In less than 24 hours, the Miami-Dade Director of Public Housing and Community Development says more than 21,000 people applied for the county’s public housing program.

“This is the first day so we anticipate there’s gonna be many more applications coming in,” Alex Ballina said Tuesday.

The waitlist for Miami-Dade public housing is limited. Only 7,500 people will be randomly selected via an electronic lottery and currently there are 500 units available.

“That doesn’t mean that there’s 7,500 units available today. That means that you get put on the waitlist which could be day one or it could be 3 to 5 years down the road when a unit is offered,” said Ballina.

According to Ballina, the county is working on substantial rehabilitation on some of their buildings to offer additional units.

“We’re looking into opening up a housing navigator page where people could go online and look at all of the units available for different programs. Housing is a complex world. There’s a lot of different programs that are out there,” said Ballina.

The waitlist for public housing is not the same program as Section 8. This application process is strictly for units owned by Miami-Dade County, not individual landlords accepting Section 8 vouchers.

“Last time that we opened up the waitlist it was about 2014 and the reason why it’s taken so long is the last time we opened it up we had over 30,000 applicants. So we called and contacted every single person on the original waitlist prior to opening up a new waitlist,” said Ballina.

Applications are online only. To apply online, click here.

If you need technical support or don’t have internet access, you can go to one of these libraries for assistance:

• Main Library – 101 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130
• Model City Branch Library – Caleb – 2211 NW 54th Street, Miami, FL 33142
• Community Action and Human Services – Rev. Edward T. Graham / Miami Gardens – 16405 NW 25th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33054
• Community Action and Human Services – Naranja – 13955 SW 264th Street, Naranja, FL 33032
• Community Action and Human Services – Accion – 970 SW 1st Street, 4th Floor, Miami, FL 33130
• Community Action and Human Services – Culmer – 1600 NW 3rd Avenue, Miami, FL 33136
• Community Action and Human Services – Edison – 150 NW 79th Street, Miami, FL 33150
• Community Action and Human Services – Florida City – 1600 NW 6th Court, Florida City, FL 33034
• Community Action and Human Services – Frankie S. Rolle / Coconut Grove – 3750 S. Dixie Hwy, Suite 117, Miami, FL 33133

The public housing application is open until October 25th.

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – Residents are shaken up after a barrage of bullets rang out near apartment complexes, leaving one teen shot and injured.

Miami-Dade Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert, just before 8:30 p.m., at the Cutler Manor Apartments located at 10875 SW 216th Street in Southwest Miami-Dade, Tuesday.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found a 17-year-old boy with an apparent gunshot wound.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported him to Jackson South Medical Center in stable condition.

7News cameras captured officers huddled on the second floor of the apartment complex.

Video, shared with 7News, captures the sound of the barrage of bullets being fired in the neighborhood.

A resident told 7News she heard dozens of rounds of shots fired.

Her neighbor, who lives in Water’s Edge Apartments located at 10905 SW 214th Street, said one bullet hit her apartment window. The bullet did not go through because it was a hurricane-impact glass.

The neighbor said it was her daughter’s bedroom and she is thankful her daughter was not in the room at the time of the shooting. She had just rearranged the bedroom furniture.

No other injuries were reported and no arrests have been made.

Detectives are now on the hunt for the shooter.

MDPD is investigating the shooting.

Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

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The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, is dramatically expanding with the $25 million purchase of the exhibition space formerly occupied by the Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz Collection. The building is next door to the ICA’s facility in the Design District. The expansion coincides with the institution’s 10th anniversary. 

The acquisition will afford ICA some 30,000 square feet of space, doubling its exhibition facilities. The money comes entirely from private funds, including from the institution’s board as well as many other private area funders and a $5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 

Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz had displayed their extensive collection of contemporary art there since 2009. The collection was a must-see for visitors, especially during the December art fair season, during which the family typically hosted large events. Rosa de la Cruz died in February at 81; Artnet News broke the story the following month that their holdings would head to auction at Christie’s, and speculated that the facility could become part of the ICA.

“This expansion grew organically out of the demand for our programs and was supported by great enthusiasm from the board,” said creative director Alex Gartenfeld over the phone. “There was a longstanding articulated need for space for the permanent collection, special exhibitions, and public programs and education programs. There was a pent-up demand.” 

ICA Miami artistic director Alex Gartenfeld. Photo Rose Marie Cromwell, courtesy ICA Miami.

Many donors, he said, had previously backed campaigns to support operations and the museum’s endowment, while many were new donors. A press release lists about two dozen participants, from Micky Beyer to Allan Yarkin. Miami real estate developer Craig Robins is providing in-kind support, purchasing a neighboring parking lot that was part of the facility.

“It really spoke to people that we could buy this building and preserve it as an important space, where generations have learned about contemporary art,” said Gartenfeld. It also didn’t hurt that it was already serving as an exhibition space and would not have to be completely retrofitted, he pointed out, though there will be some renovations. The fundraising campaign to support that and continuing operating costs is ongoing.

The collection, which spans some 1,100 works at present and continues to expand, is already in the spotlight, as it happens, in the current exhibition “Toward the Celestial: ICA Miami’s Collection at 10 Years” (on view through October 27). Among the more notable figures included are Louise Bourgeois, George Condo, Dan Flavin, Ragnar Kjartansson, Daniel Lind Ramos, Nicolas Party, and Betye Saar.

Interior of the former De la Cruz Collection facility, now part of ICA Miami. Photo: Rose Marie Cromwell, courtesy ICA Miami.

“I think we have one of the most dynamic collections of contemporary art in the country,” said Gartenfeld. “We’re very active in our support for emerging, under-recognized, and established artists. It’s a global collection, its earliest works dating as far back as 1957 but of course continuing on to 2024. It’s a collection that spans media and disciplines, capturing global conversations but rooted in Miami as well.”

While Rosa de la Cruz passed away only in February, Gartenfeld pointed out, that was hardly the beginning of the planning for ICA’s expansion.

“This has been years in the making,” he said, “and the plans became far more firm following Rosa’s passing, which was a huge loss for our community. I think the family felt it was right to pass the torch.”