.
In June 2025, NANA filed a lawsuit against both Commissioner Hardemon and Miami-Dade County.
According to the amended complaint filing, Jones was an “outspoken supporter” of Edmonson during her campaign to represent District 3 on the commission in 2024. While she sought to regain her seat on the commission, Jones publicly endorsed her, “participating in campaign events, speaking on her behalf at community meetings, and routinely criticizing Commissioner Hardemon in various media appearances.”
The lawsuit alleges eight counts against the defendants, including retaliation, violation of due process and breach of contract. But according to a court order signed on July 20, 2026, five counts put forward by the plaintiff were dismissed, including all claims against Commissioner Hardemon.
Anthony Durden, an executive member of COB, holds a sign featuring a quote attributed to Commissioner Keon Hardemon.
(Courtesy of Anthony Durden)
Anthony Durden, an executive member of NANA’s sister nonprofit, the Circle of Brotherhood (COB), believes that the “attacks” against NANA have also had repercussions within COB. He spoke with The Miami Times as a “concerned citizen.”
“This is hurting and harming Black families,” said Durden. “These were Black families that were approved for housing, that went through all the requirements that it took for them to become homeowners.”
Durden’s concern extends beyond the Infill Housing projects into the trajectory of the community as a whole. The neighborhood has a high share of residents within the low- to moderate-income range. Its poverty rate falls at 33.6%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
“The practical thing was, if I sold out for a house that was valued at $200,000 or $300,000 back when… do you think that these developers or whoever else that’s involved want to put these Black families in a house now valued at $600,000 based off the same credentials they needed to go into the houses in the first place?” Durden said. “We can see the deterioration of our community now with gentrification… the deterioration of our history.”
Durden believes that the residents of Liberty City are not being given the information and resources that they need to hold on to their homes and pass down generational wealth. Instead, they are being displaced out of the area, he says. Jones echoes a similar concern.
“The biggest loss to us is that we had families, low- and moderate-income families in our community that were given the first time to live the American dream… and then [had] someone stop it,” said Jones. “This is not about us winning something. It’s about… deliver[ing] on the promise we made.”
The impact also includes the loss of a relationship with the county. According to Jones, he had reached out to Hardemon multiple times, to no avail.
“I called him, I texted him, [and] I emailed him,” said Jones. “He got back to me and said he was going to work on getting the date for us to meet. Until this day, it hasn’t happened.”
Hardemon did not respond to a request for comment by this publication’s deadline.