{"id":231634,"date":"2026-04-14T19:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/231634\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T19:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:03:16","slug":"bluenest-related-group-swerdlow-are-top-miami-dade-donors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/231634\/","title":{"rendered":"Bluenest, Related Group, Swerdlow Are Top Miami-Dade Donors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Bluenest Development, a relative newcomer to South Florida real estate that needs Miami-Dade approvals for its workforce housing projects, is the top donor to county politicians so far this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jorge_Perez-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"Related Group's Jorge M. P\u00e9rez\" class=\"wp-image-1025964\"  \/>Related Group\u2019s Jorge M. P\u00e9rez (Wikipedia\/Mtamz305)<\/p>\n<p>Bluenest, led by brothers Salim and Kamil Chraibi, gave more than $190,000 to commissioners in the first quarter, the Miami Herald <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/community\/miami-dade\/article315398524.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reported<\/a>, based on its tally of donations to political committees linked to commissioners and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The P\u00e9rez family\u2019s Coconut Grove-based Related Group donated $115,000. Swerdlow Group, also based in Coconut Grove, gave $105,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This continues a South Florida tradition of developers who need local governments\u2019 approvals for projects anteing up for political donations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/swerdolw_edited_edited_edited-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Swerdlow of Swerdlow Group\" class=\"wp-image-1025965\"  \/>Michael Swerdlow of Swerdlow Group (Swerdlow Group)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/magazine\/december-2025\/how-the-chraibi-brothers-supercharged-their-south-miami-dade-workforce-housing-development\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bluenest<\/a>, founded in 2018 and based in Miami-Dade, has completed about 1,000 homes, and at least 3,000 are in its pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although it started out building individual homes scattered across the county, it later zeroed in on its niche of developing residential complexes in south Miami-Dade with workforce-priced townhomes and single-family homes. In that, the firm seized on the south county area\u2019s healthy supply of cheaper buildable land and Miami-Dade\u2019s high demand for below-market for-sale homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Commissioner Kionne McGhee, who represents a large swath of south Miami-Dade, was the biggest beneficiary of Bluenest\u2019s donations, receiving $50,000 to his 1 South Dade committee. Bluenest also donated to commissioners Marleine Bastien, Danielle Cohen Higgins, Roberto Gonzalez, Vicki Lopez, Natalie Milian Orbis and Micky Steinberg.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/vicki-lopez-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"Commissioner Vicki Lopez \" class=\"wp-image-1025966\"  \/>Commissioner Vicki Lopez (Instagram\/vickilynnlopez)<\/p>\n<p>In one of its recent proposals, Bluenest wants to build a pair of complexes with <a href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/miami\/2025\/12\/22\/chraibis-bluenest-plans-163-south-miami-dade-townhomes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">163 townhomes<\/a>, combined, in south Miami-Dade.<\/p>\n<p>Related and <a href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/miami\/2024\/08\/29\/michael-swerdlow-dishes-on-overtown-project-and-recent-deals\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Swerdlow<\/a>, longtime major players in Miami-Dade development, in recent years have seized on redeveloping Miami-Dade\u2019s public housing through the federal <a href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/magazine\/march-2026\/inside-the-developer-gold-rush-to-update-miami-dades-aging-public-housing\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rental Assistance Demonstration<\/a> program. Swerdlow has approval for the biggest planned county RAD project, promising 5,730 apartments in Little River, consisting of public housing replacement units and affordable apartments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Related is the developer of Miami-Dade\u2019s largest under-construction RAD project: the 22-acre River Parc on the Miami River, transforming an 800-unit public housing complex. The development now has well over 1,100 units, with more on tap.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Danielle-Cohen-Higgins-miami-dade-county-200x180.jpg\" alt=\"Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins\" class=\"wp-image-1025963\"  \/>Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins (Miami-Dade County)<\/p>\n<p>Under RAD, developers lease county-owned public housing sites, often razing existing buildings and redeveloping them with towers that replace all existing public housing units and add affordable and workforce housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The program has been scrutinized due to lease deals lacking appraisals, with developers and county officials negotiating lease rates. Supporters have countered that RAD deals are pivotal in alleviating Miami-Dade\u2019s dire shortage of affordable and workforce apartments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Swerdlow also scored county approval last year for a <a href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/miami\/2025\/03\/06\/miami-dade-eyes-no-bid-development-deal-with-swerdlow\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">no-bid deal<\/a> to purchase for below market value and redevelop a county-owned site in Perrine, where it plans apartments and a Costco.\u00a0\u2014 Lidia Dinkova<\/p>\n<p>\tRead more<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"BlogrollPost\" href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/miami\/2023\/11\/01\/real-estate-industry-funding-miami-beach-commissioner-races\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Real-Estate-Industry-Funding-Miami-Beach-Commissioner-Races-f-150x106.jpg\" class=\"FeaturedImage_image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Real Estate Industry Funding Miami Beach Commissioner Races\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Here are the developers and brokers funding Miami Beach commissioner candidates<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"BlogrollPost\" href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/miami\/2023\/10\/27\/real-estate-players-funding-gongora-grieco-in-miami-beach\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Real-Estate-Players-Funding-Gongora-Grieco-in-Miami-Beach-f-150x106.jpg\" class=\"FeaturedImage_image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Real Estate Players Funding Gongora, Grieco in Miami Beach\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Inside the real estate war chest backing candidates in Miami Beach mayor\u2019s race<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"BlogrollPost\" href=\"https:\/\/therealdeal.com\/miami\/2023\/10\/13\/developers-fuel-alex-diaz-de-la-portilla-pac\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Developers-Fuel-Alex-Diaz-De-La-Portilla-PACf-150x106.jpg\" class=\"FeaturedImage_image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Developers Fuel Alex Diaz De La Portilla PAC\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>More than a dozen developers fuel Alex Diaz de la Portilla PAC\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bluenest Development, a relative newcomer to South Florida real estate that needs Miami-Dade approvals for its workforce housing&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231635,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124,99],"class_list":["post-231634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}