Bluenest Development has become the leading donor to Miami-Dade County politicians so far this year, according to an April 14 report by the Miami Herald. The company, which is seeking county approvals for its workforce housing projects, contributed more than $190,000 to commissioners during the first quarter.
This pattern reflects a long-standing tradition in South Florida where developers who require local government approval for their projects make significant political donations. Bluenest is led by brothers Salim and Kamil Chraibi and was founded in 2018. The firm has completed about 1,000 homes and has at least 3,000 more in development.
The Pérez family’s Related Group donated $115,000 while Swerdlow Group gave $105,000. Both companies are based in Coconut Grove and have been active participants in major redevelopment efforts across Miami-Dade County.
Commissioner Kionne McGhee received the largest share of Bluenest’s contributions with $50,000 going to his 1 South Dade committee. Other commissioners who received donations from Bluenest include Marleine Bastien, Danielle Cohen Higgins, Roberto Gonzalez, Vicki Lopez, Natalie Milian Orbis and Micky Steinberg.
Bluenest initially built individual homes throughout the county but later focused on developing residential complexes featuring workforce-priced townhomes and single-family homes in south Miami-Dade. This shift allowed them to take advantage of available land and high demand for affordable homes.
Related Group and Swerdlow have concentrated on redeveloping public housing through the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. Swerdlow holds approval for the largest planned RAD project in Little River with plans for over 5,700 apartments including public housing replacement units and affordable apartments. Related is currently developing River Parc on the Miami River—Miami-Dade’s largest under-construction RAD project—with more than 1,100 units already underway.
The RAD program allows developers to lease county-owned public housing sites for redevelopment into mixed-income communities that replace existing units while adding new affordable options. However, it has faced scrutiny due to lease agreements being negotiated without appraisals between developers and county officials. Supporters argue these deals are crucial for addressing a shortage of affordable housing options within Miami-Dade County.
Swerdlow also secured approval last year for a no-bid purchase below market value of a county-owned site in Perrine where it plans new apartments alongside a Costco store.
