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Home My WebLink AboutBack-Up LetterLITTLE HAVNIlk ACTIVITIES & NUTRITION CENTERS OF DADE COUNTY INC. 700 S.W.8th Street Miami, Florida 33130-3300 305-858-0887 Ext. 222 Fax 305.854-2226 Manuel Marrero Chairman of the Board/ Treasurer Ramon Perez-Dorrbecker President and CEO Mario Luis del Valle Vice Chair Luis M. Borges Secretary Elisa de Velasco Vice Secretary Albert Collazo Rafael Villaverde Founder as United Way Member Agency August 25, 2014 Mr. George Mensah, Director City of Miami Department of Community and Economic Development 444 SW 2nd Avenue Second Floor Miami, Florida 33130 Dear Mr. Mensah: We are writing this letter to you at the suggestion of Mr. Alfredo Duran. The purpose of this letter is to request that the City of Miami file a satisfaction of a 1986 mortgage on two contiguous properties currently owned by Little Havana Activities & Nutrition Centers of Dade County, Inc. ("Little Havana") at 700 S.W. 8th Street and 824 S.W. 7th Avenue (the "Properties"), both in Miami, Florida. In May of 1986, Little Havana purchased the Properties for $750,000. At the time, Little Havana received state and federal funding for the purchase of the Properties equal to $450,000. For its part, the City of Miami provided $300,000. The $300,000 "grant" from the City of Miami was secured by a mortgage on the Properties ("Mortgage"). Simultaneously with the Mortgage, Little Havana also executed a promissory note ("Note"). The Note provided for payments to be made by Little Havana only if Little Havana defaulted under the Note. The Note also provided, among other things, that Little Havana must (i) comply with the terms of the 1986 meals agreement between Little Havana and the City of Miami; and (ii) provide meals and other services to elderly residents on the Properties. Almost thirty (30) years later, Little Havana continues to faithfully comply with those obligations under the Note. In fact, Little Havana now has congregate meal sites at not only the Properties, but at the following additional sites throughout Miami -Dade County: Metropolitan Hialeah Palm Towers 1407 NW 7th Street 900 West 44th Place 950 NW 95th Street Miami FL 33125 Hialeah, FL 33012 Miami, FL 33150 Miami Beach Council Myers Mildred Pepper Towers 450 SW 5th Street 10000 SW 56 Street 533 Collins Avenue Miami, FL 33130 Miami, FL 33165 Miami Beach, FL 33139 DM 2 ‘5082856. I Mr. George Mensah Page 2 August 25, 2014 Smathers 1040 SW 29'h Court Miami, FL 33135 UTD 1809 Brickell Avenue Miami, FL 33129 Carroll Manor 3667 South Miami Avenue Miami, FL 33133 Casa Devon 11250 SW 197th Street Miami, FL 33157 Stella Maris 8638 Harding Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33141 St. Dominic 5849 NW 7th Street Miami, FL 33126 Rebecca Towers 150 Alton Road Miami Beach, FL 33139 Olga Maria Martinez 8551 Hammocks Blvd. Miami, FL 33196 Soon to Open Palermo Lakes Apartments 5311 NW 7U' Street Miami, FL 33126 Moreover, since 1986, Little Havana has exponentially increased the array of services it provides to the elderly. Specifically, since 1986: • Little Havana has served more than Twenty Five Million (25,000,000) meals to elderly participants. • Little Havana has provided at least one non -medical service (including congregate meals, social services, case management, nutrition counseling, recreational services, refugee assistance, citizenship information, etc.) to over ninety thousand (90,000) elderly persons in the community. • Little Havana has established 2 licensed adult day care centers in which it provides services to 146 frail elderly on a daily basis; • Little Havana has operated 2 child day care centers in which it provides services to 106 children. The child care programs have wait lists of approximately 30 children. • Little Havana has furnished low cost primary care medical services to thousands of individuals. • Little Havana has a Medicare/Medicaid accredited home health agency that provides services to over 700 frail individuals in their homes. • Little Havana has a long-term care program that provides services to over 1,700 frail, nursing home eligible seniors throughout Miami -Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Few entities can boast the long history and exemplary service Little Havana has demonstrated to the elderly community (and beyond) in Miami -Dade County for over three decades. For Little 2 DM2,5082856. I Mr. George Mensah Page 3 August 25, 2014 Havana's unrivaled dedication, we respectfully request that the City of Miami now file a satisfaction of the Mortgage on the Properties. Apart from consideration for the services rendered by Little Havana to its community over a multitude of years, the satisfaction of the Mortgage is necessary because Little Havana is in the process of seeking New Market Tax Credits to expand its main senior center, adult day care center, primary care clinic and child care facility on the Properties. It has entered into a letter of intent with Community Hospitality Healthcare Services, LLC ("CHHS") that contemplates the provision by CHHS of over $15,000,000 in new market tax credit allocations to Little Havana. The consummation of this transaction will require that Little Havana transfer the Properties to a wholly -owned tax exempt subsidiary that will hold the Properties for the benefit of Little Havana in connection with the new market tax credit allocations. This transfer of the Properties must be free and clear of all liens. Consequently, without the satisfaction of the Mortgage, the new market tax credits transaction cannot be consummated. Please note that the tax credit allocation is contingent on Little Havana continuing its long-standing mission of providing services to the elderly, disabled and economically disadvantaged in its community. Thus, the new market tax credits transaction ensures that the Properties will continue to be used for these tax exempt purposes. In sum, we are hopeful that you will consider Little Havana's 28-year-old debt/grant repaid, and that, as a result, you will enter a satisfaction of the Mortgage. This action will allow Little Havana to continue to expand its mission for the benefit of the elderly, the disabled and the disadvantaged in our community and to further assist in the revitalization of the area with a new, state of the art facility. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 305.857.0779. Thank you very much. ery truly yours, Ramon Perez-llorrbecker CC: Mayor Tomas P. Regalado Chairman Willy Gort Commissioner Frank Carollo Commissioner Francis Suarez 3 DM 2.5082856. I