A Miami-Dade County judge on Monday sided with a developer and denied a request by residents of the Silver Court Mobile Home Park in Little Havana to halt their evictions. Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch heard the case at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center.
The Silver Court Mobile Home Park Homeowners Association filed the civil lawsuit and asked for injunctive relief, a court order that would pause the evictions of vulnerable residents. Most residents own their mobile homes but rent the land beneath them. The attorneys who filed the suit, from Legal Services of Greater Miami and the Community Justice Project, described many of them as families, low-wage workers, and elderly or disabled people on fixed incomes. The lawsuit argues that the property owner did not obtain required government approvals and violated the Florida Mobile Home Act.
The property owner, 1989 Sunny Court LLC, a subsidiary of the Marquis Property Company, is represented by Coral Gables attorney Jorge L. Piedra. He told the court that financial harm can be remedied with damages and that losing property is not irreparable harm. He also argued that the owner does not need government approval to evict residents or change the property’s use.
The Urban Group, the property manager, issued a notice in March saying the eviction was due to a change of land use and must be completed by Sept. 30. The notice said it did not relieve residents of their obligation to keep paying monthly lot rent.
Activist Mariana Ochoa said the relocation offers are not enough and that the government should step in to prevent more homelessness. She said dozens of residents need more time and money to find new homes. The lawsuit says some residents have invested more than $100,000 in their homes, which they expect to be damaged if moved. Residents expressed deep disappointment after the ruling.
