Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development Executive Director Gregg Fortner leaves Miami-Dade County
Director reorganized department and spearheaded partnerships to enhance housing opportunities
(MIAMI, July 1, 2014) – The Executive Director of Miami-Dade Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD), Gregg Fortner, will be leaving his position at Miami-Dade County to lead the Housing Authority of New Orleans. After more than a decade under Housing and Urban Development federal control, Fortner will assist in transitioning the department as it returns to local control.
Fortner started for Miami-Dade County in 2009, where he managed one of the largest housing authorities in the nation with a budget of $435 million. He oversaw the management, modernization, development and resident services for public housing, administration and operation of its Section 8 programs for 18,250 families. Equally important, he managed federal and state funding for a complex array of community development programs. He was profiled by Miami Today newspaper in 2009, as “An Achiever.”
Among Fortner’s noteworthy achievements are the public–private partnerships to renovate and redevelop six public housing sites for primarily senior/disabled residents utilizing preservation funding from the state of Florida. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation awarded the County $85 million to rehabilitate almost 685 units at Dante Fascell, Joe Moretti, Jack Orr, Stirrup Plaza, South Miami and Green Turnkey.
Another successful public-private partnership was the Scott/Carver HOPE VI redevelopment, an $84.5 million project which consisted of 57 single-family homes and 354 rental units, of which 177 are public housing. This development was awarded $16.7 million by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for employing Enterprise Green Communities and LEED for Neighborhood Development guidelines by incorporating green efficient features.
In an effort to improve the quality of more than 9,000 public housing units, PHCD received $19.3 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to upgrade its aging public housing developments and a $3.5 million emergency grant was awarded by HUD’s Capital Fund Emergencies and Natural Disasters fund to provide capital for repairs for two elderly public housing developments.
In 2013, through Fortner’s stewardship, $21.3 million of Surtax, HOME and CDBG funds helped build 14 multifamily rental communities providing 1,112 units of affordable housing. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program Round 3 funds of $18.9 million contributed to providing 327 affordable housing units in the County, including three multi-family developments -- Northside Transit Village in Liberty City, Hampton Village in Brownsville, and Town Center Apartments in Opa-Locka.
In 2013, more than 70 low and moderate income families in Miami-Dade County became first-time homebuyers as a result of $3.8 million in mortgage assistance from the County’s Second Mortgage Homeownership Program.
“Gregg is a consummate professional who worked tirelessly to provide high quality, affordable housing opportunities to low-and moderate income working families, individuals and elderly in our community,” said mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “I thank Gregg for his public service and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”